I will never forget the first time I heard a friend mention getting an allowance from her husband. I dismissed it as being something that they must have agreed upon because she was a stay-at-home mom.
Then at another time I heard another married woman talk about her allowance. But this time was different because she is a working woman. Since then I have also heard one of my married friends talk about giving her husband an increase in his allowance.
Should parents get an allowance? Isn’t that something we give strictly to children? Well think about the point of an allowance. An allowance is an amount of money that is granted someone. Allowances are sometimes tied to chores but other times they are given for no specific reason.
I don’t mind if my husband decides that we need to set a budget. I don’t mind if he says that neither of us should take out more than $20 in cash each week or whatever amount you want to insert in there. But there is something about being given an allowance that doesn’t sit well with me.
I can’t be the only person who has ever heard of an adult getting an allowance from their spouse. But while I may not care for the terminology there is probably something to this. After all, there was a time in my marriage when I carelessly used our check card. I didn’t think twice about swiping that plastic thing to make one purchase after another.
One day my husband, who was quite flustered about my spending habits, put together a pie graph of my spending. When I saw it in black and white it kind of hit me. I was going overboard. I knew I had to give up my rights to that check card because it was hurting us financially.
That was well over ten years ago and today I am much better at spending…and saving. At the same time I don’t think it would hurt to have a budget each week for “fun money.” That’s what I would prefer to call it. I don’t want to get an allowance but I wouldn’t mind some fun money. When it’s gone, it’s gone.
What about you? Do you get an allowance…or should I say “fun money?”
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