So Who Controls The Purse Strings?

[mezcal]

thanks for the entertaining reading guys

In the beginning of the month I give my wife 10.000 to pay the rent, bills and laundry and the rest is pocket money. She gets a few 1000's more during the month. I pay for anything else.

My wife is very good with money, much better than I am....and generally buys only necessary things. When I met her she had 3 jobs, working hard for little money. Slowly she stopped one after the other, until she ended up doing almost nothing. At that point we had a talk and things changed. She started her own business for which I invested and it's going pretty well. She's really into it and very talented too.

Like every woman she too has her obsession: bra's! But then, they are fairly cheap and they look good on her ...I can't complain.

The only reason I don't give her all my money is because she would try to save it all and I would end up begging for it. hahaha

[bellste]

I basically hand it all over to the Mrs, and keep my own allowance for personal expenses (most of them beer related. )

She's much better with money than I am.. (She actually cares enough about the stuff to keep track, organize & plan.

You're lucky Winnie. I have seen little evidence that money "planning" existed here from those I've been around. Many Thais spend money like kids. As long as there is money in the mobile and a beer and a cigarette covered, not much more matters.

I agree. For many Thais, the point with money, is to spend it as quickly as possible, mostly on nonsense. My wife has learned, after five years of marriage, that this is not very smart. I wonder who learned her that? It was not her family in here in Thailand, I can tell you that much.

Edited January 11, 2010 by bellste

[MJP]

I basically hand it all over to the Mrs, and keep my own allowance for personal expenses (most of them beer related. )

She's much better with money than I am.. (She actually cares enough about the stuff to keep track, organize & plan.

You're lucky Winnie. I have seen little evidence that money "planning" existed here from those I've been around. Many Thais spend money like kids. As long as there is money in the mobile and a beer and a cigarette covered, not much more matters.

I agree. For many Thais, the point with money, is to spend it as quickly as possible, mostly on nonsense. My wife has learned, after five years of marriage, that this is not very smart. I wonder who learned her that? It was not her family in here in Thailand, I can tell you that much.

Keeps the economy turning over though?

[spacemand]

I just give the wife everything I make every month. I only need a few hundred baht a day for incidentals. And then she is responsible for paying the bills. Saves me alot of headaches.

Better yet, I don't have to listen to her overly active imagination decide that I have a mia noi. Since she controls all the money, she knows I couldn't possibly pay for one. You only get into trouble when you try and hide the finances from the Mrs. Just find a girl who you trust to take care of your money and turn it all over to her. Lots of problems go away after you do that.

The stress of doing it the other way around just isn't worth it.

LOL I am the same.

She knows our monthly budget and I rarely have more than 1-2,000 in my wallet.

A lot easier to hand her the money and have her pay for everything when we go anywhere and she is more responsible when it comes to money than more often than not its her telling me that maybe we should consider this a little bit before we buy it.

I agree with the imagination she knows I don't have any cash, she knows the monthly income, I trust her and if her imagination gets the better of her I just tell how the frack would I be able to afford that. It works for us and I don't have the head ache of making sure bills are taken care of and I think it looks better that she is paying at the supermarket or restaurant than I am, might be just me feeling this way.

[hammered]

We work it all out together. Whatever has to be paid is paid and then whatever is left is for enjoyment or purchases of choice. Later in th eyear when a debt or two are paid off the money earmarked for that will go to savings. It is a joint plan based around what we as a family (including daughter) need/want.

[kikoman]

My wife dose, she puts x amount of dollars in the house expenses only jar, the rest of the money we both agree on how it will be spent, what are the priories. She can account for almost every satang she spends as, she keeps a book on all the money she spends (her own idea).

It been that way for 5 years, no problems!

Cheers:

[theoldgit]

I let my wife beg on the steet and when i get home i give her a bowl of rice and take the money.

So beat that

I make her buy her own rice - so beat that

[Heng]

Thai-Chinese/Thai Chinese couple here. All of the household bills go through me for now, but I expect that she'll handle everything when I start to become senile or at least less sharp finance wise as nearly all men do (before women).

[Norrad]

My wife likes to give me the illusion that I am in control of the finances. But actually she controls all the money.