Do most couples living together, take their financial obligations to each other, seriously?

I don’t think there’s any one definite answer. Some couples might, some couples might not.

How can we extrapolate from our, our children’s, our close friends and family’s experiences to most couples?

My ex and I handled our finances well; we pooled my income, his income, our small pot of dividends, interest and gifts. Then we did a budget; whatever was left over we split down the middle into mine and his.

This was discretionary income and could be used for anything. He could save up for an antique boat and I could buy a cherry quilting rack or some very sharp knives.

I’ve had three serious live-in partner plus two husbands. In all cases, we discussed what bills we already had individually and then what to share in addition and how. I don’t remember any problems with the seriousness of the obligation. If anything there were times of insecurity when one or the other didn’t make enough to come through as expected.

I think most people who live together take their finances seriously.

@john65pennington: By the way, your question, as it’s typed, has a few spare commas in it.

My partner and I each contribute to a joint account that we use for household/shared expenses. We keep separate accounts for the other stuff. We have a budget on a spreadsheet that we discuss whenever something changes (e.g., I paid off my car; he got a raise).

I am not sure we take it seriously. There is nothing that seems that serious.

This question is similar to the question you just asked, @john65pennington, about couples having sex. You can’t ask questions on a site like this about “most couples” and take the answers and assume they’re relevant for “most couples” across the board. Fluther Jellies are a small demographic, compared to the entire US or the entire world.

Most couples play Russian roulette to decide who pays the bills that month. As you might imagine, few of these relationships last very long. Unless they put blanks in the gun. But even blanks can kill you.

And I though JLeslie was on drugs when she came up with her questions.

@wundayatta: Note that his question, as punctuated, does ask whether we should take it seriously.

…do most couples living together, take their financial obligations to each other, seriously?

I’m sorry, @gailcalled, but that punctuation is giving me a headache. I’m just making up what I want the question to mean. And I love this idea of russian roulette for who pays the bills. I think it would make a great comedy sketch. Solve the population problem, too.

Seriously?

I think that couple’s moving in together without getting married are not serious about anything. They just want a place to live and a steady date and sex partner. As you can tell, I am against the situation where “why buy the cow when you can get the milk for free”. Since there is a minimal personal commitment, I doubt that there is any financial commitment.

Of course this is a generality. There may be honest couple that take cohabitation seriously but they are the exception, not the rule.

@Ron_C, some people don’t value marriage even though they value their partner and commitment.

@nikipedia that’s exactly why I said that they are the exception. Of the cohabiting couples I know only one is serious the others are just roommates with sex.

@Ron_C You need to get out more. I don’t know if I have every run unto an unmarried cohabiting couple that wasn’t serious about each other.

On second thought, maybe I need to get out more! ;-)