<prompt> Human: First off, all the debts are taken care of, the emergency find is in place, 401K, brokerage etc etc etc. So after all that responsibility and good frugal spending, we have some discretionary income. All work and no play makes for a dull life. Some of that is for travel which we agree on pretty well... BUT when she wants a new pair of boots, or I want a new flashlight and we look at the others purchase and go Why are you wasting on that! how do we get away from this??? Are there any methods other than an allowance given to each person? If it is an allowance, how do you administer it?  <response>: I find it far easier to pay all joint expenses out of a joint checking account that we each contribute equally to. This means everything from the mortgage to an emergency late night run to In-n-Out is split evenly. Everything else is left to personal accounts. If she wants to buy 20 pairs of shoes, I dont care, its her money. If I want to buy another guitar, its up to me whether or not the money is there. Of course both will be met with a bit of ::roll_eyes:: from the other, but not due to finances.This has worked incredibly well for us, but I think thats because we have similar incomes and no kids. If one of us had a dramatic change in income, Im not sure this method would work as well. 