Yes, you heard that right. I’m 36 and I get an allowance.
To note, I actually like getting an allowance. Oh and my husband gets one too. Yes, we get the same amount.
Before you think it’s because we’re both shoppers or maybe we’re trying to get out of debt, it’s neither of those. We’ve done this since we joined our bank accounts when we got married and my husband did this even before I met him.
In a time when so many people fall into debt, allowance is a tool we use to keep ourselves out of debt. It has also been shown to benefit many marriages.
What is this allowance used for, you ask? I mainly use it when I want to buy something for myself, for example, coffee in the morning, a haircut, a new top and other things along those lines.
If I’m out with the kids and we stop for a smoothie, I’ll probably use my allowance for it. If we go out for lunch or something more expensive like that, I would probably charge it to our joint credit card.
I’ll be the first admit, at first I did think it was odd to have an allowance as an adult. However, now we’ve been doing it for almost 10 years and I really like it.
Reasons Whey I Like Having an Allowance
1. I’m a Type A personality. I like rules and structure and this method tells me exactly how much money I have available.
2. As a SAHM, it’s easy to have guilt over spending money on myself, when I’m not bringing any in. With this method, I have zero guilt. If I go shopping and come home with a few bags of whatever, I don’t feel bad and my husband doesn’t cringe and think, “How much did she spend this time??”
3. The reverse is true too. If my husband wants to go out with the guys or buy something for himself, I don’t mind. He uses “his money” for it and it doesn’t come out of any money we’re saving for something else.
4. When I buy gifts for my husband, like Christmas, Birthday, etc. I use “my money.” I feel like the gifts mean a little more this way since it’s not just charged to the credit card. Right?
Once when I was discussing this topic with someone, they asked me, “But what if you want something and it costs more than what you have?” Well, that’s a really easy one to answer. I save for it with my allowance money and then buy it if I still want it. For more budgeting tips, click here.
Yes! My husband and I (36yo) have done this since we got engaged and moved in together 7 years ago! It’s amazing. I like to buy food and snacks (because I hate packing them even though we have plenty in the house) and he likes fancy watches and jeans. I’m saving up currently for an extravagent all-by-myself momcation when COVID is over!
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