[GNC] help setting accounts to track contributions

[Ron Morse]

I suggest you don't do this unless you both suffer from OCD.

It will lead to disharmony and discord because no matter how hard you 
try there is never true "equality" in any relationship. Instead, live, 
love, enjoy and support each other. Do things together and don't worry 
about who's wallet it comes from. Do something every day to show your 
partner how much you appreciate the fact they are in your life, and 
don't expect them to pay half.

At the end of your life where the money came from won't be important, 
but if you make it important now it will kill the relationship.

If you insist on doing this, then stick to the major fixed expenses like 
rent/mortgage and insurance. And then, prepare to be flexible on these 
targets because life will intervene and there will be times when you or 
your partner will not be able to meet them, and trying to reduce these 
events to a spreadsheet or financial program will only make bad 
situations more toxic.

Sure, your partner needs to contribute to the other, variable expenses. 
And you need to talk about it if you don't feel they are doing their 
part.  This will be a continuing and recurring process. But if you start 
trying to reduce those things to a fixed mathematical construct then you 
will find yourself on the road to frustration.

I will give you just one example:  Grocery budget. Sure, you can set a 
figure and stipulate that each partner pays 50% (or a percentage based 
upon respective incomes...but on that path lies madness).  But what if 
you eat 7 eggs out of the dozen?  Or your partner drinks three glasses 
of wine to your one?  Do you then go back and recalculate the value of 
"contributing equally"?  What if your tracking of these things has 
greater granularity than your partner's?

If you insist on reducing every household expenditure to a set 
distribution pattern your partnership becomes a business.  Is that what 
you want out of a personal relationship?

RBM


On 05/04/2018 02:13 AM, Gio Bacareza wrote:
> Hi,
>
> My partner and I are moving in together and we'd like to share expenses
> like groceries, rent, etc. So we'd like to track expenses as well as our
> appropriate contributions to make sure that we both are contributing
> equally to house expenses.
>
> How should I set up the contribution? Under what main account type should
> it be? Any recommendations?
>