Here are three ways to save money in marriage:
- You have an online savings account in your name only
- Your spouse has an online savings account in their name only
- You both have a shared online savings account in both names
3. A Shared Online Savings Account
I’m starting in reverse order but first in importance. This is the main account that gets funded first. It will contain the emergency or rainy day money that will help you survive as a couple and as a family when bad things happen to good people. Like the water heater breaks down, you have a fender bender and you have to pay the insurance deductible.
This account is funded automatically every pay period from both of your incomes before paying any bills and right after you get paid. Remember, this is the “What would it take to cover your living expenses for 3-6 months?”
2. Your Spouse’s Online Savings Account
It’s ok to that your spouse has an online savings account of their own. If this person has spending issues that we discuss below, then they’ll have free reign over this account. They can deplete this account willy nilly if they’d like to.
However, this is the only account they can do that with. I’m certainly not advocating that though. It would be much better to see the account handled responsibly and not ever be depleted.
This account should be funded by a percentage of your spouse’s income in your spouse’s name only, but should not be funded until your shared online saving account is funded.
This gives your spouse the opportunity to display their recklessness or their fortitude regarding saving money. 
1. Your Online Savings Account
You’ve worked hard for your money and it’s important to do action one.
What you don’t need is an online savings account that gets depleted every time your partner has a moment of spending-i-tus. This is when your partner is by themselves or with friends and all reality and sensibilities leave their minds and he or she comes home with a new __________ or went and played __________ or __________. Fill in the blanks.
Well, to reduce the overwhelming anger that starts to boil inside of you when this happens, you need to have your own online savings account. This is an account that is untouchable by your spouse as long as your alive.
Your spouse should understand the need for this account, as it is a way to take care of each other. If you really love someone, you want to take care of that person. Even if you are not the bread winner in the relationship, the bread winner of the relationship should be setting aside money for you by giving it to you to manage.
It’s all in taking care of one another, financially in this case. This is where the folks who feel like they need to control other people are really tested. You’ll find out real quick what your spouse really thinks of money and how it relates to your relationship.
Like your spouse’s online savings account, this account is funded after your shared online savings account is funded first.
Now, with all that said, this way of saving could be difficult for some folks to accomplish. It might be that you feel financially strapped and can’t even save, or maybe one spouse doesn’t believe in separating the family money. Besides, that old wonderful saying that’s been around forever, “What’s mine is yours and what’s your is mine” seems to rear its ugly head every now and then.
If one spouse has the bad habit of depleting their account and the shared account, then other steps need to be taken especially if the bills are not getting paid. Consider this scenario as a crisis mode and steps need to be taken to protect each other’s financial lives.
Someone said, regarding relationships, “A piano player and a violinist can make beautiful music together, but they can also make beautiful music without each other.” We can go out into the world as individuals, independent of one another, and we do just fine. When we are together, it’s even better.