I Make $75K A Year And My Girlfriend Makes $250K A Year. How Should We Split Bills?

Hi, it's me, Megan. I'm a elder manner exertion present astatine BuzzFeed, and invited backmost to Money with Megan, wherever we speech done the sticky enactment and wealth situations that support america up astatine night.

This week, I person a missive from idiosyncratic who's moving successful with their important other, but can't rather fig retired however to equitably divided an important day-to-day cost. Here's what they had to say:

My woman and I are moving successful together. She is simply a doc and makes implicit $250k/year, and I americium an technologist and marque $75k/year. She archetypal suggested that we tin bash what is called income percent financing, truthful alternatively of paying 50/50 for everything, she would wage the bigger portion, wherever I would wage the remainder (let's accidental 60/40 successful this case), which I deliberation is just and feasible successful our situation. The happening that confuses maine is the groceries.

How that would enactment is simply a enigma to america truthful far, and we person yet to fig it out. We truly would not similar to wage with cash, truthful would 1 of america wage with a recognition card, and the different would Venmo them back? Isn't this much similar a roommate situation? I bash not consciousness comfy paying currency (Venmo) since we tin gain recognition paper points! So what would beryllium the solution?

First of all, congrats connected moving successful with your girlfriend! That's a immense step, and I anticipation it's the commencement of a agelong and loving beingness together. I deliberation it's truly promising that you've already talked done however to divided your big, accordant bills similar rent successful a mode that feels just to some of you. It shows that you person the connection skills and spot to tackle the wealth talks that volition proceed to popular up arsenic your clip unneurotic unfolds.

Now, onto your question. Grocery costs tin beryllium peculiarly tricky to split, particularly since they tin beryllium truthful adaptable (and they tin spike rather quickly, arsenic we saw earlier this twelvemonth erstwhile eggs abruptly became a luxury item). It's harder to program for costs that alteration depending connected factors ranging from "we bought other spices to effort a caller recipe" to "tariffs are making the terms of java soar."

I emotion that you're reasoning astir recognition paper points and rewards! If you tin wage disconnected your equilibrium successful afloat each month, these kinds of cards tin beryllium a large mode to get much retired of your spending. However, I indispensable caution you that if you find yourself successful a presumption wherever paying disconnected your equilibrium is nary longer doable, those rewards volition beryllium eaten live by involvement payments.

Based connected your combined incomes, I'm going to conjecture that (unless you person immense pupil indebtedness payments oregon different debts you didn't archer maine about), you'll beryllium capable to wage disconnected a market paper each month. So, the easiest solution mightiness beryllium to simply unfastened a associated recognition paper conscionable for groceries. Find a paper you suffice for that offers large rewards connected groceries specifically (this database from NerdWallet is simply a large jumping disconnected point), and wage it disconnected each period according to your established 60/40 split.

Or, if you're comfy with this idea, you mightiness determine to chill connected trying to divided this disbursal perfectly evenly and/or equitably and conscionable spell with the travel of beingness instead. You're close that Venmoing backmost and distant gives roommate energy, and, successful my opinion, it's profoundly unsexy. I cognize this works for immoderate couples, and bully for them, but it doesn't dependable similar that's the enactment you'd beryllium happiest with.

What mightiness relaxing astir this disbursal look like? You mightiness instrumentality turns paying astatine the market store. You mightiness instrumentality work for purchasing definite items you similar to devour regularly that she's not that into, and vice versa, and some of you spot successful connected communal items similar breadstuff and milk.

Maybe you commercialized disconnected nights cooking meal and are each liable for getting immoderate items you mightiness request to hole your meals for the week. Or possibly you divided it up based connected which stores are much convenient for each of you to visit, similar she goes to the fancy store with specialty items that's adjacent to her office, and you store astatine the regular supermarket successful your neighborhood.

Ultimately, successful a agelong relationship, determination volition beryllium times erstwhile 1 spouse needs much support, and trying to divided everything "fairly" volition spell retired the window. When I was going done attraction for a superior aesculapian condition, my spouse of 10 years stepped up to transportation me, and erstwhile helium was grieving the nonaccomplishment of a adjacent loved one, I did the aforesaid for him. We've ever been squad go-with-the-flow for groceries, and I deliberation that helped found spot betwixt america that what we each enactment successful volition adjacent retired implicit time.

Finally, there's nary 1 close mode to grip wealth successful a relationship, conscionable what works successful your relationship. And retrieve that immoderate you determine present doesn't person to beryllium the mode you'll bash it forever. Keep having regular wealth check-ins with your woman to marque definite you're inactive connected the aforesaid page, and beryllium prepared to set your plans arsenic beingness happens. You've got this!

And that's each the proposal I person for today! If you person a sticky enactment oregon wealth concern that you'd similar immoderate proposal on, constitute to maine via this anonymous form.

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What bash you deliberation of my advice, and what's worked for you erstwhile it comes to splitting market costs with your partner? Share your champion tips successful the comments!