Coupling up: how to avoid money worries in your relationship

"There's no one-size-fits-all answer for whether you should manage your finances jointly, separately or somewhere in the middle. The most important thing is to have conversations about money things such as spending, budgeting, debt and saving early on in your relationship to prevent misunderstandings and arguments later."

"Moving in together is a big deal and will mean sorting out who's going to pay for what. The good news is that some bills should come down. If you were each paying for Netflix, Amazon Prime or other subscriptions, in many cases you will be able to halve those costs. Other costs can be cut, too for example, some gym chains, such as David Lloyd, offer a discount if you sign up as a couple."

There is no one-size-fits-all approach to managing finances as a couple; options include joint, separate, or hybrid arrangements tailored to preferences. Early conversations about spending, budgeting, debt and saving reduce misunderstandings and relationship strain. Couples can create written plans or independently draft proposals to compare and negotiate compromises. Financial arrangements should be reviewed periodically or after major income changes. Moving in together reduces some shared subscription and service costs and may allow couples to split utilities equally or proportionally by income. Joint accounts create shared access and liability and require significant trust.

Read at www.theguardian.com