However, it is going to be a little more complicated than that as life tends to be just such. So, look at the following suggestions for how you can determine who should handle the finances in your house:

1. Ask yourself if it is possible for both you and your spouse to handle finances together. This is the healthiest way to handle finances, and the best way to ensure that no one person gets blamed should your financial situation head down hill. So, together you and your spouse should set up a budget, determine the best way to stick to that budget, set up a payment schedule and a way to quickly rid yourself of debt, and determine how big purchase decision will be made. If you do this together a couple of things happen. For one you get the privilege of sharing in your financial future which makes both parties responsible, and thus both parties also become more careful with their spending habits, and two you ensure that all involved with the spending of the money are involved with the decision of how it should be best spent. So, you win-win.

2. If you find that it is too difficult to handle finances together, especially if you find that you do not get bills paid on time etc. because you think the other person did it, you can choose a different route. The next best solution for who should handle finances is to have both of you determine how money should be spent, and then have the other do the spending. For example, you both sit down and work up a budget. However, when paychecks come in only one of you deposit it, and properly allocate it, meaning send in payment for bills, debts etc. This person is the one who will be constantly aware of the financial position you are in, and they will be able to determine when and if you have enough money for extra purchases.

3. Or, for a third option, you can just have the one person handle everything. They set a budget, they do the shopping, buy the gas, pay the bills, deposit the checks, etc. The problem with this is that all the responsibility falls to the one person so should a problem occur the blame is easily dispersed and problems occur.

The person who should handle the finances in your family should be the person who has the best grasp on where you are, where you want to be, and what needs to be done financially to get you there. If both parties can participate equally, that is great. If not, then it is wise to delegate specific financial tasks to each and hold them responsible for the completion of these tasks.

If one of the people in the house is bad with money, tends to impulse shop, forgets to pay bills on time, or just does not do a good job keeping track of the purchases, then that person should not be the one to handle the finances; if both of you are like that, then ask someone else to help you handle your finances, or use programs like automatic bill pay to ensure your bills are paid on time.