Checkbook...Smeckbook!

Can I just say it.... I hate, HATE, HATE...balancing a checkbook! I do it only so I know how much money I have or don't have. Since Honey's been gone I have had to balance not one - but two bank accounts; as we have always maintained separate accounts. Today I sat down to do a balance on both accounts and realized that I spend way too much time and money eating out and going to Publix! Maybe a tad bit of shopping here and there.

So...anyway....my account? Not so good and it's 1 1/2 weeks til my next payday. Honey's account? Looks pretty stinking good. It's soooo tempting not to just make a nice little transfer to my account....but I refrain. Alas, I admit that I've used it a few dozen times when I was running short, but for the most part he's got a bit more disposable income that I do. (Yes Honey...if I would leave YOUR account alone, you'd have so much more).

Back to balancing. It didn't take me long to do take my balance down to an amount that tells me I am eating in for the next week and a half and not shopping unless for essentials; like milk and bread. It's tempting to not whip out Honey's debit card, which I have done on too many occasions. (yeah, maybe I should take it out of my wallet, eh?) 

I'm not as meticulous as Honey is in balancing and I'm only playing with 1/2 my paycheck (the rest goes to Honey's acct), no big dollars there. If I'm out a few cents or even a couple of dollars...I let it ride a short time and then make a manual adjustment. Now Honey's account, I have not balanced out in a month. His account is extremely meticulous and I spent 35 minutes looking for 5 cents! 5 CENTS! I never did find it so I made a manual adjustment. 

When we married the only pre-nup we had was that I wouldn't take out the garbage and I would NOT handle the bank account - oh, and the person that wanted out of the marriage had to take ALL the bills and the Kids!!  I loved living in financial bliss for 13 years by not having to handle the bills and primary accounts.Well now, a year of deployment has made me eat those words in the worst way (except for the kids, they are all grown now).

I hear that with reintegration the returning soldier may want to take back control of certain things...like the bank account and some spouses may have a difficult time transitioning some things back to the Soldier. Not this chick...he can have it back as soon as he can blink an eye! 

Honey, and as a bonus I'll trade you garbage duty for vacuuming!