Hot Stuff and I have opened a joint bank account. Gulp! It must be serious. It’s with Starling Bank, hence the fuzzy picture of a murmuration, one of my favourite natural phenomenon. In case you hadn’t guessed I took this photo myself. In my defence for it being a bit crap, my phone camera wasn’t as good in the olden days and those clever little blighters are tricky to catch on film.
We’re happy with our new bank. For a start the pictures of murmuration on the ‘about’ page on the Starling website are far better than my own. Go and have a look. But I’ll admit that’s probably not the basis on which to make a major financial decision. No, we chose it based on its ethical credentials, the fact that it keeps being voted ‘Bank of the Year’ and its ease of use.
It’s ever so simple to pop money across and keep track of what each other is spending through the apps on our phones. Ka-ching! A purchase pops up as soon as its gone through the cash register. I decided to surprise Hot Stuff with some pickling onions and vinegar the other day. We’re romantic like that. ‘What did you buy in the greengrocers?’ he asked. No sneaky Manolo Blahniks out of the joint account then!
When you share a household, it makes sense to have an account in common. My college kid even dies this with $5 per month for things used by all, to save issues if of one person owning the burden when something is running low.
Such a good idea even for small amounts.