Couples budgeting · Option 2

Fully joint

Everything goes into one pot. Both paycheques land in a joint account, every bill and every savings goal is shared, and any big purchase is something you decide on together.

How it works

There's one joint chequing account and one shared budget. Both paycheques go in, and you plan every dollar together: bills, debt, savings, and the fun money too. There are no personal budgets. Day-to-day spending comes out of the joint account, and anything big gets talked through first, then saved for as a shared goal.

Is it right for you?

It suits couples who already think of all their money as shared and like full transparency. It's also the simplest setup to run: one account, one budget, one plan. Many couples find it helps to agree on an amount, say $200, above which a purchase needs a quick conversation.

We recommend Option 1, which is the same plan plus a small personal amount for each of you, so small personal purchases never feel like they need a sign-off.

Putting it together: Alex and Sam in Dollero

Alex earns $4,500 a month after tax and Sam earns $3,000. Here's how they run fully joint finances in Dollero, with a single shared Household budget for all $7,500.

  1. Create a shared Household budget

    Open the app menu and choose New Budget. Name it Household and set the type to Shared, so you both see and edit it. Then invite your partner from Household Members in the same menu. You each sign in with your own login, on your own devices. This is the only budget you need.

    The Create Budget Profile window with the name Household, currency CAD and the budget type set to Shared

  2. Send both paycheques to the joint account

    Add your joint account to the Household budget. Both paycheques land there: Alex's $2,250 and Sam's $1,500, twice a month. Every purchase either of you makes comes out of it too.

    The Joint Chequing account in the Household budget, listing shared purchases and both partners' paycheques on the 15th as income

  3. Plan every dollar together

    At their monthly budget meeting, Alex and Sam give every dollar a job: bills first, then debt, savings and fun. Fun money is shared too, with Date Nights and Hobbies in the same budget as the mortgage. When Available to budget reaches $0, the whole $7,500 has a plan.

    The Household budget for September with $0.00 available to budget. Categories are grouped into Home, Everyday, Debt, Savings, Big Purchases and Fun Money

  4. Agree on big purchases, then save for them

    Talk a big purchase through before you commit to it. Once you agree, give it a category with a savings goal. Alex and Sam want a $2,400 sofa, so they put $300 a month toward New Sofa, and it's at $900 so far. To add a goal, edit the category from the budget screen and turn on Savings goal.

    The Edit Category window for New Sofa with Savings goal turned on and a target amount of $2,400

  5. Record spending from either phone

    Because the budget is shared, either of you can add a purchase from your own phone, and the other sees it straight away. Here Sam logs dinner at The Keg against Date Nights.

    A new transaction on a phone: $64.80 to The Keg from Joint Chequing, categorized as Date Nights

Getting started this month

  1. Open a joint account and redirect both paycheques into it.
  2. In Dollero, create a shared Household budget and invite your partner.
  3. List your fixed expenses and total them, then agree on your savings and debt priorities.
  4. Agree on an amount above which a purchase needs a conversation.
  5. Put a 30-minute budget meeting on the calendar for the start of next month.

Your first few budgets won't be perfect, and that's fine. What matters is that you're building the plan together.

The other options

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