Talking about money is still taboo in France. However, it is a fascinating subject, and in some respects… feminist! In Settle the accounts, people come to review their budgets, talk to us about their financial organization (as a couple or alone) and their relationship with money. Marine agreed to answer our questions today.
- Name: Marina
- Age: 18 years
- Profession: university student
- Monthly wage : € 465 per month of CROUS scholarship, e 1,200 euros in salary net for the spouse.
- Lives with: spouse, 2 cats and a rabbit
- Residence: an 80 m² apartment in Nancy, of which the spouse is a tenant
The income of Marine and her partner
Marine is a scholarship holder and receives monthly € 465 from the CROUS. A sum that she considers correct, as it corresponds to her expenses and allows her to study.
“I assume that if I can support myself, my finances are sufficient. With € 465, I can save some money and manage my expenses: I live with my boyfriend, but my parents don’t live very far from the university and I have options for accommodation. “
His spouse, meanwhile, receives a salary of € 1,200 per month. He does not consider himself well paid and would like to find a more profitable position. Also receives an activity bonus 180 € per month.
Together they manage a monthly budget of € 1,845.
The couple’s financial organization
The incomes of Marine and her spouse are very different and must organize themselves accordingly:
“Each of us has his own account. It allows us to maintain our independence, and it would be too complicated to manage otherwise, to calculate who pays how much.
Some of our expenses are shared on a proportional basis of our income (food and utilities), while others, such as rent, are fully assumed from my boyfriend. Each of us pays for our own subscriptions and for our hobbies aside. “
An operation that the couple considers right, and that is scalable: every month he re-calculates and adapts the expenses of each one.
“When we shop, he always pays. So, I do the math on a notebook by removing what’s just for me then I do a cross product to calculate my pro-rata. At the end of the month I pay what I owe my boyfriend. ”
For them, money is never a point of contention – it’s more of a joke – and they talk about it very easily.
The expenses of Marine and her partner
The 80 m² apartment in the center of Nancy that they are renting costs € 590 per month. A sum paid entirely by Marine’s partner: he lived there before they met, and everything is in his name.
In addition to these fixed costs, there are the water, electricity and utility bills they represent 125 € per month. They are taken from Marine’s partner’s account, and she reimburses him a third, or 39 euros.
They recently made sure to lower the spending budget: first to € 200, this is it up to 130 €of which Marine pays approx one third.
” We do wholesale shopping, to try to break as little as possible. Once a month we shop in a hypermarket and once or twice a month we buy fresh products in a discount supermarket. We spend around sixty euros every two weeks. ”
The expenses of the navy
After these common expenses, stay budget of 383 euros to Marine for personal expenses and savings.
Counts approximately Subscription € 12 phone, € 5 bank charges, e € 18 for your health insurance. His public transport pass costs him € 17 monthly.
She pays 50 € per month for your pets : his cat and his rabbit, which cost him 15 and 35 € respectively.
Estimate a leisure budget each month € 50.
“I use this amount to please myself: I can buy clothes on Vinted or enjoy a restaurant with my boyfriend. Also, to anticipate the Christmas or birthday gifts of my loved ones, I save 10 or 20 € per month. ”
The relationship of Marine and her spouse with money
When it comes to leisure, Marine and her partner have completely different ways of doing things. Rather it counts € 100 leisure expenses per month:
“He’s a spendthrift and likes to take advantage of his money. We are very different on this, I prefer to save and have less free time. “
He would like to reduce his transport budget, which is quite high since he works in another region: 273 euros per month, half reimbursed by his company. € 136.5 at his own expense.
Their latest crushes?
“A coffee machine that grinds 250 euro beans, which he had dreamed of for years. For my part, it is the adoption of a cat in a kennel for € 140, following the death of my previous cat. “
Navy savings
Each month, Marine manages to save approx € 200. They are used to accumulate precautionary savings, essential in his opinion:
“I believe that money is important in life. I come from a poor family, and I am a real ant, who tries to save as much as possible in order to compensate for the unexpected, in particular. My parents won’t be able to help me if I have a problem, so I need to be able to build a safety net!
Saving does not prevent me from spending to please myself, to please my boyfriend or my pets, and I do not forbid myself to exceed my budget by a few euros. I already have a savings of € 2,000 and I am never boundless. ”
To manage her expenses, she uses an application that allows her to keep an eye on her accounts and record her purchases.
“It helps me to calm down: if I don’t take out my credit card, I don’t spend anything… But when it’s out I can’t put it away! “
Photo credit: Tran Mau Tri Tram / Unsplash
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Ashley Root is an author and celebrity journalist who writes for The Fashion Vibes. With a keen eye for all things celebrity, Ashley is always up-to-date on the latest gossip and trends in the world of entertainment.
