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Hybrid finances and gifts
Hello,
My fiance and I are getting married in September after 8 years together! I am excited for sure, and have just started perusing The Nest!
One of our recurring conversations is how to spend on gifts for each other.
A couple years ago we joined our incomes; now we have a joint checking and savings, and each of us has our individual checking and savings that's linked. Each week we add a little bit into our individual checking accounts for "fun money".
I'm of the opinion that birthday/anniversary/Christmas gifts should be purchased from the "fun money" accounts, as a way to show that we're thinking of the other person and planning for romantic things for them even though that's our individual account. My fiance disagrees and thinks gifts should come from the joint account. Part of the reason is that our spending/saving philosophies are different for our "fun money" accounts.
I think it should be a priority to save some of that account's money for these important occasions, as they are predictable and occur at the same time every year, and it's more about the intent.
What are your thoughts, ideas, comments? 
Re: Hybrid finances and gifts
that makes a lot of sense! do you ever feel like that's less "romantic" to use a budget from the joint account on gifts for each other? I don't know why but that is stuck in my head, and I don't know if it's irrational or unrealistic. I just don't want it to ever feel like another "bill".
If I may ask, what is your approx. gift budget?
I don't find it less romantic- however I do sometimes wish I could 'hide' the charge- at least until I give it to him! He will look at our CC statement and go- hey what's this, and that kinda sucks. I had a budget for gifts for him before we got married, so it really is just the same thing.
We budget $100 a month for gifts- but like I said that encompasses everything from family to friends to graduation/wedding etc. I think we will probably be dropping that though a bit after baby is here. Since we've been married we tend to do things for each other for anniversary for instance we may go out to a more expensive restaurant, rather than exchange expensive gifts. We've just decided it's less about the stuff you may give one another, and to focus on the time spent together. That also allows us to focus on our main financial goals right now of saving for retirement and a new house in a couple of years.