Joint Accounts
How Can I Keep My Holiday Shopping Secret From My Husband?
Strategies for keeping the mystery in gift-giving when you share a credit card
Welcome to Joint Accounts, a weekly advice column about money and relationships of all kinds. Have a question? Email jointaccounts@medium.com.
Dear Joint Accounts,
This is a practical question more than a relationship one. Christmas is coming up, so my husband and I are obviously planning to give each other gifts. How can we do this discreetly?
Is there a way we can adjust our shared finances around the holidays so we don’t know where the other person is shopping for gifts? We could use cash, but I also want to make sure we get our credit card rewards points.
Sincerely,
Wannabe Secret Santa
As someone who has ruined many surprises with my borderline obsessive budgeting, I empathize with your question. You need full financial transparency in a committed relationship, but that transparency comes back to bite you when it’s gift-giving time. Fortunately, there are a handful of workarounds.
Obviously, you could use cash to buy your gifts. I know, I know: You specifically stated that cash isn’t…
