Glove over Marriage

Ever tried to stick to a budget? Ever tried to keep track of your expenses? Isn't it really hard and the tracker gets abandoned after a few months? Well, it might be frustrating that you are not able to follow through, but here is a fine example why
it might still be better than rigorously sticking to expense tracking and budgeting! One FT reader writes for advise from the Undercover Economist, she is not sure how correctly to track a lost glove:

My husband and I are following a tight budget, whereby he is using an Excel spreadsheet to plan our gas usage, spending of store card loyalty points, and so on. (I name just two of the 12 columns.) He has also plotted our petrol use on a graph. However, I became somewhat concerned when I lost a glove and its value was inputted into the “deficit” column – aptly titled column 13 – of the spreadsheet. I challenged this, as the glove was singular and therefore half the cost. It was also actually a gift – or two gifts. Are we down £15 (the approximate price of the pair of gloves), down £7.50, up £7.50, or quids in? This has become a sensitive issue in our marriage.

Mrs, soon to be Miss

What do we learn from this? 69UKN57588Z3

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