hmm, i dun think i'm the right example for starting new family cos some of the spending isn't within a normal expenses, tho for me it's necessities. but for simple rough gauge... houses+cars is easily 8k liao. then kids' dailies + mum's allowance abt 3k, insurance 2k, sponsorships 2k, etc etc... it's actually abit more than that but there are some portions i'm not gonna list, like 5k to my mistress... ok ok kidding, i haven't met her yet, but it's likely to happen in another 2 months... my mistress will be my next car, Not a woman.
i'm NOT a saver... neither am i a spendthrift... i just go by the simplest solution in life of always earning more than i can spend... and i'll always be safe. 1 of the house i'm servicing is a safeguard for my kids, it'll either be their education fund when they're off to study, and their home when i'm dead. anyway all these expenses are Not pure expenses, but can yield returns in a decade or so... except the car i guess.
u gotta find wat works for u, dun just blindly do all these 50/50 thing... or open joint account. end of the day, u will be quarrelling over what's fair, what's not fair... i'd rather pay for everything and save on the quarrels.