How do you hide money from your DH?

[05ChristmasSurprise]

We are always together - and always keep track of our bank/budget together (typically online)

How can I keep money (for Disney) hidden from him for a year?

I have a paypal account, so I guess I could do that...but then I'm afraid he'd notice all the charges to the post office on our bank card - from selling on ebay

Have you successfully hidden extra money from your husband for things like this?
How'd you do it (or significant other)

I thought about buying gift certificates (they sell things called "Scrip" here at the kids school as a fundraiser that we sometimes use for groceries). If I told him I was going to buy $200 in scrip and instead pocketed the other $50 and purchased accordingly at the grocery store I know he'd never know the difference (since I usually run into the grocery store by myself).

Any other ideas?

Thanks!

 

[don8life]

How about a passbook savings account? They don't send statements. I usuall just keep an envelope in my sock drawer and stick extra cash and change in it.
Good Luck!

 

[Buttercup26]

I have a small amount of each paycheck (mine, not his) direct deposited into my ING savings account (statements come via email). He never sees my paycheck, only the joint bank statement and just assumes the amount deposited there was the full paycheck. You could also transfer funds from your PayPal account to an ING account.

 

[Puffy2]

I don't have to hide anything, but ....
you can always write your grocery checks over by about 20 - 25 dollars, whatever the store allows and then pocket the cash and save it in a safe place until your trip.

 

[ncbyrne]

I also keep my pin money in an envelope under the drawer liner. Funny thing is that DH "hides" his extra $ in an empty can on a shelf in his work shop. He has no clue I know it's there....and for all I know, he knows my hiding spot too!

 

[yecats]

My mom would withdraw cash when she would grocery shop that way it just looked like one big grocery bill (anyplace where you can work in a cash advance with the total bill). You may also choose to go shopping twice a week instead of every week or every other week thay way if each time you take out another $20 well it adds up quicker.

I would say that if you weren't going for at least 2 to 3 years then you could buy savings bonds and say that your saving them for retirement (you'd earn a little interest during that time but it would take at least 2 to 3 years for any sort of interest to acrue).

ING account is probably best best especially if you get the money taken out immediately. May want to check with your bank to see if special accounts are offered, you may be able to pass it off as a Christmas account to your hubby whereas it would really just be a vacation account.

You may also want to start a coin savings at home and call it the joint rainy day fund (of course he doens't need to know the long term goal for the fund and believe it or not, the change adds up).

 

[MamaCrush]

I love this thread!! I feel so evil...

I discovered this trick by accident. The grocery store I use has a frequent buyer card where they automatically deduct money saved on sale items from your grockery ticket. Well, once I forgot to give them my buyer card before I paid, and the cashiere told me to go to the customer service desk and they would give me the cash. (The bottom of the receipt says-- You Could Have saved x-amount if you had used the card). And they did it! No questions asked. I try not to abuse this, but do it about every other week or so-- especially if it's someone new at the customer service desk . But I stash this "found money" into a drawer for our upcoming cruise.

I can't wait to hear everyone elses secrets!

 

[05ChristmasSurprise]

Great tips! Thanks everyone!!!

I was just thinking that I could get cashback at Target and Wal-mart, too - as well as the grocery store and that would be FAR more discreet and easy than the scrip program with the gift cards!

What is an ING account (I've seen the ads, but never paid much mind). If it is an account I could set up from home, it would be KEY (Anything via computer is much easier for me than going into a bank with four kids who can't keep their traps shut about surprises! LOL)

 

[Kae]

I hid money in my kids savings accounts for my DH's 40 birthday surprise in Las Vegas. I also used the company credit card to pay for the rooms & air fare-I pay those he never sees them. I hid garage sale money & money I make working overtime.

Kae

 

[Jenn]

My husband "hid" some money from me so I will share how he did it.

We were going to WDW and were a little tight on spending $$. For several months prior to the trip my husband would hit the ATM for his usual cash and stash $5 here, $10 there. About once a week he and a co-worker would grab lunch at the food court in the mall and he would buy Disney Dollars with whatever he had in the stash. It added up. Just before we left, when I was started to really freak out about the $$, he handed me and envelope with $500 in DD in it and told me we were going to go, have fun, and not worry about money.

I had no clue he was doing this, although I had commented that his lunches out were started to get a little out of hand.

 

[BethR]

To find out about ING, just take a look at the top of this board. There is a thread dedicated to the discussion of it.

And you definately can do "it" from home.

Good Luck!

 

[mrsboz]

I saved $1800 before my husband saw the receipt. I was sooo bummed. I had been saving and wanted to surprise him and I left the bank receipt out by accident. I try to take $50. out a week out of the food shopping money. I also try to save money out of my allowance each week. We both take an allowance and I try hard to save at least some of it each week. I take the cans back, surveys and change. I put it in the credit union in my mothers office so that he wouldn't know about it. I'm up to $2,000 as of this week. Sure feels good.

 

[Mel6197]

Where do you hide your money.. Well I keep mine in a ceiling tile in a small metal box.. We have a drop ceiling in the basement..

But as far as hiding money to accumulate, I just "over spend" on things.. You know grocery shopping was 10 dollars extra, I never Sale shop...etc.. LOL.. DH doesnt check up on me, so Ive been able to save enough money for our next 2 trips..

 

[Lisa loves Pooh]

I love this thread...sounds evil...yet so satisfying.

I have my change jar that I also put bills in--I have snuck some 5s and 10s by rolling them with the 1s. Maybe one day I will even forget they are there.

Unfortunately--due to a little greed with some cash we had on hand...and some accountability from my part---I did have to fess up that they were in there. But since the bottle is duct taped, I didn't have to take them out.

I "steal" change as well. If I'm driving the car and find it, into the jar it goes. If it's in the washing machine from his pockets, it is mine. Left on a counter, it is mine again. I do not however go into his belongings though (wallet, dresser drawer, et cetera) as I would not really "steal" from him.

So far--these things I have gotten caught with--but sneaky b/c I know he will just roll his eyes and forget about it.

For groceries and such it is a toss up for me as if I write a check, then I don't get Hilton Honors points from my AMEX. On the other hand, if I charge, I can't "spend" a few extra bucks to tuck away. Perhaps I can alternate--or do one trip a week with AMEX and the other with a check.

 

[cruisin05]

05christmas surprise--check you pm

 

[missyc]

I always do the cash back at the grocery stores, wal-mart, etc. too. And I save change. Last month I had almost $60 in silver alone. It really took close to 2 months to get, but I did the same thing as Lisa loves Pooh, if I see it...it's MINE! I have also "forgotten" about coupons and discount cards only to go back and get the cash. I've also bought something just to return it for the cash!
Hey, we do what we gotta do, right?!

 

[patsal]

DH has to hide the $$ from me! LOL I usually place it in an envelope or another way to fool the books is subtract the money from checking, but leave it in the bank, record it in the back of the bank book or somewhere else. Withdraw the money just before the trip or leave it there, charge everyhting and pay it off when you get home.

 

[MamaCrush]

I LOVE the buy something and then return it for cash. How positively devilish!

 

[Carrann]

Lots of great ideas here! This is what I have done:

I have 2 change jars....My husband, I and my daughter all contribute to one change jar. We add extra change and 25 cents anytime a "bad" word is said. Since my husband has a habit of taking out change when he needs $$ for parking or soda at work, I take some of the $$ out every few weeks and hide in a second jar under the bed. My husband would never think to look here.

Also, I look for rebates everywhere! If there is any item we want or need, I try to find a rebate for it. The rebates go into my personal bank account to be saved for vacations. My husband knows about the account but doesn't know how much $$ is in it.

 

[missyc]

Originally posted by MamaCrush
I LOVE the buy something and then return it for cash. How positively devilish!

And it doesn't matter if it's a store like Wal-Mart or a "mall store" like Sears or JcPenny. I've done it at the grocery store too! As long as it's something that is sealed and can be re-sold I don't worry about it! My sister used to do it with baby formula since it was more expensive! Her DH would never question how much she spent on something like formula!