Hannah and Max continued to pool finances after Max was made redundant but took "drastic measures" to cut spending.

Hannah and Max have one joint account where their salaries are paid into and all bills come out of it Hannah and Max have always split their money equally even when one has earned considerably more than the other. "We've always wanted to do things 50/50," Max, 31, says. "We made a commitment to each other that what's mine is yours, and vice versa." The couple got married after two years together, when Max was earning £70,000 a year working in tech, and Hannah, who works in the charity sector, was earning considerably less. Their salaries go into a joint account and their mortgage, bills, food, petrol and other household costs are paid out of this. If one of them wants to buy clothes, make-up or go to the pub they can do that without feeling watched and "it means we aren't accountable to each other for those things", says Max. They also divide money into different pots, including savings and smaller funds for predictable spending like haircuts. The pair came into the relationship with very different attitudes to money - Hannah's family discuss finances openly whereas for Max, "money was totally taboo".