Budgeting · Book
The Only Name on the Account
Newly single, suddenly in charge.
For the first time, every money decision lands on one person. No one really budgeted before, and now someone has to. A story about taking the wheel of a household you didn't expect to drive alone, and finding that you can.
Chapters
The Only Name on the Account
The accounts that were always theirs are just hers now, and so is every decision behind them. Renée opens the banking app as the only name on it, and makes herself look.
What's Coming In and Going Out
Renée never tracked the money, because someone else always did. She spends a long evening finding every bill, login, and automatic payment, building the picture from nothing.
Separating the Money
Joint accounts, shared cards, a direct deposit going to the wrong place: the money is still tangled with a life she is leaving. Simon helps her separate it, one practical step at a time.
One Income, Honestly
The second paycheque is gone and the rent is not. Renée rebuilds the budget around what she actually earns, deciding on purpose what one income can and cannot carry.
The Help That's There
As a household of one adult, Renée qualifies for support she never needed before. She learns how the Canada Child Benefit, the GST credit, and child support change the math in her favour.
A Cushion of Her Own
When you are the only earner there is no one to fall back on but yourself. Renée builds an emergency fund that is truly hers, sized for a household that rests on one set of shoulders.
If Something Happens to You
Renée avoids the thought, but her kids now depend on one income and one person. She faces the hard questions of life insurance, disability coverage, and who would raise them if she could not.
The Costs That Ambush You
Field trips, winter boots, a birthday party she forgot was coming: the small costs hit hardest on one income. Renée starts naming them ahead of time and feeding a little to each every month.
Standing on Her Own
Most of the credit was in his name, and now Renée needs her own. She learns how to build a credit history from a standing start, the thing a landlord or a lender will ask for next.
Steadier Ground
A year in, the household runs on a system Renée built herself, and the panic of that first month is gone. For the first time she looks past surviving and lets herself plan something.