Mum reveals the secret ‘runaway funds’ women are keeping from their husbands… and people are horrified
Mumsnet user is shocked her friend has squirrelled away £200 a month in a secret account
MARRIAGE may be intended to be “’til death do us part” but some women, it seems, are making contingency plans.
A user recently raised the issue of “runaway funds” after a conversation with a friend who was squirreling away cash in case she split with her hubby.
The friend was “horrified” that the poster had never heard the term, and didn’t have a secret account of her own.
But the post sparked a furious debate, with mums voicing their own horror at the idea of a secret bank account.
The post read: “Met a friend for coffee today and we got chatting. I told her how I was trying to start saving a bit of money each month to have a bit of financial back up in case the car breaks or we need a new dishwasher etc.
“She then told me she saves around £200 a month and puts it in her 'runaway fund'. She was horrified that I didn't know what a runaway fund was.”
She went on to explain that it’s an account she keeps secret from her husband “in case they separate and she needs to leave the home or run away for whatever reason.
“She said it's a bit of financial security for her should the worst happen between her and her husband.”
She added that the friend though “Every woman should have one,” and that she was wondering if she should start one of her own.
She finished by asking whether this had “always been a thing”.
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The post split opinion with one user writing: “How would you feel if you discovered your DH was saving £200 a month in a ‘runaway’ fund? That is your answer.”
Another said: “I’d be gutted if my dh had one and I’m sure he’d feel the same if I did.”
A third added: “I have savings because, well, everyone should. They're not secret at all, It's most definitely not a runaway fund (that's honestly really weird in my eyes) and I'd be absolutely gutted if DH had one.”
Another revealed her sister-in-law used to keep an expensive car that she refused to sell even though she didn’t need it because she saw it as her “escape fund.”
She added: “The whole escape fund thing seems to fit with this mercenary approach to relationships imo. I don't like it. Like a pp said, how would you feel if your dh had one? I would be fuming and pretty heart broken.”
But some thought it was a great idea.
One mum wrote: “I'd love to be able to afford to have one. I feel very vulnerable. If you can afford it, you should try and have something put by.”
Another wrote: “It's not a new idea and it's not a bad one either.
"In Yiddish it's known as a knipple. Call it that if you want but it is a good idea to have enough money to leave if you need to.”
Other topics recently debated on the site include whether £10 is too stingy as a wedding present and whether it is acceptable for kids to use iPads in public.