MEN and money? Most of them don’t worry their pretty little heads about it…

It used to be women who were thought to be financially infantile. The wrong sort of brains for sums. A generation ago, many quite intelligent wives left all financial dealing to their husbands and so were absolutely clueless and often came to a very sticky end when left to cope alone.

Just think of all those films and novels where the kindly solicitor has to explain to the grieving widow that there’s no money left.

Even working wives earning their own money aren’t immune. There’s many an abandoned wife who learn that not only has her husband skipped off and left her, taking all the savings, but he’s also re-mortgaged the house and left her with half the debt. So that’s what that bit of paper was that she signed without looking, reading or understanding…

You’re not that daft, are you?

Probably not, because times have changed. These days it’s men who are more likely to leave all the money stuff for their wives to do. Because they can’t be bothered? Surely not...

A new survey this week showed that not only do most working women still do most of the childcare and housework - ( I know there are many honourable exceptions among men and I salute you. But it’s still amazing how many big strong sensible men still believe in the Toilet Fairy.) - but that women also do most of the bill paying, sorting credit cards, buying insurance, booking holidays, dealing with bank statements. All the grown up money stuff.

It’s a no more sensible arrangement than when men did it all. Dealing with money is just another job, like cleaning the loo, only a bit more interesting.

But at least this way we’re the ones with our hands on the cash.

WOMEN EXPECT TOO MUCH FROM MARRIAGE

Meanwhile, Rosamund Pike, star of Gone Girl, said this week that women expect too much from marriage – that we expect our husbands to be our best friends, lovers, colleagues and family all in one.

Maybe at first.

But after a while we’ll settle for someone who’s kind, understanding – and remembers to put the bins out.

DO ANGELS MOULT? MUST DO

There has been much talk lately that we all have guardian angels who leave a white feather to tell us that they’re there. In which case there must be a lot of bald angels around.

One believer is Gloria, for whom it’s proof that her daughter Caron is still there. We all in times of grief look for signs and wonders to see us through. And if it helps, fine.

But feathers? Guardian angels?

When I see white feathers it’s more likely that next door’s cat has just got another pigeon.

A NEW STANDARD

Mrs Nick Clegg, otherwise known as high flying lawyer Miriam Gonzales Durantez, is setting new standards in political wifedom.

She’s always made it clear that she has a career of her own and that her husband must do his share of domestic stuff. We like a politician to be kept grounded.

But she does her supportive bit too and dutifully turned up at the Lib Dem conference and looked stunning.

But that was it. She didn’t go up on the platform and go through those dreadful stagey “My husband, my hero” embraces that have since become almost compulsory for leaders’ wives. Instead, she applauded enthusiastically and gave him a “well done” hug in the auditorium afterwards.

After all, we wouldn’t expect the head teacher’s husband to be on stage in school prize giving, why expect the equivalent from someone just because she’s married to a party leader?

JUST LIKE GRANNY SAID

Supermarket profits are slumping – because we’re suddenly shopping like Granny.

The man from Sainsburys on the radio last week said that our habits are changing and we’ve gone back to shopping “little and often.”

Well of course, it makes much more sense.

When families first had freezers and cars, it was very tempting to do a big supermarket shop once a week. Filled your trolley. Job done. Time saved.

Except you probably spent more than you planned. And at the end of the week you probably threw away out of date meat, slimy lettuce or dodgy salads that you never got round to eating.

No wonder we have a huge problem with food waste. A report last year showed that the average family wastes around £60 of food a month. That’s £720 a year with which you could do something a lot more fun than slinging stuff in the bin.

And at last the message is getting through. More of us are keeping the monthly shop to things like loo rolls, soap powder and tins of beans – ideally all done online so we can’t be tempted into extravagance - and buying the rest as and when we need it, more often from discount shops.

Far less waste because you’re not trying to plan ahead. Tricky in families where you might be feeding a horde of children plus friends or just yourself and don’t know until the day.

And sometimes you just can’t be bothered or haven’t the time to go shopping, so you do what Granny did and you just concoct a meal from what you’ve got. Brilliant. Saves waste and money.

Granny was right after all. Thank goodness we’ve finally realised.

OPERATION WAS 'KNEE' PROBLEM THANKS TO HOSPITAL STAFF

Good to hear from Wendy Acres in Darlington – hobbling along nicely after a knee operation at Darlington Memorial Hospital.

“Not only were all the staff lovely, but there was a great group of patients in Ward 33. All very different from different backgrounds but we got on so well, looked after each other and kept each other going. We really were our own little support group.’

I hope all those patients are well on their way to striding out again.

FINDING IT INCREASINGLY EASIER TO CHARITY BIG BOYS

Another day, another phone call from another charity asking me to make a donation/set up a direct debit/sell raffle tickets.

At the last count there were 164,097 registered charities in the UK. Around 68,000 of them get less than £10,000 a year. Around 2,000 get over £5 million each.

Maybe the richest are the most deserving. Maybe they’re just the ones that shout loudest.

It’s impossible to give to every charity that you want to. And when constant pleas for help from the big boys get very close to bullying, I find it increasingly easy to say No – and give to someone smaller and quieter instead.

BACKCHAT

Dear Sharon

I sympathise with people worrying about the “pinkification” of little girls, but just as bad is the “militarisation” of little boys. I have three sons, aged two to nine and only the six year old is interested in football but when I look for clothes for them I am overwhelmed by images of footballs, cartoon characters and imitation army uniform, including camouflage outfits for toddlers.

When so many small children are caught up in real wars and killings all over the world, I find that particularly distasteful.

Jo Kemp (by email)