The Household Fairness Test

Give a willing household a fictional €30 leisure budget and six invented purchase cards. Each person allocates the amount privately, then the group repeats the allocation after every card reveals intended audience, likely frequency, access needs, and whether it substitutes for an existing shared cost. Real household spending stays out of the room.

The hypothesis is that reasons will change allocations and perceived fairness more often than a rule requiring identical shares. Record only anonymous allocation changes and a voluntary fairness rating; allow private withdrawal, do not appoint a household spokesperson, and never turn disagreement into relationship advice from a laminated worksheet.

A reproducible report would publish the fictional cards, sequence, prompts, group sizes, missing ratings, and aggregate changes. It could inform how shared-value options are explained, but it would not establish a fair budget for any real household or justify collecting family finances.

Equal numbers are tidy; shared reasons are fairer.