Gifts and shared finances

Do shared finances have any effect on gift-giving between you and your partner?

Being unmarried, I never thought about the question until my co-worker Dawn wrote a recent column about the way shared finances impact her perception of Valentine's Day.

Then, on a kinda-related note, one of my favorite bloggers just wrote a post about how she's financially contributing to her own engagement ring.

She and her boyfriend already live together and share a variety of expenses, so why shouldn't they share the cost of an engagement ring?

With engagement rings, even if you're not directly sharing in the cost, you often end up indirectly sharing the cost when you merge your finances. You know, if you think about it practically.

But then again, I think there's something to be said for occasionally NOT thinking about things practically when it comes to shared finances.

Otherwise, you risk losing the "you bought that for ME?" awe that makes relationships so magical sometimes.

Thoughts?