Fifty-one per cent women said they maintained complete control over household finances compared with only 36 per cent of men.
However, 58 per cent of men claimed to be confident about their ability to spend within planned limits, as opposed to 56 per cent of women, the 'Daily Mail' reported.
A third of adults do not plan to set a regular budget next year to help them cover outgoings such as rent, mortgage payments, food and travel.
And a fifth of these would use buffers such as credit cards and overdrafts to help them if they spend more than they can afford, according to the survey of more than 2,000 households conducted by the Money Advice Service.
Living up to their image as a thrifty nation, the Scots are most likely to budget their family finances carefully, with seven in 10 of those north of the border keeping a close eye on their spending, the survey found.
But just under half (49 per cent) of those living in the North East kept to a budget, making it the worst organised area in the country for personal finances.
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In the South East the figure was 51 per cent; in the North West 54 per cent; and in Wales and the South West 56 per cent.
"In these tough economic times many people don't have much money left over after the bills have been paid, so it's really worrying how many households intend to live off overdrafts and credit cards," Jane Symonds of the Money Advice Service, an independent body set up by the UK Government, said.
A separate study has found that women now control the budget for the majority of households where couples are under the age of 45.
Females will be making the most important long-term financial decisions by 2020, such as choosing a mortgage, The Lloyds TSB Family Savings Report predicted.
It also found 91 per cent of households where women were in charge of the long-term financial planning had savings, compared with 82 per cent of families where men had greater responsibility.