How To be Married 16 Days and Counting Down Money Few things cause couples to have conflict more than money. Even when you completely agree on how to handle money, it doesnt mean youre going to make good choices. So, Ill share with you the pitfalls I know about. This ended up longer than I planned...and it isnt even close to all inclusive. No matter how much you want that 27 color console TV, its not worth it to finance the thing. And NEVER EVER make the mistake of making the argument to your wife that its the last TV youll ever need. She remembers stupid stuff like that. You got married and as a result, your first responsibility is to your wife (husband). Its ok to help out other people, but not beyond money that you dont need for your immediate family. Unless your last name is Fargo and your first name is Wellington (Wells for short), you probably dont have serious blow money. So, if your great aunt Berthas nephews best friend cant pay their electric bill, its not your responsibility to pay it for them. $400 invested monthly at a modest 6% interest accumulates to $263,353.95 over a 25 year period. Dont buy that new car. Just dont. If you cant pay cash for it, you cant afford it. We had car payments for most of our marriage. Not a single one of them was worth a quarter of a million dollars. Make a budget TOGETHER. Know where your dollars, every single one of them, are going. Plan for everything. That doesnt mean you cant buy those new shoes that are just screaming you name, it means you plan ahead for them and get them with the dollars set aside for them. Your budget needs to include entertainment, clothing, insurance, car repairs...etc. Incidentals can add up to a deficit. Deficits suck. Trust me. Perhaps the hardest thing for Mel and I to overcome was not actually believing that we could change things financially. We were always broke. No matter how much I made, we were just broke. I would go to school, get degrees, get higher paying jobs...it was like climbing a social ladder set on quick sand. Until we took ownership of the problem and began talking and planning, we were broke. Eventually, we discovered this one amazing trick to financial peace that bankers, especially creditors, dont want you to know about. We started spending less that we made. Weird....but it works. It doesnt cost anything to get your loved one a gift. Even when funds are tight, take the time to get her a gift. ESPECIALLY if funds are tight. Its nice to know that the love is still there when theres no money to go out and eat. If you find a wood jointer at Lowes on sale, call your wife and talk to her about buying it first. Especially if youre already broke. Its a bad idea to buy it, load it in the truck and try to sneak it into your shop. Because, if you do, your wife and mother-in-law will sure enough be standing on the back porch when you sneak back out of the shop...tapping their angry foots at you. I cant speak form experience, but that would also suck. Before you argue the cost of things, heres a couple of things you guys need to take note of. Make up...it costs a lot. A whole lot. Take what ever number you thought of, double it...and then quit asking. Also, womens underwear is more expensive than yours. Complain about it and youll never see it. Oh, her haircut isnt going to cost $12, either. Theres lots more. In a nutshell, if you want to have a long-term happy marriage, budget and plan together. Dont spend more than you have coming in. Plan ahead. Dont borrow if you can help it at all. Give when you have extra. Save for tomorrow. Tomorrow...Decorating for a happy marriage.
Posted on: Tue, 22 Jul 2014 01:55:05 +0000
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