Married money matters melee
January 19th, 2006 | by mbhunter |My wife pulled out this article from this month’s Reader’s Digest (eBay) called “Married, With Money.” The article is in the Money Talks column and is authored by Maria Bartiromo.
I’ve heard this a gazillion times, but the number one thing that married couples butt heads with is money. We used to fight more about money than we do now — that’s a big blessing. The article discusses a few helpful practices to smooth over the money-fueled malice:
“Think big and put it in buckets.” This gives common ground for exactly what you’ll be saving for.
“Everyone needs the prenup talk.” Not a prenup agreement, mind you, but just a serious talk about how you both handle money and what each of your “money personalities” is.
“Put your goals on paper.” This is good advice for just about anything worthwhile, but especially for money matters.
“Take a hike.” Not divorce, but an actual hike — or whatever will be away from a stack of receipts and bank statements and away from likely confrontation. More productive things get done in a pleasant setting.
“Get it together.” Most of the money in the household shouldn’t be “his” or “hers.” Most of it should be “ours.”
The common thread of these five tips is communication. Communication makes most things in a marriage better — not just money matters.
4 Responses to “Married money matters melee”
By Make Love, Not Debt on Jan 21, 2006 | Reply
Exactly! Unless you have married your twin, no two people have the exact same money views. We’ve also read this article, and according to what it says, we’re doing pretty well.
By mbhunter on Jan 21, 2006 | Reply
I’m glad my wife and I are different. The last thing the world needs is another one of me!!
By Hazzard on Jan 23, 2006 | Reply
It’s amazing how much less couples fight about money when they aren’t trying to figure out how to pay the bills each month. I’ve seen many examples of couples stretched beyond their means and the stress it puts on their marriage.