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As a young wife, married for 14 years at the time of this post, I wanted to share a few money lessons that my husband and I have learned over the years either from trial and error or from more seasoned married couples. In this post, I will be discussing the top 10 lessons on money and marriage from couples married at least 10 + years. I can honestly say that these lessons have really helped my own marriage to grow.
So, here is a quick overview of the top 10 lessons on money and marriage from couples married at least 10 + years:
1. Be open and honest
2. Stay in the know
3. Budget together
4. Automate bills
5. Combine your accounts
6. Identify Saver vs. Spender
7. Sleep on It
8. Designate fun money
9. Live on less
10. Earn more
Top 10 Lessons on Money and Marriage
1. Be Open and Honest
Money discussions happen almost every day in our household. Each spouse should be contributing something to the money conversation all the time. Don’t lie or make purchases and hide them. Dishonesty will come to the light!
2. Stay in the Know
Each spouse should know passwords, due dates, bill payments, location of important documents, etc. Create a password-protected spreadsheet with this information so that the partner who is less involved with the monthly finances will know where to pick up if something was to happen to the other spouse.
3. Budget Together
Each month (before the money comes in), each spouse should sit down together to discuss the budget. Make adjustments for holidays/birthdays/other variable or one-off type expenses that might not have been accounted for previously.
4. Automate Bills
This was a game-changer in our marriage! You will save so much time if you learn to budget and automate your bills. I am the nerd in our household and I used to spend a few hours each month logging into several websites to manually pay bills. Once I set up payee accounts with our bank and told our bank how much to pay and when to send the payments each month, this lifted the burden off of me. I will forever be grateful for Bill Pay!
5. Combine Your Accounts
I know some of you might hate me for this. But this really works for my household. Having all the bills paid from one account and all expenses being drawn from the same account just makes managing the money every month so much easier for me. If you want more info about this, read 4 of the Best Reasons Married Couples Should Share Finances.
6. Identify Saver vs. Spender
Each partner must learn their strengths. If one spouse is better at saving, then allow them to take the lead in that area. There must be a balance. One spouse shouldn’t try to change the other spouse.
7. Sleep on It
Whenever you have a huge financial decision to make, it is always good practice to go home, discuss it with your spouse and then sleep on it. Once you’ve agreed on a decision, revisit it the next day. No Buyer’s Remorse!
8. Designate Fun Money
Ensure that each spouse has a line item in the budget for fun money or misc. money or “I want to do whatever I want with this money” money. LOL. This will allow both spouses to spend guilt-free because this has already been budgeted for.
9. Live on Less
If you spend less than you earn, you will stay within your budget and reach your goals quicker. However; in order for this to work, you have to continuously evaluate your income and expenses.
10. Earn More
Two (or more) incomes are better than one. Bringing in more money can ease the stress off of your budget, especially if it doesn’t put a strain on your household. Consider picking up side jobs to help reach your financial goals.
There are dozens of other lessons that could be added to this list. However; try implementing a few at a time before you jump in with full force. If any of these lessons resonate with you, let me know. I may consider adding a part 2 to this.
