Most relationships end over money, the lack thereof, the irresponsible use of it, or just flat out illiteracy when it comes to finances.
Whatever the reason is, can cost you your love life. We want to give you a few tools that can help minimise the behemoth fights over finances.
Most couples fight over money simply because they don’t understand how much they have. They’ve never sat and discussed a budget! They’ve never seriously spoken about where each dollar is going, and when it leaves.
Because of this, friction often occurs. Ten dollars to you may not seem like much, but to him that’s half an hour of work… or a quarter of a tank of gas. Maybe he sees it as $10 that could have gone into the savings fund. Now that its gone, he feels like you’re uncommitted to building.
Attitudes have now risen. Neither of you are talking to one another. And nothing is getting resolved, while a pile of utility bills stare at you from the kitchen table.
Try this:
- Sit together to do income breakdown. How much is coming in monthly and annually? Track where and what money can be saved, cut, or invested.
- Talk about why finances look they way they do, without pointing the finger. Eating out too much? Amazon orders out of hand? Child support? What is the root cause, and how can the two of you as a team plan and execute a better future?
- Hold each other accountable. Whenever one of you are tempted to buy that extra lunch, make a conscious effort to go back to the budget promises you both made.
Fighting as a duo is crucial to conflict resolution. If the mindset is “us against the problem”, your relationship will always be priority.
