<<Print>>

When most people think of the commitment of marriage, they usually think of the commitment of fidelity. This is of course really important in any marriage, but money problems loom larger in most households; and disagreements about money can lead to dissatisfaction, and in some cases even to infidelity because it is hard to maintain a commitment to a marriage which primarily involves being worried, discouraged and fighting with your mate all the time. Every young married couple needs to take a realistic look at their income and commit to living within it�right from the start. If either spouse spends indiscriminately, the budget suffers and the relationship suffers. In many marriages, fighting about money is a blame game. You each blame one another for individual acts of extravagance or failure to achieve income. The inevitable result is hurt feelings and quarreling. On the other hand, if you work together with your spouse on the handling of family finances, you are simultaneously building a firm foundation for your marriage Money decisions need to be made according to a plan. One person may do all the actual bill paying, but there should be conversations on a regular basis about monetary goals and household expenses. It is particularly important to make all decisions regarding debt in a contemplative manner. If one marriage partner creates a huge credit card bill while the other partner is oblivious of the mounting debt, there�s a huge awakening and very likely a quarrel that will inevitably have to be faced. Not to mention that once you find yourself deeply in debt, it can take years and a whole lot of sacrifice to get your finances back in order. In most instances, your income does not rise rapidly in a short period of time. If you�re acquiring debt, when you start to pay it off, you will have even less disposable income than you do now. So do your best to live on a cash basis, spending only what you have. Then if your income does improve, you will have more money to enjoy, not more money for paying interest on past follies. And all along the way, I promise you; you will have a happier marriage.