According to the Huffington Post, couples argue about money more than anything else. Surprise, surprise.
Put an end to the arguing by working together to establish a budget you both can live with.
How to Stop Arguing About Money
Write It Down
When it comes to budgeting, there's no magic formula. It's simply a matter of putting your pen to paper and making sure you're not spending more than you're earning. If you need a budget worksheet to get started, I've already done that for you! Print the budget worksheet and fill in the blanks…how easy is that?
Give and Take
Ready for the hard part? Budgeting is not as easy at it seems because it's a game of give and take…it's about priorities, and your priorities are likely not the same as your spouse. It might be really important for your husband to drive a brand new BMW, but you would rather he opt for a Honda, so you can have a house cleaning service twice a month. Maybe he wants you to stop spending so much money on clothes, so he can have that BMW. It's time to compromise.
Fun Money
Set aside “fun money” for each of you…it might be just $100 a month that you can spend however you want, no questions asked. Your husband may want to use it on a round of golf at a fancy club. You may want to use a little each week for some treasure hunting at your favorite consignment shop. It doesn't matter, you don't have to be accountable, and this one simple tip will save you a lot of arguing!
Try Envelopes
When you're first getting started with your new budget, try the envelope system. If you're not familiar with the envelope system, you simply make an envelope for items in your budget like grocery, entertainment and of course your fun money envelope! Fill the envelopes with cash at the beginning of the month, and when it's gone, it's gone. I promise, you'll think twice about every purchase, and you'll begin to establish some wonderful frugal living habits.
How do you and your spouse avoid arguing about money? Please leave a comment to share your advice…thanks!
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