KissMeGoodnight
eLearning Series:
How To Tell A Great Relationship
From A Totally Unhealthy One
Lowdown
on Long Lasting Love
Money
Management – Some counselors say that money handling
is the number one priority issue of conflict among couples.
Problems arise with how money is viewed, how it should
be save, spent and even earned. So here are some general
guidelines to money management to help iron out some financial
issues for couples.
1. Decide
to set aside some time for discussing your financial matters
in peace and quiet. Doing this quarterly (or monthly, if
time and patience allow) is a good idea. Then you can make
sure your budget is on track and allow a glance ahead at
possible items coming up that may have been missed (like
renewal of driver’s licenses) and look back to see how you
are doing.
2. Gather
all of your budgeting materials in one place; notebook paper,
3-prong folder with pockets for storing bills as they arrive
in the mail, stamps, calculator, envelopes, check book, savings
book, pencil, pen. When it’s time to work on your finances,
bring everything out at once (maybe store in a special drawer
or box for handy pick-up-and-go.)
3. On
a sheet of notebook paper (or a sheet from a budget planning
guidebook or software print out), list each monthly expense;
rent / house payment, each utility, charities / tithing,
grocery money, misc. funds (to allow for medicines, snacks,
CD rental, etc.), car payments, insurance, credit card payments,
etc. For guidelines, there are several things you can do;
check with your local bank for budget planning help, ask
a librarian for help finding budget books, check your computer’s
software (Microsoft Word has some business / budgeting sheets
that could be altered to fit your family planning needs,
for instance), visit local office supply stores to see which
types of budget planner notebooks and guide they may have
available, surf online or use the following one enclosed
and revise it to suit your needs. Hint: visit www.digital-women.com/daily-planner for
lots of planner pages to choose from (for men and women!)
4. Fill
in the blanks on your budget planner page. List how much
each monthly payment is in #3 above. Then total the list
to see how much income you need to cover all your expenses.
5. Note
your incomes in a separate column off to the side. Does your
income exceed your expense total? If so, great. Simply have
fun choosing what you’d like to both do with your extra income,
with long-term and short-term goals that are compatible with
both of you. If not, if income does not exceed expenses,
and this is the area where discourse usually strikes, it’s
time to whittle down your expenses and / or earn extra income.
Here are tips
on whittling down income and being more budget-conscious
with your available funds:
A. Use
coupons, even cyber-ones like from www.valpak.com
B. Check
with your insurance about higher deductibles and any special
rate savings programs they may have (like good driving discounts).
C. Visit
second hand stores for used books and clothing.
D. Donate
time and volunteer work instead of tithing money
E. Buy
no-name foods, toiletry and household items (shampoos, deodorants,
light bulbs, etc.) instead of brand names.
F. Cook
at home more as entertainment and invite your neighbors and
friends over. And skip eating out so much, renting CD / DVDs
and going to movies.
G. Track
and monitor your spending. Jot purchases in a notebook and
keep handy with your checkbook for quick reference. Review
and see how you do weekly. Improve!
H. Plan
ahead. For example, save a little each month for Christmas
so that in December, you’ll already have what you need for
gifts already saved up. Likewise for annual insurance billings
(like for the house) or for any other annual billings.
I. See
if you can trade services with others. For example, if you
have a computer and can toss up a decent web page maybe you
can create web pages for small business in the area in exchange
for gift cards to use in their stores.
J. Sell
some of your stuff – try online auctions, garage sales, cheap
classifieds, bulletin boards around town…
K. Resist
the urge to “immediately” fulfill a want. Instead, keep a
list going of “wants.” If an item has been on there for a
year, for example, then begin shopping for it. Look for bargains,
try to trade for it, negotiate for a better deal. Waiting
generally means you’ll really want it more (or not, and cross
it off your list) and will actually USE it when you get it
and not just toss it in a pile with other unopened or hardly
used things that you just HAD to have.
L. Check
out library books like:
- The Cheapskate
Monthly Money Makeover, by Mary Hunt; St. Martin's Press;
Reissue edition (March 1, 1995).
- Miserly Moms: Living on One
Income in a Two-Income Economy, by Jonni McCoy; Bethany
House Publishers; 3rd edition (October 1, 2001).
- The Complete Cheapskate: How
to Get Out of Debt, Stay Out, and Break Free from Money
Worries Forever, by Mary E. Hunt, Mary Hunt; St. Martin's
Griffin; 1st edition (August 1, 2003).
 
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