Talking to your spouse about money is a complex topic to discuss, but it’s tough with your life partner. We’ve all been there: your back is against the wall, and you’re ready to defend your expenses, revenue, or way of life, despite a nagging voice in the back of your mind warning you that you’re defensive.
When it comes to Money, we become incredibly defensive. It’s difficult to talk about a flaw that creates a lot of everyday tension because either we think we’re brilliant at managing our finances or knowing we aren’t.
In general, financial discussions can become very personal, and unfortunately, this can lead to even more extensive talks about problems in other areas of the relationship. Money pervades every part of our lives, making it challenging to address, control, or handle it without it being personal. It is possible; you should work with your partner to develop a beneficial system for both of you to help tackle the money discussion. In this article, I will share with you six ways to talk to your spouse about money.
1. Work together to achieve your goals
Working together toward a common purpose is the best way to get you and your partner on the same financial level. The graduate degree of collaboration in marriage is achieving goals together. To work, you’ll need to put the other skills on this list to use.
Working toward a common purpose will bring out the best in both of you and motivate you (other than happiness) to interact effectively about Money. Setting and achieving goals together is a great way to strengthen the bond. Consider it like a sports team striving for a place in the championship game. An ordinary team, or marriage, may become exceptional through unity and teamwork.
2. Maintain financial boundaries with respect
We’ve all heard (or participated in) stories of a husband splurging on an extravagant hobby purchase and an enraged wife matching his splurge with one of her own.
This is about more than just Money. When you speak to your spouse about Money and your plan ahead of time about big purchases, you’re demonstrating that you value them as a financial partner. Regardless of who won the Money, you see the capital and other properties as shared. We can avoid problems like this with mutual respect and specific pre-approval requirements.
Set a limit on how much either of you would spend without the other spouse’s permission. For example, I would never buy an expensive high-end blender without first consulting my husband about the cost. He’d never go out and buy a fancy new electronic device without first consulting me.
3. Be honest!
This is something I can’t emphasize enough! You’re dishonest if you’re hiding transactions you feel wrong about, not admitting a mortgage, or hiding money because you’re afraid your partner would waste it.
You will feel bad if you are dishonest. You’ll be defensive if you’re feeling guilty. You’re divided if you have to defend yourself. You’ve already heard about what happens when a family splits up.
4. Talk to your spouse about Money
To state the obvious, the first step in improving your money interaction in marriage is to talk about Money in marriage. Finances (particularly financial problems) can be the elephant in the room at times. Everyone is aware of its existence, but no one wants to bring it up, much less discuss it.
5. Make a plan
Setting common objectives is essential for effective communication. I suggest that a couple spend a weekend away together to reconnect and figure out their long-term goals. What are their top priorities as individuals and as a couple? Discovering your dreams and setting targets will help you learn more about your partner and how to budget.
Goal-setting success starts with the identification of long-term objectives, followed by the establishment of intermediate goals. For example, knowing your ten-year goals would determine the plans you need to achieve this year much easier.
6. Pay attention
We must pay attention whenever our spouse talks about Money.
Improving our listening skills is the essential move we will take to strengthen our spouse’s communication. We must give our partners our undivided attention if we want them to share with us openly-and that takes some effort! Maintaining eye contact can be unsettling, and it’s difficult to resist the urge to join in when our partner is speaking. Too often, we don’t listen because we’re preoccupied with what kind of immediate solution we can provide as soon as the other person finishes speaking! Understanding your spouse’s thoughts and desires requires respectful listening.
