Barbara was tired. She had no idea that merging wants, needs and desires in marriage would be such a challenge. She and her husband had overcome many challenges, but their greatest ongoing problems surrounded money. Her spouse was a spender, she was a saver; she liked to balance the checkbook to the last penny, her husband hadn’t entered anything in the register in years.
The result was numerous volatile eruptions and conflict that both she and her spouse wanted to avoid. It shouldn’t have been a surprise. Experts agree that finances can be the number one cause of marital strain.
It’s understandable that financial struggles can cause strain because how people spend money is never just about the money—it reveals attitudes about what you value most; it reveals deeper character issues. These are some of the reasons blending financial habits can be very challenging.
But there is hope!
In this series of articles, we’ve provided great ideas to help you and your spouse make your marriage stronger by tackling the issue of money management in marriage.