Managing Financial Strain in a Marriage

In these tough economic times financial strain can be very hard on a relationship. This can really come to the fore during special occaisions like mother's day, father's day, and birthdays or anniversaries. Sometimes there just isn't enough money to go around or at least it seems that way.

The biggest rule to remember is that your relationship is more important than the "things" in your life. Or at least it should be. Your spouse is more important (and will certainly be with you longer) than the latest video game, the new summer dress, the latest movie or CD. All too often couples find themselves in financial difficulty simply because they spend more on weddings, dating or having fun than they should and very often these spending habits continue for far longer than they really need to. Learning to do fun things together like taking walks, playing cards or other inexpensive activities can really help reduce strain on the budget as well as remind you that you actually do like spending time with each other.

Another huge problem that often comes up is a lack of transparency about money in the relationship. Do you know where all the money is? Does your spouse? Is one of you taking an unfair burden managing the finances? Is it causing him or her stress that they are not comfortable talking about? Or are they worried that things are as good as you keep telling them? Being completely open and honest about money can be difficult at first but it will create a dimension of honesty and fairness that can't be reached any other way. Very often it will help alleviate other problems as well.