Marriage & Family: Marriage: Money
Helping couples grow their marriage through biblical principles
while living in the real world with real issues.
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Checks and Balances
Of all the topics engaged couples discuss, I suspect the least amount of time—if any—is spent on how to handle money. I'm not talking about those budgeting exercises they give you during pre-marriage counseling or knowing how you'll make your rent or what it will take to pay off your student loans. I mean the real, gut-wrenching "how do you view finances" conversation.
No, that one usually ...
Related Topics: Communcation, with Spouse, Compromise, Conflict resolution, Finances
What About Our Money?
A couple months before Rich and I were married, I received a startling phone call from our pastor.
"I got the results of your FOCCUS inventory," he said. "You guys have a lot of issues that need to be worked out. We're going to have to set aside some time to talk these over before your wedding."
I was dumbfounded. Had Rich not been honest with me about his feelings? Or did I not believe the way I thought? ...
Related Topics: Challenges, Compromise, Finances, Frugal
For Richer or Poorer
Like a lot of folks today, times are lean in our household. Charlie and I watch every penny … as it rushes out the door to keep some creditor at bay. It wasn't always this way for us. Four years ago, we opened a Christian business and enjoyed the bounty of being paid well for hard work. Our income rose over six figures and we loved giving our toddler son vacations to Florida and trips to see ...
Related Topics: Debt, Stewardship, Struggles, Teamwork
Common Cents
Q. My husband and I have separate banking accounts. I didn't used to mind, but writing two checks for everything and trying to make sure it's all "fair" is getting to be a drag. We agree that we should combine our finances, but then nothing changes. Should I just accept things as they are or keep trying to combine our money?
A. In most cases one person will handle the bills and keep track of the finances. ...
Not Enough Money?
Do both you and your spouse work but feel as if you're still barely scraping by? With inflation, rising fuel costs, a fluctuating housing market, and higher food prices, many couples face the problem of two incomes that feel like one.
The key to making ends meet in this economy lies in reorganizing your budget.
I know, it's the dreaded "b" word. But nowadays, if you're not working under a budget, you're ...
Financial Gain, Less Pain
It was almost the end of the month, and once again Jeff and I were feeling the squeeze of a paycheck that wouldn't stretch far enough. The big Thanksgiving get-together would be at our house this year—and the grocery list was a yard long. Plus, Christmas was looming, and our kids had high hopes. Although we were both making more money than we ever had, it never seemed to go far enough. The temptation ...
Super Savers
I've never made much money. I'm college educated, a whiz at Trivial Pursuit—but the skills, talents and passions I've been blessed with aren't ones that generate much cash. And yet, I'll be able to come up with the funds to put our four children through the college of their choice. How? Simple. Saving money and letting it compound over time really works.
When my children were toddlers, I scraped ...
Are You Ready—for Retirement?
Retirement. It sounds like such a long way off; why worry about planning for it now? After all, just paying the bills and putting food on the table is tough enough for most of us. Plus, there will be plenty of time to save for retirement after the kids are gone, right? Unfortunately, this is normally not the case. In fact, when preparing for your golden years, time is your biggest ally.
Surveys consistently ...
Fiscal Fight
Albert's Side:
She worries too much about money.
I know my financial choices before I met Elida could have been wiser. Being a spend-it-all kind of guy, I did things like charging my final year of college to my credit card. If it's a worthy goal, I'll go all out.
When I met Elida, it seemed as though our spending habits balanced each other. I've always appreciated Elida's wisdom in money matters, and ...
Home Finances
You and your spouse are tired of paying rent, but you fear you'll never be able to save up enough to buy a house. Or you may already own a home but think it's time to move up (or down) in size. Still others of you may live in a home that is perfect and affordable but are contemplating a move to a new area and don't know what that may mean for you financially.
Whatever your living arrangements are, ...
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