Is Your Spouse Spending too Much Money? Tips to Handle the Situation

Money, money, money. The root of all evil right? It is also the main reason that marriages end. Constant fighting over money, bills and exactly what is important and what is not. Credit card debt getting worse every month and then your spouse comes home with something that you disagree with and sets you off. Sounds like you? Sound like the person that you love? Common problem for us folk living paycheck to paycheck. I am in the same boat like most of you out there dealing with the fact that money does not indeed grow on trees or come out of the water faucet every time that you turn it on. You have to work for that dirty green stuff and work hard at that. It is a fact of life.

My spouse and I have come up with some "rules" to live by and some of them are common sense but many are from just trial and error. Here are some that I would suggest that you try with your spouse to curb the issue some:

The main bread winner does not have the final decision- In my household I am the main bread winner but that means little and nor should it. A relationship is all about compromise. You need to listen to your spouse and not shoot down everything that person says. It is their money to and your spouse brings as much to the relationship as you do even though you make more money. They should have equal say.

Any purchase over fifty dollars needs to be discussed BEFORE it happens- Nothing worse than the person coming home with something expensive or a 250 dollar grocery bill that you were not prepared for. Discuss your grocery list and stick to it. Also, the trip to the mall is for a specific purpose, not to go and impulse buy for clothes you will wear twice that will end up at the bottom of the closet before long.

If you don't need it, don't buy it- Simple rule that very few can follow. Impulse buying is a sure road to disaster. Control yourself.

If you can pay cash, you can afford it. If you can't, you can't- Credit card debt stink all the way around. Stay within your budget and when the end of the month comes and you have some cash left over, decide together what to buy.

Spend once a month on something for yourself, but only once- Don't be selfish. Your spouse deserves something just as much as you do. Be considerate.

Communicate- A great lost art amongst us humans. We email each other instead of talking on the phone or God forbid face to face. Be clear, concise and respect your partners feelings on a matter. Money is as important to them as it is to you and planning is the key. This needs to be done verbally, not by text message.

Don't "double up"- Do you really need fourteen premium channels on cable? You can only watch one at a time. Do you need two cell phones? Share. Do you really need to buy expensive frozen food for those "quick" meals? Prepare ahead. Do your kids really need the most expensive clothes on the market? I understand peer pressure but there are plenty of decent alternatives. Look at what you are paying for and figure out what you can trim.

Last but not least, be logical- There are many things in this world that it is OK to be emotional about. Money is not one of those. Money comes in and money goes out and you need to pay your bills, put food on the table and have clothes to wear. If you don't pay your bills, you are going to be very sorry someday. That flat screen TV you want can wait until another day. Make sure your family is taken care of first and all the rest will fall into place.