Starting Your Marriage Off Right, Financially

If you're engaged or planning to get married in the next few months or year, then you should be thinking about your life after the wedding, and how to begin preparing for a successful life together. What exactly does that look like or entail? Well, it's different for different couples. In this time of economic uncertainty, you should definitely try to be frugal and make smart choices about beginning your lives together. So what are the two things that I wish someone had told me prior to marriage?

START SMALL

I can't stress this enough. My husband kept talking about how children are supposed to be better off than their parents and such. That's bull. It took your parents years to accumulate what they have. You're just starting off and what you don't need is a pile of debt. I would encourage any young couple starting off to take things very slowly and avoid debt like the plague!! Don't go out and purchase new furniture that you have to go into debt to get. Don't go out and purchase a new car. Or get an expensive apartment. Start small. It's ok if you live in a one bedroom apartment, that isn't brand new. It's even ok if you have to live with your parents for a short time to save money. Many couples did this back in the day. As long as you're contributing something to your parents, it could be a great way to save money for the first few months as a married couple. As for furniture, build your collection of furniture piece by piece. My husband and I slept on an inflatable mattress from Wal-Mart for two months until our furniture was shipped to us. During that time we could have just saved up the money to purchase our own bed. Instead we bought a set of furniture from Rooms to Go that we're still paying for. Go to antique shops, shop on Craigslist or Ebay for used furniture. Figure out a way to get the furniture you need for less.

AVOID DEBT

I have to say again to avoid debt like the plague!! It's detrimental to most couples and people that I know, myself included. If both husband and wife are working then use the money that you two make together to make purchases, don't go into debt. Now, sometimes it can't be avoided. But, try. Buy a used vehicle that you can pay for with cash. If I had been smart, I would have saved the money that I was making before my son was born and put it in a savings account. That money could have been used for big purchases or emergencies after I stopped working. But, we didn't do that. How I wish we had.

Starting small and avoiding debt are the pieces of advice I wish I had been given prior to my wedding. Starting a life as a married couple doesn't mean that you have to live a lavish lifestyle. Money matters are the number one cause of divorce for many married couples. Give yourself and your partner a huge gift by not taking on more than necessary when building your lives together. Stop looking and comparing yourself to what others have, and be happy with the one you're with and the blessing of not having to stress over paying for things that you couldn't afford.