Relationships and Finances

If you and your new spouse are marrying lifestyles, creating a “Brady Bunch” family can be a lot more difficult than Marsha and gang let on. Five teens racing for one bathroom causes more sucker punches and fist fights than family togetherness moments...

Growing up Brady can be difficult in so many aspects (including daily bathroom privilege fights), but one of the biggest problems encountered may be financial. What do you do, for example, when an extra couple of kids are vying for your attention..and your wallet?

Have you ever been chugging along on your budget path quite nicely for months or years only to be derailed by a spousal purchase? If the draw for a big screen TV, a video game, a designer purse, or a pair of (beautiful...) shoes finally got the better of your spouse, what should you do?

We find ourselves more than halfway finished with 2011, and now may be a great time to assess our financial goals for the year. Many of these goals fall into joint finance goals, so as we continue our Money and Relationships series, let’s take a look at our goals for the year and how we can get back on track.

What Was My Goal Again?

My husband and I got married on a whim. We lived across the country from our families, and we had put off our wedding for three years. Planning a wedding from 2,000 miles away just wasn’t happening. So one day, on a beach in South Carolina, we eloped to the tune of seagulls, whispering waves…and $300.

I love my husband’s family. Honestly! They are all kind, fun, caring people who I am very happy to now call “My Family.” I know, I know; I am one of the lucky ones, and I count my blessings every day. That being said, however, in-law vacations can still be taxing, especially when it comes to money issues. Let’s look at some ways to handle your cash during in-law family vacations.

Pick Up the Tab

My husband and I were together for a long time before we got married. We dated, got engaged, moved in together, got married, moved cross-country (twice), bought a house (twice) and remodeled (twice). All of this was together…but with separate finances.

Whoa! Back up, you say? Why did we have separate finances through all of our major life changes? Honestly, we just didn’t put the time and effort into joining our finances. Our system worked, and it worked for a really long time.

Buying your first house with your spouse may seem like an extremely daunting task, and there’s a reason for that: it can be difficult. With so many options swimming through your heads, the house-buying process is often a little overwhelming. And agreeing on the price, location, amenities, style, etc. can be trying. So how can you and yours decide on the perfect home together? Let’s take a look at some ideas.

Decide on a Price Point

I read a post recently on a discussion board, Momster.com. This post details the feelings of entrapment, financial inequality and neglect stay-at-home-mother (SAHM) Wyjo feels because her fiancé hoards all of the money that “he brings in.” This situation can actually occur more often than one would think, so I thought we could all brainstorm some solutions to Wyjo’s situation.

The Situation

Have you ever folded on a financial issue because it was easier? Maybe you wanted a different outcome but were too tired of having the conversation to continue, or perhaps you didn't want to make waves in some financial decision that was "kinda sorta ok with you." If this has happened to you, don't worry: it happens to everyone and is not the end of the world...or the end of the discussion.

As we continue to delve into our money and relationships series, we find ourselves standing in front of the first big joint purchase. Now, it doesn't matter whether a couple's first virgin joint spending is on the wedding ring combo, the wedding, a car or a house; the same nervousness and excitement are sure to be present.