|
Establishing a Frugal Front
Finding financial common ground can be difficult when one spouse is a spendthrift and the other's a full-fledged miser. Frugal living is a choice that's easiest to live with if both partners share the same general financial goals, even if their money styles are a bit different. If you both want to save money, get out of debt, live within your means, and attain mutual long-term goals, it's important to discuss your different approaches to money management and find some common ground. Otherwise your frugal efforts may be voided by your partner's poor spending habits.
Children can also be difficult to win over to frugal living. If you listen carefully, you can probably still hear the echoes from the latest whine-fest: ''But Mommy, I want it NOW!''
This section will help you work with money management differences and also investigates a few ideas for instilling healthy money habits in your kids.
Working with Your Partner to Achieve Financial Goals
Wouldn't it be nice if everyone were exactly the same? Well, of course not. I know I sure don't want to live in a boring world of identical clones that look, think, and act exactly alike. Variety is the spice of life, and it's also the spice of relationships, even in the area of finances. Just like the ingredients in your favorite meal, the right amount of spice can make the mix of flavors absolutely perfect - but too much spice is almost unbearable. You don't need to do away with each and every difference; you just need to blend the flavors together.
Resolving (or at least discussing openly) any financial differences between you and your partner is important if frugal living is a goal for you both. In order to fully adopt many of the frugal practices in this book, everyone involved needs to understand the benefits of a frugal lifestyle and how important it is to control any impulsive spending habits.
|
