Money Money Money

One of the biggest causes for divorce these days is finance. With something that is so important and such a part of our lives, it can often be difficult to see eye to eye when agreeing on financial decisions. All of us were raised differently; therefore we all have different perspectives and ideas on the way that things should be done. When I was growing up, my parents taught me the importance of saving money. Whenever I would make money I would have to put 10% of it towards tithing, half of it towards savings, and then I could spend the rest. At the time I thought it was the worst to have to put so much towards savings, but now I am so grateful for the habits that my parents helped me to develop.

            

It is interesting to me how finances change once married. I think this is common among all married couples. It seems that when one is single nothing really matters. Yes you may be saving for school or a car or something, but besides that… you have fun! Typically, when single, money is spent on entertainment and activities. Then once in a relationship, money is spent on dates and on each other. To me it seemed like my boyfriend (now husband) had a never-ending bank account because of all the fun dates he took me on. He would buy me flowers, take me to my favorite restaurants, and then eventually bought me a BEAUTIFUL ring! ;) Now married, money has a much bigger place in our relationship. It is something that we have to discuss frequently. We even have to base our plans around it at times. It’s a big adjustment in life, considering all that we were used to before marriage.

           

 When my husband and I got married it wasn’t instantly easy to figure out our finances. Like I said earlier, we are all raised differently and have different viewpoints. After lots of talking and planning, we have found what works for us. I am actually really blessed to have found someone who is very much on the same page as me. We have the same goals and values and know what it’ll take to get there. From what I’ve learned, it takes sacrifice, patience, and understanding in order to be successful.

Just saw this quote and loved it! What we do with our lives, the position that we're in, the level of happiness that we are experiencing is OUR CHOICE! Let us choose to live the life that we have always dreamed of! 

Equality in Marriage

This week in class we are learning about the importance of equality of power and respect in marriage. A talk was given by Richard B. Miller called, “Who Is the Boss? Power Relationships in Families”, where he lists a few characteristics of strong and successful marriages.

1.  Parents are the leaders in the family: There should be a clear hierarchy between parents and children. Parents should not be afraid to say “NO”.

2. Parents must be united in their leadership: There should never be one parent and child against another parent. Parents need to be unified in decisions. 

3. The parent-child hierarchy dissolves when children become adults: When your children are grown, let them be individuals. They now can make their own decisions with their spouse.

4. The marital relationship should be a partnership: Husband and wife are EQUAL. Although husband and wife may have different responsibilities, they are both equally as important.

I loved all of the points that Miller made in his talk. They all make such a difference in marriage and help create a happy one. My husband and I have been striving to implement these into our own marriage and family and it has made all the difference. We both feel a tremendous amount of love and respect. I know that this is the way that God intended marriage to be.