Money matters
Money rests squarely at the top of the list of reasons couples divorce. It is, without a doubt, one of the biggest sources of strife between spouses. That has not really been the case in my marriage despite my having been unemployed at various times for a total of six months. We have always done our best to live within the means that my paycheck alone can support so that my wife can work or not without terribly impacting our lifestyle. We thought we had done a pretty good job of that until she lost her job two weeks ago. Now we see that we had been relying on her income more than we thought and that our checking account will not be able to support our current money management "system."
We sat down and actually examined our spending habits, and we were astonished at how much money we, and I in particular, waste. I spend $1.35 buying a bottle of Dr Pepper every day, at least six days a week. That comes to $8.10 every week, roughly $36 a month, and almost $430 a year. I also usually buy my lunch during the work week, averaging $5 a day—more than $100 a month and close to $1,300 a year. Add to that the two or three times Mrs. Happy and I eat at restaurants or fast food places every week, and the money really adds up. And that just scratches the surface.
So now we do some adjusting. We have in the past attempted to fix and follow a strict budget, but we've never followed through with any measure of discipline. However, right before the beginning of the new year, we set spending limits for ourselves in every area we can think of. It is a practical, relational, and spiritual exercise for us. Practical because we are now spending less and saving more. Relational because it is a task that requires effort and sacrifice for both of us together. Spiritual because we believe that every dollar in our possession is a gift from God and that we should manage it accordingly. I also believe that God has entrusted me with the responsibility for taking care of my family's present and future finances. I pray that I'll prove worthy of the task.
