Married or getting married? Here’s some advice on figuring out your finances from the book “How to Survive Your Marriage” (Hundreds of Heads Books, www.hundredsofheads.com, $13.95), straight from people who’ve done it:
“Talk about finances. From the very beginning of our marriage, my husband and I have spent every Thursday night paying bills and talking about our finances. This way, we both always know where all of our money is, and where it’s being spent. We come up with strategies for saving and spending our money. We set goals, work together to achieve them, and then celebrate when we meet them.”
—Jennifer Bright Reich, Hellertown, Pa., married 1 year
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“You have to be ‘on the same sheet of music’ financially. My husband and I went to a financial planner right after we got married and made some concrete plans about our future. It worked very well. We’ve saved a lot of money for our future. Most importantly, we don’t have to argue about money. That’s freedom!”
—Beth, Oklahoma, married 16 years
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“Get into the habit of putting money into a Christmas club account each year. No matter how much you want to think you will have the money when you need it, you don’t want to have to run up those charges. A little money put away in the summer will go a long way come the holidays.”
—Dylan Toomey, Wheeling, W.Va., married 20 years
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“My husband is very bad at calculating tips. I always have to make sure he’s done the math correctly and left the full 20 percent.”
—Amanda, Atlanta, Ga., married 2 years
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“We have an unspoken rule that you can spend up to $100 without checking with the other, but beyond that, it is a discussion.”
—Alison Weiss, Half Moon Bay, Calif., married 17 years
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Hundreds of Heads Books’ survival guides offer the wisdom of the masses by assembling the experiences and advice of hundreds of people who have gone through life’s biggest challenges and have insight to share. Visit www.hundredsofheads.com to share your advice or get more information.
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© 2005, Hundreds of Heads Books, Inc.