Being on the same page with money is so critical! The number one cause of divorce in America is money fights. We all have different needs, opinions and habits with money. This can make it quite difficult on a couple to manage their money together after marriage. My husband is a spender (or “liver”I like to say) and I am the saver. When we first got married, he was constantly spending all the money and I was constantly being uptight on what we could spend it on. We started a budget and that helped a lot!
It wasn’t until we read the Total Money Makeover by Dave Ramsey that we actually found money peace. We finally had a plan beyond the budget. We had a lot of debt, but not the credit card kind. Both of us had student loans, car payments and we shared a rental property. Within a year we have almost completely become debt free with a solid emergency fund behind us and could begin a real savings account. I didn’t believe it was possible. I thought it would take us years to be debt free. At least 15 more years of minimum payments to pay it off. But it was so simple. It took commitment and discipline. We didn’t stop living as best we could have, but we were still able to reach our goals.
Don’t let your marriage struggle because of money. Here’s a short summary of the best financial plan you can imagine:
Live like no one else so later you can live like no one else. –Dave Ramsey
The Total Money Makeover Plan
- save $1000 in starter emergency fund
- Pay off debt with debt snowball
- 3-6 months of expenses in savings
- Invest 15% of your income for retirement
- College funding
- Pay off your home early
- Build wealth and give
Kylee started Kylee Ann Photography 9 years ago, and has since grown from a one woman amateur show to a full associate team. We shoot 50-75 weddings a year, and thrive on kindness and service. After a year of teaching Intro to Photography at the local technical college, she discovered that helping other entrepreneurs create thriving businesses is what fires her up! She hosts semi-annual Kylee Ann Sleepovers all over the US, speak at conferences and teach online courses about running a small business and marketing.
September 12, 2017
Kylee Maughan