When it comes to budgeting with your spouse, you may find that one of you is more “into it” than the other one. There are several different personality types when it comes to dealing with money. One type is the person who tracks absolutely every penny, and rigidly assigns every dollar a very specific category. Another type is the non-spender—he never wants to spend a dime. A third type is the spender—she spends every penny as fast as she can and then spends some more. A fourth type is a semi-budgeter—he starts the month with a plan, but midmonth loses steam, and stops worrying about it.
In all honesty, you and your spouse probably have qualities from at least two different groups. It can be difficult to find balance and harmony in a relationship when one is a spender and the other a non-spender. If you are not interested in tracking where your money goes, you and your planning spouse may be at odds. It is important to realize that these differences are a good thing. It can help to bring balance to your relationship, so that you do not go too extreme in any one direction.
It is important to sit down and plan out a budget with your spouse each month. If you are a non-planner or semi-budgeter, this might make you cringe. However once you hash out the first budget, you can generally get by with much shorter meetings where you make minor adjustments in the future. You should set up a system where it is easy to track the money and then meet weekly for five minutes to make sure you are still on track. You can have one spouse track all the expenses and then just discuss it for a few minutes a week, or you may both want to track individual expenses.
If your spouse will not sit down and discuss the finances, make plans or stick to your budget, then you may have serious problems. You need to make sure that you bring up the meetings and planning in a positive light. You should carefully consider the words you use as you discuss problems with the budget or overspending. Your spouse should have an equal say in how the money is spent. You may want to go to a counselor if you find that you cannot successfully hold these meetings.
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