How Do I Budget When My Partner Is A Spender?

You dreamt of the day you’d join your life with the person who makes your soul happy. Your nearly flawless alignment has been almost surprising. However, as “mine” and “yours” have become “ours,” one subject remains sore: finances.

You’ve done the work of calculating the perfect budget with a place for everything and everything in its place — except for your partner’s spending.

You often find yourself questioning the way they choose to spend money. You don’t want to start arguments. But you feel if you don’t say something they’ll keep spending too much money and you’ll always be living in a deficit.

Equally frustrating is the thought that if they don’t stop spending, you’ll never get the chance to achieve the financial goals that matter to you.

This conflict isn’t out of the ordinary. Numerous studies over the past decade have made it common knowledge that money is one of the leading causes of relationship turmoil and is noted as a significant contributor to separation and divorce.

This isn’t to say opposites who’ve attracted are hopeless in finding success. You need not choose between being romantically happy and building financial stability.

Rather, acknowledging and validating your differences can go a long way in making peace with your…