Okay ladies, I want to know, who handles the finances in your household? When my husband and I got married, I handled our money. We married young. I was 19 and he was 18. When we married, I had been living on my own for a few months, but he moved right out of his parents' house into my apartment. I already had experience paying the bills, balancing the checkbook, all that fun stuff, so I just continued. Also (if I'm really being honest) I was more of a saver and he was more of a spending, and at that young age, we didn't have a lot of extra money to be spending. So, I kept a tight grip on our finances.
Well, about 3 years into our marriage the weight of our tight finances was really starting to take a toll on me. Honestly, I'm sure part of the reason was because my husband didn't see the checkbook regularly, so when he made little splurges, he didn't realize just how hard it made things on me. Finally, one night we talked about it, and he said that if I was so stressed, that he would take over the finances. After some thought, I agreed. Let me just say that it didn't happen without me worrying. I was so afraid he'd bounce a check (something I am proud to say I've never done) or that a bill would go unpaid or late, but I tried my best to put it out of my mind.
The result? I think he may have been late on a bill here or there, but in reality, he's done a great job managing our finances! Not only do I no longer have to worry about them, but now that he sees our budget, it has actually turned him into much more of a saver. I would even go so far as to say he's MORE of a saver than I am now!
It's only been a few years since I relinquished my role as financial manager of our household, but I could easily see myself lost in 40-50 years if I don't keep up with what my husband is doing. Just look how far technology has come in the past 15 years. So much of our banking is done online now, and I'm sure my grandparents and your grandparents never imagined a day like that!
Recently, this article about women and finances caught my eye. The article talks about how women tend to become better with money as they age. On average, the man in a relationship is the one who handles the finances, but the woman generally outlives the man. That means, it's imperative that women know how to manage the finances, and manage them wisely.
While I'm still happy to let my husband continue the bulk of the financial management in our household, I've decided I need to take a more active role in our finances and in being prepared for my future. Genworth Financial has created a great asset for women, with information on helping us to be prepared for long-term care.
I want to be financially prepared for my future: for my sake, and the sake of my children. Have you taken steps to insure your long-term financial stability? If not, it's never too early to start!
*Information for this post is sourced from GenworthFinancial in partnership with the SheHeardInfluencer Network. All opinions are my own.*
I never in my life had to real with finances. After 5 years we began to add insulation to the house (which has forced me to become more involved in finances because we have to watch how we spend. before my husband would tell me not to spend any more now to keep in mind old bills old is spending that has been going on throughout the month so that I know how much I can spend on groceries and stuff that I needed. but even after the addition of the insulation I do plan on staying more involved in the finances
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing, I've never been preoccupied with my finances until i became a mom. I know it's now time to start looking into my and my baby boy's future and putting away money into some sort of retirement or savings account. So i've been starting now to take the steps into it :)
ReplyDeleteGreat post! My husband and I both went through Dave Ramsey's Financial Peace University class at a local church (available all over the US). We are now on the same page with our finances. I highly recommend his book as well "The Total Money Makeover". I am the nerd and will do our budget sheet each week but my housband "the free-spirit" sits down with me 10 mins each week to go over our plans.
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