Married...with finances!

So, now you are married. There is someone behind you. In bed, snoring, next to you. He raids the fridge, while you are showering, and consumes the last slice of pie...(you know, the one you hid behind the leftover lasagna, to eat after you finished your delicious hot shower?)

instead of cake, I'll just eat your face. good trade.

And now he wants to use your money. And you want to use his.

However, he doesn't seem to understand that yes, you did spend $10 at Barns in Nobles, and no, you didn't even buy a book. Oh, skinny latte with extra mocha, if only my husband could have tasted you. But he can't. Because you drank it all while he was in the computer programming section, of all places.

From hair cuts to groceries, my husband and I both had a different opinion not only on what we should buy, but also on how much and what brand.

Before marriage, neither of us had a budget. We kept everything in our head. That wasn't a bad way to do things, when we were single. Neither of us were in any kind of credit card debt, and both of us have never missed a payment on anything serious.

After marriage, it was a different story. We decided from the beginning to have one bank account. So I canceled mine (mine had more fees then his, thats why we went with his) and then--we both just tried to keep all the finances in our heads! Cue amusing panic and confusion.

I'm still eating your face. Oh wait, are we married? 

First off, I didn't know how much money I should spend on, say, frivolous purchases like yarn, or essentials like groceries. For awhile I called him every time I made a purchase. This, as you can imagine, became old really quick, so Mr. Adventure told me to stop and not to worry about it. So I stopped calling him. Cue discussions like "what did you buy for 100$ at Walmart?"and "Can you tell me what this charge for $20 is on our account?" I never save receipts, he saves his religiously. I am a impulse buyer, he is a well-researched argumentative buyer, when he buys something, that is (I shop a lot more frequently)

We never really had an argument, per se, but after three months of uncomfortable discussions regarding finances and confusing talks about money, we decided we needed a budget. Cue amazing sigh of relief. 

If you are thinking about getting married, engaged, or already married, and are not the King of France...you need a budget!

A budget has changed our lives! No really, it has! Now if I want something, all I have to do is check the budget. Its as simple as that! No more explanations, no more calls, no more worry. So, if you'll excuse me...I'm going to go find my husband and kiss him some more. I love being married :)