How to Win Your Spouse Over When They Hate the Budget
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Frustrated that your spouse hates the budget? Learn how you can win them over!
You have your big money goal down. Your first week you had your budget laid out but now… your budget is busted.
You look over to your spouse and they don't really seem that bothered.
the reason could be they're not thrilled with the budget. (They might even hate it).
So what can you do about it?
Today I'll share 3 reasons why they're not on board and how you can win them over.
You can watch the latest episode of Marriage and Money Tips (comes out every Monday on Youtube!) or get the highlight below!
Why Your Spouse Hates the Budget
So why do couples struggle with getting on the same page with budgets?
I've found from our personal experience and talking with other couples is that that spouse your spouse doesn't feel like it's their budget.
They feel like this is something that you came up with.
They may have nodded yes but they really don't feel like they're a part of this budget a part of this plan.
There are three main reasons for this hesitation.
They're not on board or they don't know the why behind your budget
Sounds pretty simple right?
We are getting out of debt. Wouldn't life be so much better?
Getting out of debt can be fantastic but it's not really a motivation. It's a milestone.
So when you're talking with your spouse have you talked about what your life would be like after those debts paid off.
Every couple has their own why their own motivation but we don't always talk about it.
So sit down and chat with them see what's important and see if you can get on the same page with your why it can be an absolute game changer.
They don't agree with your timetable or intensity with this budget.
We all have great ideas about getting out of debt. I'm the type of person that once I see a reason and I know this is the best thing for my family I want to go 120 mph.
My husband is a different personality. He's more thoughtful he wants to weigh the pros and cons and both are fine.
But when you're fighting each other versus looking at it and finding a common ground that's when you get into difficulties.
So let's look at your budget. Are you making a budget that's unrealistic? Not only to your current finances but your current relationship in circumstances?
You might remember Toni Husbands. She's the creator of Debt Free Divas but years ago she and her husband were over a $100,000 of debt (not counting the mortgage).
They knew that they had to get out of debt but they couldn't agree on how and so they were going at it with different speeds.
It could have caused huge tension but it didn't because they work it out by focusing on their common ground.
You picked the wrong goal
This last one is tricky because it might not be obvious which is you haven't picked the right goal for the two of you.
You created this budget because you're really excited about this particular goal, but your spouse has some doubts.
This makes me think of is an interview I had with Lindsey about what she and her husband Zach had gone through.
They had just gotten married and they were doing OK financially.
And they thought ‘OK now that we're married it's time to buy a house' and so they bought a house.It turned out to be the wrong decision for them.
You can hear the whole story on the podcast but the gist is they did what they thought they should do versus what was best for them; sitting down and talking about their situation and their finances.
So you guys might be thinking of buying a house but the area you live in it just doesn't make sense; the numbers don't add up.
Or maybe you can afford to buy a house and your friends are pressuring you to buy. However, it's not the right choice because you guys have other goals that are more important to you.
Building a Budget Together
Again, take time to figure out what your plan is together and it'll be much easier to get those conversations going and create a budget that you both love.
If you two are ready to knock out a big goal but you're having a hard time finding the money to do it, please sign up for our free course – 5 Days to $5K.
It will help you learn how to find save and earn extra money without getting a second job or living on rice and beans!