Marriage Monday: Money

Our topic on Marriage Monday today is money. One of the topics was: In Eden, God assigned Adam the role of "master gardener," and to Eve he gave the role of “helper.” In the matter of bread-winning, how do you and your husband fulfill these roles in your marriage? (Gen 2:15-23)

My thoughts:
I taught school for the first three years of our marriage, and then became a stay at home Mom in 2004 when our son was born.   This was always a dream of mine, and I am thankful beyond words that my husband is so supportive of me.  He had always hoped we would be able to make this dream of mine come true.  Thankfully we have, and it is a blessing that he understands my heart and supports me as he does.  I feel blessed that he works so hard to provide for our family.

My husband led a FPU (Financial Peace University) class at our church several years ago.  After attending this class and reading Dave Ramsey's Total Money Makeover, we made it our goal to be out of debt.  At the time we had a car and truck loan plus school loans.  It was a great feeling to be able to pay off these debts in 2009 (except our home).  We had a bank account where we started putting money back so we could get a replacement car one day.  We made that purchase in March 2011.  We did not have enough for the full amount so we did have some debt with that purchase.  It was very hard for me as we looked because I'd wanted to be able to do it all with cash.  After praying though and thinking things through, I knew it was the right decision.  If we waited we knew we'd have expenses with our old car that would prevent us from putting more money back to savings for the new one.  I'm happy to say that the new car will be paid off in the next month or so.  Now we will be saving towards my husband's truck replacement. 

I have always been very careful with money.  When we did FPU, we started keeping a budget and started using the envelope system.  It was amazing to me to put a dollar amount to our spending and watch where our money goes.  I have some envelopes I keep with me in my purse that I use on a more regular basis (they are kept in a little plastic coupon binder type thing with dividers) and other envelopes that stay at home.  I have a lot of envelopes, but it is so nice to have the money there to go to when something comes up.  I have envelopes for Christmas, vacation, gifts, and birthdays that I add to year round. 

As my husband is the provider for our family, I like to help in any way I can to save us money.  I try to conserve gas on my trips to town.  I look for discounts and  use coupons when shopping.  It makes me feel good to find products on sale that we frequently use.  I get excited when I find a bargain at Goodwill or a consignment store.
For someone engaged or just starting out in their married life, I would encourage them to talk openly regarding their feelings about money.  Don't assume it will all work out and won't be a big deal.  This is something that needs to be discussed honestly so it won't turn into a big problem down the road. 

Have a day of blessings!