In many young families, conflicts do not start from love but arise from money. Low income, increased living expenses, increasing children... if there is no reasonable way to divide and manage spending, financial pressure will quickly erode marital bonds.
Money management is not to control each other, but to look in the same direction.
Clear and transparent division from the beginning
A common mistake of young couples is avoiding talking about money for fear of "losing romance" or "touching self-esteem". In fact, the more ambiguous, the greater the risk. A sustainable family needs a clear financial mechanism, suitable for both circumstances and personalities.
First of all, husband and wife need to agree on total income and fixed monthly expenses such as house money, electricity and water, food, travel, tuition fees, insurance. Then, you should group spending: essential expenses, flexible expenses and future expenses. This way of dividing helps control cash flow, avoiding the situation of "out of stock every month".
Many experts recommend that each person should still have a certain amount of personal spending to maintain comfort and self-control. The important thing is that the amount is agreed from the beginning, not hidden, and does not arise outside the general plan.
According to Dr. Brad Klontz - financial psychologist, lecturer at Creighton University (USA), money conflicts in marriage often do not come from the amount of money, but from the lack of transparency and differences in living values. “When couples understand how the other person sees money, they are more likely to find common ground,” he analyzed.
Long-term planning, prioritizing contingency funds and children's future
Young families often focus on solving immediate expenses while forgetting long-term goals. This is a weakness that easily puts families in a passive position when there are events such as illness, job loss or large incurred costs.
An important principle is to build a contingency fund equivalent to at least three to six months of basic spending. This amount is not for shopping or travel, but for emergencies. When there is a safe fund, marital psychology is also more stable, less stressful in the face of risks.
In addition, young families need to soon think about future goals such as buying a house, having children, studying for children, retiring. Each goal should be concretized by numbers and time, thereby allocating monthly savings in accordance with actual ability, avoiding running after excessive expectations.
Dr. Thomas Stanley - a family financial behavior research expert in the US - once pointed out that families with clear financial plans are often not the ones who earn the most money, but the ones who control spending best.
Spending management also needs to be adjusted flexibly according to each marriage stage. When there are no children, prioritize accumulation. When there are young children, spending will change, it is necessary to review the plan. It is important that husband and wife regularly exchange, not to let money become a "forbidden zone" in communication.
