Fighting over money? Save your relationship by trying to resolve this conflict.
Many couples feel the strain of too many bills and not enough money.
Especially in today's economy.
This strain often leads to arguments and resentment.
The key is to communicate and get the financial situation under some kind of control.
This needs to be done while there's no fighting about expenditures or late fees.
Pick a calm time when you are not arguing and not in a hurry to get somewhere.
Get all your bills out and asses what needs to be paid monthly.
Try to break them into groups by payday.
Look for things that are not necessary.
If you can, go without cable or cell phones for a few months.
Sometimes a short time is all that's needed to get things under control.
One of the quickest ways to quit fighting over money is to get it under control.
Make a plan to put some money every paycheck into an emergency fund.
This fund should be available for routine, but emergency situations like new tires, home repairs, and oil changes.
That way when something happens, you won't go running to the credit cards.
If you have credit cards with balances, pay off the smallest balance first.
Pay the same amount every month and when it's paid off, take that amount and add it to what you were paying on the next credit card.
This will give you a sense of empowerment and before you know it, you'll free up that extra money and get rid of the stress.
Instead of fighting over money, make an extra effort to work together.
For example, if one of you is thinking about going out for dinner, maybe the other one can speak up and offer to make a cheap dinner at home.
Just think of the thirty or forty dollars that you can then put towards your credit card.
Fighting over small daily expenditures can also cause a lot of strain.
After reviewing your bills, pick a reasonable amount for each partner to get for allowance each week.
This should be money that does not have to be accounted for and should be able to be used for whatever the purchaser wants.
For example, if the husband buys a video game, then that's okay.
As long as he used his "allowance".
This simple technique can prevent a lot of fighting over money.