Couple Budgeting: Create a Drama-Free Budget
All you want—all your spouse wants—is a simple and fair way to share money. You want to build a savings together. You want to become debt free together. You want to entrust each other with your hard-earned money in order to build a stronger, more open and honest marriage.
You want to budget as a couple!
But let’s face it, you’re reluctant to give up that one notable perk which is only available to those couples who *don’t* share money.
>>You’re going to miss having money that belongs 100% to you. You’re not excited about having to call your spouse to ‘ask permission’ to buy a new $60 video game or new pair of jeans that look super great on you. You want to buy what you want, when you want. And the prospect of losing this freedom is a little disheartening to say the least.
But I have some good news!
When budgeting as a couple, you can share money AND still have money that belongs 100% to you…
How? Follow these couple budgeting steps:
Couple Budgeting: The Ultimate (Actionable) Guide
Step 1) Let your budget be in charge of the money
To successfully budget as a couple, the both of you must follow one extremely simple—but also extremely vital—budgeting rule: Be in complete mutual agreeance on the budget you create together. You *cannot* settle for anything less. When the both of you are able to say:
This is our income for the month, and this budget shows us the best way to spend our money.
…then you have created successful budget for a couple.
And now that you and your husband/wife are both 100% satisfied with your budget, let the budget take charge of the money!
Curious to know how much you can spend at the grocery store? Or how much the two of you can spend at your favorite restaurant? Or how about the amount you can spend this Christmas without going into debt?
Don’t ask each other! Go back to the budget. Your budget tells you the most you can spend in every financial situation. Don’t spend more than your budget says, and you will always be living within your means.
Another benefit to letting your budget be in charge of the money? You will immediately stop fighting with your spouse about money.
Because you and your spouse created this budget together, you are therefore both on the same page financially. As long as you both stick to your budget, your money is being spent responsibly. It is being spent the way you both have agreed to spend it.
- Be in 100% agreeance about the best way to spend your hard-earned money.
- Let the budget be in charge
- Succeed in budgeting as a couple
Step 2) Enjoy your money after adding this critical budget category to your monthly budget
Yea, sharing money is a must when budgeting as a couple. But if you want to budget successful…
You must have your own stash of cash that is 100% yours. I’m talkin’ ‘bout money that you can spend on what you want, when you want.
That’s because you deserve your own financial independence. If Express is having a store-wide 40% off sale, you shouldn’t need your husband’s permission to buy yourself clothes. If you want a new $60 videogame, or a new $600 console, you shouldn’t need to get an ‘OK’ from your spouse.
Give yourselves allowance budget categories, and then let your budget be in charge of the money!
With an allowance, money becomes 100X more fun to spend. You can now come home wearing a new pair of $90 shoes without having to suffer the ‘New Purchase Interrogation’:
- How much did those cost?
- You sure we can afford those, right now?
- Don’t you already have 10 pair in the closet?
Instead, your spouse can be excited about all the fun stuff you buy for yourself. There are no questions, anger, or jealousy because there is no confusion about your money.
You both created your budget. Your spouse knows you have an allowance. Those $90 shoes were bought with that allowance which means those shoes were in the budget!
Create a budget together, give yourselves allowances, and have fun with your own personal stash of cash.
Step 3) Don’t kill yourselves with budgeting printables or excel sheets
Yes, logging every expense into your budget can be a hassle. But this is especially true when using budgeting pintables or excel sheets.
When using an ‘at-home’ budget, you must remember to keep every receipt, and wait until you get home to log your expenses. It’s all too much effort (especially when you lose a receipt).
We’re out of the dark-ages people. Get yourselves a free budgeting app and start budgeting extremely fast!
With an app, logging every expense is easy. As the cashier is ringing up your items, pull out you’re phone, open your budgeting app, and as soon as the final total shows up on the screen, enter the expense. It takes virtually zero time out of your day! And eventually, budgeting becomes an extremely simple habit. After a few weeks, you’re going to be logging expenses into your budget without even thinking about it (effortlessly achieving frugal living).
What’s more, it makes budgeting as a couple extremely easy. With an app, you and your spouse always have the same updated budget available on your phone at all times. There will never be any miscommunications with money. Just one single, always up to day, budget.
I hope these couple budgeting tips are exactly what you and your husband/wife needed to start budgeting as a couple!
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Thanks for the great article! Which budgeting app do you recommend?
Hi Kathy! So glad you enjoyed 🙂 We use the EveryDollar app to keep track of our budget.
Thanks for this! I’ve been wanting to get more on the same page with my husband as we think about the new year and our financial goals. This is really helpful guidance to keep in mind as we start our planning.
So glad we could help Amanda! 🙂