The Engagement: What That Money Look Like?

The Engagement Series is a series of blog posts written before I got married in a very private ceremony on December 13th. They are released daily until they are complete, I hope you enjoy.

December 6, 2012

I don’t like going into situations without making sure everything has been discussed and taken care of. One of those things is finances, since Josh and I will not be living together until after we are married I felt it would be a good idea to discuss how we would handle our finances once we were living together. I won’t get into the details but we did come up with a plan that works out for the both of us. This is one less thing we have to worry about when we make the move together.

You want to look at your budget, what will you combine and what will you keep separate. You may decide to keep your finances completely separate, but whatever you decide make sure it is discussed ahead of time.

A few things to consider are:
1. Who is going to manage the money?
2. Are we both going to work?
3. If we both work, how will we handle the household expenses?
4. How much personal spending money should each of us have that doesn't have to be accounted for?
5. How much could I spend on a purchase without needing consent from you?
6. What is your attitude toward money?
7. How much debt are you bringing to the marriage?
8. How do you feel about budgeting?
9. How often should we review our finances (both short-term and long-term)?
10. What are your long-term financial goals?

You want to ensure that you have as easy of a transition as possible. You don’t need to have any more stress than needed when you are starting out as a newlywed.

Some women are so anxious to get married they don’t take the time to plan for marriage, instead they spend time planning a wedding to impress their friends or they just want to be married so bad they don’t even care until the excitement of being a wife dies down and they become slapped with reality.

And…It Is What It Is!