Do you want to save more but your partner is a spender?
Oh yeah, I see your head nodding. haha
In over 15 years of advising couples, I’ve found this to be very common.
I suspect most of us don’t really want to restrict our spending.
It’s just that some of us do, usually motivated by either:
- The desire to afford a specific lifestyle goal
- The fear of not having money in a specific situation, or just in general
Sometimes, we have those motivations we’re just unaware that our current behaviours won’t get us there.
It’s probably no surprise that often the saver is the one who manages the money (and reads my articles). The person managing the money will naturally be more aware if you’re on track or not.
Money in relationships is complex and multi-dimensional.
I have found that one strategy that helps couples be on the same page is:
- Co-create the plan of what is affordable
- Make progress check-ins routine and regular
If you want your partner to spend less then consider how to involve them more in those two elements of your budgeting system.