September 24, 2006Money Talk: A Couple Looks at Their Financial Future From the Same Place
My wife and I had a great discussion last night. Like most couples sharing finances, we have had our fair share of not as great conversations about money, and I am sure they somehow led the foundation for this one by making us examine why they went wrong before. This discussion was different, in that we each started out (without trying) by asking about and discussing what we knew of the other’s needs for spending and what they were based on. We both learned about the psychology of the other and what really was behind the priorities we put on what we buy, as well as better understanding our own motivations.
The key thing that made it possible was that we had both spent time thinking about why we spend money on the things we do…my wife wants to set up a home, spending money on new furniture, because that fits both her needs for comfort and matches her image of what you do after you get married. I am supporting both of us since my wife is in grad school, and I would rather get by with the furniture we have, and save they money for quality adventures together so we can explore the dimensions of ourselves together as we travel and grow. I am also torn because I want to give her the dream of the perfectly furnished house, but since we are renting until we know where we will settle down, buying a bunch of stuff for this house is not really practical.
Because we had both figured out a lot of why we want to spend money on certain things and what the metaphoric weight of those priorities was, we were better able to understand each other and admit where we were afraid, or maybe immature or unrealistic about what we really wanted. With that knowledge, we finally found ourselves looking at our financial future from the same place, and the contentment that comes along with it.
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The “Secrets of the Millionaire Mind Set” book said that rich people think in both while poor people htink in either or. How about you buy some furnitures and take some dream vacations. Over a period of 2 years, you will both get what you want.
Camping at Yosemite for $65 per night (we split it between 3 families so our share was $25 per night) and hiking the Half Dome was heaven and freep. We do Cancun at all inclusive resorts for around $2200 for 2 adutls and a 6 year old daughter including airfare.
Drive around China town or Korea town and look for furniture sales stretch the dollars a lot.
Have fun and enjoy it to the max because tomorrow is promised to no one. (-:
Comment by Jerry Wang — September 29, 2006 @ 3:40 pm