When you’re dating someone, it’s easy to get swept up in their dreamy eyes and charming ways. However, when it comes to money matters, we all have our own unique financial habits that can make or break a relationship. If one partner is bad with money and the other isn’t, it can cause some serious stress during your time together—especially if you don’t talk about it. Here are some tips for what you should do if your partner is bad with money:
Don’t feel like you’re alone.
You’re not alone. There are millions of people who are in relationships with partners who struggle with money, and many of those people don’t know where to turn for help. One way to get started is by talking about the situation with someone you trust, like a friend or family member. You don’t have to go it alone!
If you feel that your partner isn’t being honest about their spending habits or isn’t willing to work together on managing our finances, consider hiring an objective third party like a financial advisor who can help you create realistic budgets and make plans for getting out of debt together (or apart).
Don’t judge your partner’s financial habits.
If you’re in a relationship with someone who has bad financial habits, don’t judge them. It’s easy to see why people find themselves frustrated or even angry with their partner’s habits; they may be making poor choices that affect your life and future together. But remember that this isn’t about what is right or wrong–it’s about helping each other improve as individuals.
Don’t make your partner feel bad about their financial habits.
If you do start feeling judgmental toward them, try to remind yourself of all the good things they do for you: perhaps they help out around the house without being asked; maybe they are always there for you when times get tough; or maybe most importantly, this person has chosen YOU over everyone else in their life (and vice versa). Remembering these things will help keep things in perspective so that both partners can move forward together instead of apart because one person feels like less than enough because of something as silly as money management skills!
Talk about finances a lot.
If you want to keep your finances in order, it’s important to talk about them regularly. This doesn’t mean that you have to sit down and discuss the minutiae of every dollar spent–but it does mean making sure that both partners are on the same page when it comes to how much money should be going out and where it’s coming from.
If this is something that has never been done before in your relationship (or if one person is more comfortable with financial responsibility), start by figuring out what works best for both of you: maybe one person keeps track of all receipts or uses an app like Mint; maybe another writes down her expenses in a notebook at the end of each month; there’s no right answer here! The most important thing is making sure everyone feels comfortable with their arrangement before moving forward with any kind of plan for saving or spending money together as a couple.
Once everything is settled, follow up regularly by checking in about progress made toward goals set during previous conversations about finances–and don’t forget about celebrations! If either partner achieves something positive like closing an account balance or reaching an income goal for example then make sure celebrate accordingly so everyone knows how proud we are 🙂
Ask them to open up about it.
It may seem like a no-brainer, but the first thing you can do is ask them to open up about it. A lot of people are embarrassed by their financial habits, or even feel ashamed that they’re not able to handle their money better. If your partner feels this way, then you need to let them know that there’s nothing wrong with admitting that they don’t know what they’re doing (or rather, have never learned how). You could suggest reading some books together if your partner is interested in learning more about personal finance and budgeting; just make sure not to judge them for their past decisions!
If this doesn’t work and your partner still refuses help from outside sources like books or websites–or if they won’t even talk about it with you–then try compromising on some things but not everything:
Do the same for yourself.
You can also help your partner by being open about your own financial habits. If you keep a budget, share it with them; if you have a savings account or invest in index funds, let them know. This will help both of you understand each other’s viewpoints better and make sure that neither one of you feels like their spending decisions are being judged by the other person–which they shouldn’t be!
Ask your partner to do the same for themselves: if they have an emergency fund or use Mint to track their spending habits, ask what those things are so that there’s no misunderstanding between the two of you when it comes time for an important conversation about money issues (like why he bought another pair of sneakers).
Compromise on some things, but not everything.
If you’re in a relationship with someone who has bad financial habits, it’s important to remember that compromise is key. You don’t want to completely give up on your own values and life goals just because your partner isn’t as financially responsible as you’d like them to be. But at the same time, there will probably come times when they ask for things that are out of line with what makes sense for the two of you–and if those things involve spending money on frivolous items or not paying bills on time (or ever), then this could potentially lead down a destructive path towards financial ruin if left unchecked.
So how do we find middle ground here? I think it comes down again to communication: talking openly about what matters most so that everyone understands where their limits lie; compromising when necessary; learning from each other’s experiences; respecting each other’s opinions even when they differ from yours; and more importantly perhaps than anything else…keeping an open mind!
Takeaway:
If you’re in a relationship with someone who has poor money habits, it’s important to know that this isn’t the end of your relationship. You can work through it! The first step is to be honest with yourself about what works for you and what doesn’t.
- If your partner is bad with money, don’t give up on them! Try talking about it as much as possible so they understand how their actions affect others around them.
- Don’t judge their financial habits too harshly–they may have grown up in an environment where saving was seen as “cheap” or “boring.” Instead of making fun of each other for being different (which will only divide), try finding common ground by compromising on some things but not everything
Conclusion
Knowing how to handle money is an important part of being an adult, and it’s something you’ll have to deal with for the rest of your life. So if you’re dating someone who isn’t great at managing their finances, don’t worry–it doesn’t mean they’re doomed or that they won’t ever get better at it. You can help them by being patient and supportive as well as opening up about your own financial habits so that both parties can learn from each other’s experiences.
