Search Results for: blog saving a marriage

5 Topics to Discuss before Marriage

How many couples do you know take the time to discuss money, children and other important issues before they get married? Maybe you jumped right into marriage without seriously considering some of these life-impacting issues. If you or someone you know is considering tying the knot, here are five topics that you should discuss before walking down the aisle. It could save a lot of conflict in the future. The first is children. Do you both want children? Nothing is more devastating than a couple getting married and one expecting to have children but the other one dead set against … Continue reading →

Saving Money on a New House

One of the easiest ways to save on a mortgage is by making a substantial down payment. The larger your down payment, the less you will have to pay on a monthly basis. In most cases, home buyers are required to cough up at least 20 percent of a home loan in order to avoid Private Mortgage Insurance. Whereas it would be wonderful if we could all put down 20 to 30 percent of our dream home’s total price, many potential buyers struggle to come up with even half that. Fortunately, for many first-time homebuyers, down payment assistance is available. … Continue reading →

When Marriage Is Built Upon Manipulation

Have you ever tried to manipulate circumstances in your marriage, just to get your way? While it might provide temporary pleasure, the long-term consequences of this can be devastating to a marriage. At one time or another, we have all probably tried to use manipulation on our spouse. The degree to which it was used and the outcome might vary, but for the most part these are the rare occurrences in a marriage. However, some marriages can end up being built on manipulation. If you do this, I will do that. If you give me such and such, I will … Continue reading →

Saving a Marriage

It seems like everywhere I turn lately, there are marriage problems…serious ones. Couples that you would never imagine considering divorce seem to be on that path. I recently met with a woman who had filed for divorce but then stopped it. She is willing, although very reluctantly, to give her husband a chance to work on his issues. They are serious, difficult issues. My heart feels for her. It is painful to see her pain. It would be easy for me to say, “Get out while you can.” But I tend to be of the mindset that you should first … Continue reading →

When Saving is Not an Option

We’re told that we should be tucking away a portion of our income every month. The percentage varies from financial guru to financial guru, but they all say that we should be looking ahead and doing what we can to plan for those unexpected contingencies. If we have something in savings, we can rest more easily. I agree with that. I think saving is a fantastic idea, and I know that I’ve had more peace of mind when I’ve had a little in reserve. But there are times when there is simply no way to find money to save. As … Continue reading →

Tips for Dealing with Renovations and Marriage

Here are some tips to help you deal with renovations and keep your marriage intact. Understand sometimes men and women look at things differently. More often he is not going to worry about living with the mess. He’s not going to care about trying to cook dinner in a kitchen that isn’t functional or how to bathe kids when the bathroom is not operational. If you can make arrangements with a relative or friend or neighbor to use their bathroom for a day or so it might be an easier option. If you do, be sure to be considerate of … Continue reading →

Smart Phone Apps for Savings

It’s probably not hard to tell how much I love my iPhone. I blog about my iPhone a lot. There is so much this smart phone can do and I do a lot with it. I think there’s an app for just about everything. So what are some of the best apps for saving? Shopkick This is more of a rewards program than a savings program. It’s free for the iPhone and looks like fun. When you go into a participating store, check in to Shopkick to earn Kickbucks for later use. Holiday Gift Guide This free iPhone app will … Continue reading →

Saving on Electricity

With the price of electricity tipped to rise considerably in Australia, and probably the same in other countries, we need to find ways of saving money.So here are a few tips for saving on electricity. Switch off lights when you leave a room. It sounds simple but it’s amazing how many people don’t. Also make sure to switch off appliances when they are not in use. Don’t leave these switched on. Overhead fans are much cheaper to run than an air conditioner and quite effective. Use of blinds, curtains and awnings is another way of keeping heating and cooling costs … Continue reading →

Handle Stress in Your Marriage

With high mortgages, job losses and the economic situation putting further stress on people, marriages are being affected. How do we cope with the stresses of life and the changes that occur? Some people have seen their future savings for a home or retirement on their investments in the stock market eaten into. Others are struggling day to day just to keep food on the table and the family clothed. I know what that one is like. We spent many years in that situation where experts told you to save but there simply wasn’t anything to save because we’d chosen … Continue reading →

Money Saving Ideas

At the moment in our vegetable garden, we’re picking tomatoes, apple cucumbers, beans, silver beet, zucchinis. Sweet capsicums are starting to come on. We picked our first yesterday and used them on pizza. And we can’t keep up with the number of passionfruit literally raining down each day. When our son-in-law was staying over Christmas and new year he could eat at least 6-8 passionfruit in one sitting, and I admit so can I, and it hardly made a dent in the number we have left. In case you’re wondering we have two vines. It certainly saves money given that … Continue reading →