SavvySugar

Love and Money: Managing Your Heart and Pocketbook

SavvySugar — Sun, 14 Feb 2010 05:00:34 -0800

Navigating finances with a partner means constantly adjusting to each other's spending and saving styles and coming up with a system you can both live with. But as relationships grow and change, financial situations do too, and many couples find themselves having to adjust their approach to money after years together. We've been covering love and money issues all month in honor of Valentine's Day. Here's a recap of tips for celebrating the day of love and managing matters of the heart and bank account daily.

Do This, Not That on Valentine's Day	10 Tips For Balancing Love and Money	Consider These 10 Healthy Couple Habits
> Guess How Much: Valentine's Day Spending	Couples' Financial Conversation Starters	Weigh In on Dos and Don'ts For Couples

I'm Asking: What Valentine's Puchase Do You Have to Have?

SavvySugar — Fri, 12 Feb 2010 12:00:38 -0800

We're obviously advocating smart spending to celebrate Valentine's, and hopefully you've realized there are lots of ways (on the cheap) to make the most of your celebration. But whether you're single or coupled-up, we know the day is also about indulging - chocolates, flowers, wine, romance . . . Sometimes, there's that something special that you've just gotta have for the occasion, right? So, here's hoping your holiday must-have doesn't put you over budget, but tell, me when it comes to celebrating your own happy heart day, what's the one purchase you absolutely have to have - for yourself or significant other?

Do You Make More Than Your Partner?

SavvySugar — Fri, 12 Feb 2010 06:00:47 -0800

Not to stir the pot with Valentine's just around the corner, but with new studies indicating that wives are earning more than their husbands, my mind began to wander and wonder about the financial breakdown in relationships. Juggling love and money issues can be a tricky balancing act to pull off, and money talks with your partner can definitely be awkward and uncomfortable if you don't know where your sweetie stands on finances. All in all, I'd like to think that when it comes to matters of the heart, money is irrelevant - unfortunately, the reality is that it's not always avoidable and sometimes can weigh heavily on our relationships. Often, we have to deal with it head on, especially when partners' earnings are uneven. So, tell me, do you make more than your partner? And does it really matter?

Love and Money: 10 Healthy Couple Habits

SavvySugar — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 12:00:41 -0800

A few years ago I was cruising the purse department at Nordstrom and overheard a sweet-looking lady in her 70s call her husband over to pay for her goodies while she told the salesgal, "he doesn't get any honey unless he shows me the money." I immediately burst into laughter. Still, as silly as it sounds, maintaining a healthy attitude about finances in a long-term relationship requires a balance of humor, clear communication, and shared expectations.

The right outlook on money matters at the start of a relationship is vital for laying a firm foundation, but keeping the topic at the forefront and adjusting goals as the years pass is critical for staying solid as a rock. Here are some healthy habits that will help keep the love alive for richer and poorer.

Photos courtesy of The CW

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Do Opposites Attract When It Comes to Spending Habits?

Savvy Community — Fri, 05 Feb 2010 04:00:12 -0800

This question comes from reader Lauren in our How Do You Save? group.

I read a very interesting article on Get Rich Slowly today. The article is about a study where they found people are attracted to mates who have opposite ideas toward saving and spending money, so penny pinchers are attracted to spenders and vice versa.

I have thought of several couples, myself included and pretty much this statement holds true. I have been married for eight months and my husband is much more thrifty than myself since we have been married, I have definitely become less of a spender and realize the value of saving. He spends more than he used to but still saves. So I feel that although we are opposites, we have learned from each other.

I was just wondering, are you and your significant other also the opposite with regard to money?

Do You Give Shared Gifts For Valentine's Day?

SavvySugar — Wed, 03 Feb 2010 14:45:19 -0800

You’d be hard-pressed to find someone who doesn’t enjoy the romance and surprise of Valentine's Day gift-giving. But maintaining those romantic and unexpected elements can get tricky for couples who share finances. Will splurging on your significant other be a welcome treat, or will it just stress him or her out that you’re depleting the joint account?

I know some couples who solve the dilemma by forgoing the element of surprise and instead treating themselves to an extravagant meal or a home item they’ve both been wanting. But I know others who, combined finances be damned, have secretly had their gifts for each other picked out for months.

What about you? If you share finances with a partner, do you give shared gifts for Valentine’s Day?

Photo courtesy of Warner Bros.

New Love: Weigh In on Money Dos and Don'ts

SavvySugar — Wed, 03 Feb 2010 08:00:43 -0800

Money is a sensitive and personal subject, but when you start dating someone it's important to let down your guard and ensure you have similar financial, personal and career goals and expectations so you aren't someday bewildered when the topic of prenups or really bad credit comes up. Embrace this month of love by sharing your take on some classic new relationship conundrums.

Photos courtesy of The CW

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Love and Money: Can You Have It All? Yes, If You Work For It

SavvySugar — Tue, 02 Feb 2010 12:00:51 -0800

Resolving money issues with a partner means constantly adjusting to each other's spending and saving styles and coming up with a system you can both live with. But as relationships grow and change, financial situations do too, and many couples find themselves having to adjust their approach to money after years of marriage. Here are a few tried and true guides and tips to navigating the romantic and oh-so-practical.

Become a More Financially Compatible Couple	10 Tips For Balancing Love and Money	5 Money Issues Every Couple Should Prepare For
The Marriage Penalty, Explained	Couples' Financial Conversation Starters	How to Manage Money as a Couple

Does Everyone Secretly Want a "Wife"?

SavvySugar — Tue, 02 Feb 2010 06:00:23 -0800

Thanks to a recent Pew Research study we know now that more women are outearning their partners than ever before. Let’s hear it for the ever-shrinking gender gap . . . right? According to some women, including writer Sandra Tsing Loh, earning more than our partners isn’t all it’s cracked up to be.

In a recent New York Times op-ed, Loh says that the constant multitasking and duty-splitting of most modern households make her pine for the days of 1950s housewifery. Except, Loh realizes, she wants to be on the other end of things this time - she wants to continue being the breadwinner, while her partner greets her every evening with a clean house, an attentive ear, and ideally, a good Manhattan. "In the end," she says, "we all want a wife."

What’s your take? Do you think the top-earning partner in a relationship secretly wishes for a stay-at-home spouse to make life easier?

Photo courtesy of AMC

Where Do You Stand on the Topic of Love and Money?

SavvySugar — Mon, 01 Feb 2010 12:00:37 -0800

February is a month of decadent chocolate boxes, long-stemmed roses, and big proclamations of love. That is, if Hallmark and the floral and gift industry have their way. Truth be told, saying "I love you" for the first time is often easier than the realities that come afterward - the effort to merge your life with someone else's. Only 11 percent of SavvySugar readers say they have never fought with their spouses over money, but I suspect that minority has at least debated the topic a time or two. Where do you stand on matters of the heart and bank account?

Do You Spend Without Checking In With Your Husband?	Have You Dated a Guy Because of His Money?	Is Bad Credit a Dealbreaker in Serious Relationships?
Could You Work With Your Husband?	Would You Get a Joint Checking Account With Your Boyfriend?	How Do You Feel About Prenups?