Counting Pennies ~ Cooperation

When it comes to money there are generally two kinds of people. Spenders and savers. And oddly enough, it seems that most long term relationships are made up of one of each.

I have had the subject of love and money on my mind lately. Particularly, how the two affect each other and how we handle it.

My husband happens to be the spender in our marriage. He thinks nothing of dropping fifty dollars here and seventy dollars there. If he wants something and the money is readily available, he will buy it. I am the opposite. I stress out about spending twenty dollars at a time. But instead of making me want to save even more, watching him spend money like it grows on trees actually makes me resent all the things he buys for himself. In turn, I want to go out and buy the things that I really want. It just seems unfair. Why can't I buy myself nice things, too? I make money. I pay bills. But then there are two people recklessly spending money with no regard for the future.

I have thought and thought about how to address this issue. I can't tell my husband that he can't buy things for himself. He works for his money and has every right to decide where it goes. And I can't very well throw reason out the window and spend every dime I make to match his spending habits. So, my rule for cooperation......

Rule #4: Two wrongs don't make a right.

Just do what you know needs to be done. If you are the Saver of the relationship, that means that you keep your cool and continue to make responsible spending decisions, regardless of what the other party is doing. Keep on keeping on. If you are the Spender, however, maybe you could take a moment to consider how the other party feels about your spending habits. Two wrongs don't make a right. But two rights do make a left, as in money "left" over for emergencies. Corny, yes. But true.


*pic from here.