One common area of stress in relationships is MONEY.  Of course people are stressed out if they have to worry about making ends meet for basic things such as food, shelter, clothes, transportation and some form of entertainment.  However being rich is not a ticket to marriage bliss, nor is it impossible to be happily married when you don’t have much money.  Problems come up though when the couple has different ideas about how they are going to use the money—let’s say Jack wants to buy a boat and Julie wants to save for retirement.

People have different money values.  I know this from experience.  I come from a family that saved and used credit sparingly.  This can be difficult when your partner likes spending freely and is quite comfortable with debt.  So this is one of my answers to a happy marriage—finding a comfortable way to handle money together—I don’t think there is one right way—people just have to be able to cooperate financially.  Are you having money conflicts and need input; or perhaps you have found a satisfactory way of handling money in your family?  This forum can be a place to unravel the secrets to happy marriage finances.