How to Survive Rough Financial Family Times without Fighting
The economy still seems just as bad as it was 5 years ago to most people in middle and lower classes and unfortunately no one for sure knows when this will end; there is no clear light at the end of the tunnel in sight. With that being said, the struggles that most families are facing because of this are affecting their personal lives so much that it is ending in heartache and divorce. Money has always been a top issue amongst married couples and is even more so now that times are tough. But there are ways to find out how to survive rough financial family times without fighting and here are a few of them.
Communication is the key. First and foremost you want to make sure that you and your wife are talking everyday about the finances, even if you spend 15 minutes looking at the bills together or discussing what bill you should pay next. Communication doesn’t have to be just about the finances but about your relationship in general. You need to keep an open format of dialogue to see how the other person is holding up. Make sure you let her know when you are stressed and ways she can help and vice versa. Making sure you never yell or get into an argument is the most effective way to handle this. Be adults and know you are both in this TOGETHER, not against each other.
Having a plan is crucial. IGNORING the problems will NOT make them go away. You need to face your troubles head first and start planning. What bills have the highest interest rates, what bills can you ask the government to help with, which ones can be easily paid off first? Planning out together and agreeing on a step by step ladder to get you out will be beneficial. You must write everything down so you don’t argue about this later. Be clear on what the plan is and you can refer back to notes later to avoid fighting about what was said and who is right or wrong.
Help each other. You are in a marriage not some high school romance; chances are you even have kids together and so you need to be a team and stay strong. Remember you vowed to stay in this for better or worse and now is time to test those vows. Try and stay calm and never shout. Also, help each other find a job! Be a force TOGETHER and lend a hand to your wife on her resume, drive her to interviews, pep talk her up. Have her help you work on interview skills or find ways you can use your handyman skills to earn side money on the weekends. Either way you must never go against each other and find ways to compromise and do this as a couple not as singles.
How to survive rough financial family times without fighting is tricky and stressful but not impossible. Just remember why you fell in love and that your hard work will be paid off. There is hope and it is a lot stronger when you are working as a team.