Many studies suggest that money is the leading cause of stress in relationships, and is responsible for most divorces. These findings make sense because your partner’s mindset with cash will either affect your spending behavior or your mood —if not both— and you’ll feel stressed. For that, below are four tips from the experts on how to save money and fix your finances.
Money Tip #1: Shop À La Carte
In restaurants, the phrase A la Carte refers to the food that you can order separately, rather than part of a set meal. Financial advisor, entrepreneur, and author, Ramit Sethi suggests you use the same method to save money.
“Cancel all the discretionary subscriptions you can: your magazines, TiVo, cable —even your gym,” writes Sethi in his bestseller, I Will Teach You To Be Rich. People often overestimate how much value they get from subscriptions. A quick check on your internet browser, and you`ll notice that most of your bookmarks are no longer useful.
We do the same thing with magazine subscriptions and gym memberships. We pay for channels we never watch and songs we don`t listen to anymore. So, according to Sethi, you`re better off buying a day pass for the gym or watching your favorite show on iTunes for $1.99/episode instead of paying for a whole package on Tivo. Shopping a la Carte is also an excellent way to limit impulsivity and force you to be conscious of your spending.
Money Tip #2: Think Reliability
“The number-one feature that you should look at when buying a new appliance is reliability,” writes, Trent Hamm, founder of TheSimpleDollar.com. Paying extra now for something that will last twice as long as a smart money-saving technique. According to Hamm, a $500 washing machine that lasts ten years is a far better deal than a $350 one that lasts only five years.
The trick Hamm uses is researching the market using older issues of Consumer Reports which will include information about last year’s models. Most appliance stores have last year’s models still available in the back which you can often buy at a discounted price.
Another strategy that Hamm uses is, The 10-Second Rule. It says that you have to pause for 10 seconds before taking any expensive item off the shelf and ask yourself “Do I need this?” If the answer is “no” or “I’m not sure,” then it`s probably a waste of money and you shouldn`t buy this item.
Money Tip #3: Follow these Car-purchasing Rules
Don`t buy a car unless you need it. “A car is a depreciating asset and it’s flat-out the worst investment you will ever make,” writes Suze Orman in her bestseller, The Money Book for the Young, Fabulous & Broke. A car will lose around one-fifth of its value the moment you take it off the lot, and it never goes back from there. But what if you must buy a car? Then follow these three rules: don`t go flashy, don`t lease, and extended warranty.
- Only meet your basic needs — Don`t try to be flashy or pretentious when you barely have the money for it. Buy a car that will serve your basic needs, not something to show off with, and use your saved money to fund a Roth IRA, reduce your credit card balance, or pay for your loans.
- Don`t lease — Leasing a car means you borrow it for three years instead of buying it. This may sound exciting, but Orman believes by leasing a car you are stepping into a hamster wheel that you may never be able to get off of. Once the lease period ends, you`ll either buy the car for a price higher than its actual value or lease another one which means another three years of bills. This means that if you`re always leasing, then you`ll be making monthly payments for something that loses 33 percent of its value in the first three years, which doesn`t sound like the right thing to do. What to do then? Orman suggests you get a loan. By the time you pay it off and the car will be all yours and what you`ll pay each year on maintenance will be 10X less than the number you`d be paying if you spend $20,000 on a new lease.
- Don`t pay for an extended warranty — Say no when a car dealer asks you to purchase a service contract or an extended warranty. You will have enough time to shop around for a low-cost service plan or seek a warranty provider directly without paying the additional dealer markup.
Eliminate one of your cars
If both of you and your partner have cars, and you live in a big city, then you might find it better to sell one car, use public transportation, and invest the money elsewhere. If you really need the car, you can schedule when each of you gets to take it out.
Money Tip #4: Get Clarity
The first step to improve your finances is to get absolutely clear about where you get your money and where it goes. Dave Ramsey, bestselling author of The Total Money Makeover: A Proven Plan for Financial Fitness believes you, and your partner, must know everything about your work life. How much money you earn per day, week and year —plus benefits— and how much you spend each month. As he words it, “A budget is people telling their money where to go instead of wondering where it went.”
You can`t save money without analyzing how much you pay for taxes, food, gas, child care, as well as any negative money beliefs you two have in mind. As a couple, you can do this in these ways:
Divide your budget into buckets
Though keeping a food journal can make you lose weight, studies suggest that tracking every dollar you pull out may backfire on you. People who track every penny they spend often feel overwhelmed and go back to wasting money eventually. This is why you should create what Ramit Sethi calls, “A Conscious Spending Plan,” in which create four buckets where all your after-tax money will go:
- Bucket #1: Fixed Costs — Use this money to pay for utilities, cell phone, internet, rent/mortgage and student loans. It should usually represent 50–60 percent of your take-home pay.
- Bucket #2: Investments — Send 10 percent of your after-tax money to your 401(k) and Roth IRA each month.
- Bucket #3: Savings — This bucket includes short, and long-term savings goals such as vacation, a down payment on a house, or wedding money. This should make 10-20 percent of your money.
- Bucket #4: Guilt-free Spending Money — Use the cash from this bucket to buy whatever you desire. Guilt-free.
Combined, these four buckets will bring clarity to your financial life and, at the same time, keep you jacked excited because, unlike most budgets, you will allow yourself some money to spend guilt-free.
Make shopping lists
Make a list of what you want to buy each time you go shopping. Using a list will limit impulsive shopping and unplanned purchases, and will save you tons of regrets.
Talk money with your partner
Stay on the same page with your partner by scheduling time each week/month to discussing your financial situations and how you plan to pay the bills and save/invest/spend the rest of your money. Discuss everything from college debt to credit card statements and make sure both of you benefit from these conversations.