Healthy finance habits are a part of any healthy marriage. According to many studies available on the internet, finances are the second leading cause of divorce, behind infidelity. If you are in a godly marriage, seek the Lord with your husband regarding your finances. God will show you how the following tips should look for your specific situation. These 6 finance habits will align your vision with your spouse’s and bring a successful tomorrow, if implemented properly.
1. At the top of the finance habits list is gratefulness.
The number one financial habit is consistent gratefulness. It does not matter whether you have a lot of money or a little. Gratefulness puts money and God’s provision into the right perspective. If you are only happy when you have a lot of money, you will be miserable in the seasons when you don’t have as much. This will cause you to lose sight of God’s goodness and the other ways in which He is blessing you. It will also put a strain on your marriage. The Apostle Paul emphasized the importance of contentment in every circumstance in Philippians 4:11-12. We can learn a lot from that verse.
2. Give Generously
As believers, we know that nothing we have is our own. Everything we have came from God, and that includes our money. Therefore, it is our responsibility to be the biggest givers out there! Giving willingly and cheerfully to those in need is a behavior that is pleasing to God. For this reason, it is a finance habit that will actually increase our finances.
3. Always communicate big purchases with your spouse first.
Once your finances increase, you may be tempted to make big purchases. However, you should make it a habit to always discuss major purchases with your husband first and vice versa. To clarify, I am referring to any purchase over $500 as large. Taking things a step further, this communication rule applies whether you share a bank account with your husband or not. Implementing this financial habit will go a long way to help create a shared vision between you and your husband. See my article titled, 3 Powerful Mindset Changes for a Happier Marriage, for more on this.
4. Pay your bills on time.
This finance habit is pretty self-explanatory. Stay on top of paying your bills on time and keep your credit clean. In order to help with this, you and your husband should determine who will be responsible for paying which bills. I am not even talking about whose money will cover the bill. I am talking about who will physically make sure the bill gets paid. Remember this, if it’s everyone’s responsibility, it’s no one’s responsibility.
5. Do not spend frivolously!
It is ok to “treat” yourself every once in a while, and it is certainly necessary to go out on the occasional date night with your man. However, these things should come after all the other financial basis are covered. That means after you have given generously, paid mortgage/rent, and covered the other household needs.
6. Having healthy financial habits means living below your means.
This is a big one. My husband and I learned this lesson 3 years ago. We had a 4,000 sq. ft. house, two high end vehicles, and big bills. From the outside looking in, we had it all. One day, reality began to set in. We could afford our lifestyle, but all we really had was a 30 year mortgage and expensive car notes. We could not see the legacy we were building for our children.
Since then, we have downsized our home and acquired two cars that are paid off. We learned that our income is our wealth. As a result of living below our means, we have been able to do something we never knew was possible. That is, we were able to purchase land and begin construction on our forever home with our own money!
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Achieve your financial goals sis!
[…] I mentioned in my article on finance habits, finance is often cited as the second leading cause of divorce. Therefore, it is essential that you […]