From small expenses to big-picture financial decisions, here's how you and your new spouse can build your best budget together.
Last updated February 5, 2024
After marriage, many aspects of your daily life will need to change as you learn to live in tandem with someone else. One of these is how you handle spending money: from small expenses like your daily latte habit to big-picture financial decisions like buying a home or saving for retirement, you and your new spouse should strive to become open, honest, and comfortable when it comes to discussing money. While you might have different backgrounds and approaches towards saving versus spending, finding common ground for how to manage your income, set financial goals for the future, and put a reasonable budget in place to achieve those goals is key for establishing a peaceful, trustworthy, and happy marriage (and life) together.
"Right after we got married we sat down and started splitting up household tasks and responsibilities and budgeting for them. There were no more mine our yours costs or responsibilities -- they were all ours and we used a joint app to track them and make sure we were on top of them together" -- Emily, Zola User, October 2017
Content by our partners at YNAB. We may earn compensation if you click the button below.
70 percent of couples report money as the thing they fight about most—with frivolous purchases, household budgeting, and credit card debt cited as the biggest sources of friction. Of course, couples fight about all kinds of different things, but above all else, the frequency of money disputes are the #1 best predictor of divorce. If you and your honey fight about money, not to worry—there are really just three steps to changing the way you and your partner handle money...
The problem is, that whether or not you talk about it, money will impact so many different areas of your life together. If you live your life with a committed partner, the best thing you can do for your relationship is talk about money. If you find it hard to talk about money with your partner, you fight about money, or even if you’re just living a shared life with separate finances, read on...
Once you’ve decided that you’re going to take the plunge — you’ve tied the knot, you have joined in all sorts of ways — it’s important that you join finances. But if you’re not quite ready to share everything about your finances with your partner, don’t fret, we’ve got you covered! Read on for our best tips on how you can maintain a joint budget while still keeping your finances separate.
You Need A Budget (YNAB) is a software and education company that helps people gain total control of their money, and in doing so, their lives.
Get startedWe’ve got wedding planning advice on everything from save the dates to wedding cakes.