Money makes the world go around!
By Kate
Introduction
Many married couples would put money pressures as high on their list of factors causing stress in their relationship. An NOP Survey on Marriage by Care for the Family in 1997 showed that when people together for over 10 years were asked what caused greatest pressure in their marriage, "money issues" was the top answer with 39% mentioning it. Money worries were also cited as the most frequent answer when married people were asked what they thought was the main reason for divorce. Shortage of money used to be the issue, but since the arrival of the lottery there are some “lucky” folks who are faced by the opposite stress – how to agree on how to spend it. I’ve heard that lottery winners are offered counselling, because of the stress people face when they win.
These days we are surrounded by advertising which encourages us to buy newer bigger, better…. Financial security can’t be taken for granted either. Unemployment is still significantly high, especially in certain parts of the country, and those who do have jobs may work part time or have short term contracts. Sometimes men can’t get work and the woman is the only bread-winner in the household.
So are you good at managing your money? Do you agree how it should be spent? Do you find it easy to talk to each other about money matters?
The following are the stories of some fictional couples. I hope they will get you thinking. Does anything about their situations ring bells for you. I’ve also compiles a questionnaire to give you some conversation starters to explore the subject further.