Thank you all so much for praying. I'll be able to tell you more about that tomorrow.
For now, I want to tell you about a book that just released by Marybeth Whalen and her husband Curt. It's a timely topic that's for sure!
Learning to Live Financially Free is a personal look at what it takes to live debt free.
The Whalens draw from their own experiences of their first ten years of marriage to create a resource that provides both a helpful hand and a hopeful word for couples who need to get and keep their finances in order and nurture their marriage at the same time.
Listen to what my friend Tamery had to say after reading this book:
I've read numerous books on managing money. This book was different.
We knew how to "do" the money systems laid out in other books, but failed because the heart of our problem wasn't the "knowing" but the "relating"!
After reading this book I realized that both of us came into our marriage with spending/saving "style" differences and we had not really discussed how that was affecting our money decisions.
I know that if we succeed in a task, but fail in relationship while completing the task we are not fully honoring the Lord. This book deals with money relationships and I think that we will finally succeed in both!
The authors are real and don't hold back. We can relate to them as they both share their differing perspectives of the same money situation. Through their humility as a foundation, my husband and I can discuss more freely where we are coming from; surprisingly there are more ways than one to view a situation!
After the very first chapter, my husband came to me and told me that this book was helping him understand my position in our marriage better. Wow! I am recommending this book to all my friends and have several couples I know I am going to buy it for.
Tamery Stafford, married 15 years, mom of 4
Since I love little "how are you currently doing in this area" quizzes, I asked the Whalens to come up with one.
I've always said, the only way we can get better in an area is if we can clearly identify where we are currently and what direction we want to head in for the future. So, here's a little quiz---
Are You A Financially Focused Couple?
Instructions: Give yourself 1 point for every "yes" answer, 0 points for every "no."
Do you have regular budget meetings?
Do you communicate about daily expenses?
Do you discuss large purchases before they're made?
Does each spouse have an equal vote about money decisions?
Have you planned for your future through life insurance and a will?
Do you agree about tithing and giving?
Can you both list out your debts, including the amounts and monthly payment for each account?
Do you have a plan that was written together for paying off debt and saving money?
Do you encourage each other to save money?
Have you discussed the spending habits and attitudes about money that you carried into the marriage?
Tally up your score. Leave a comment about any kind of money tip you have. I'll be randomly picking a winner from today's comments to get a free copy of this book.
After you leave your comment here, hop over to Marybeth's site to check your score. Word has it, she's also giving a copy of Learning to Live Financially Free!
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