A lot of times, marriage is often compared and referenced to a financial entity. We’ve all heard the cliches:”Marriage is an investment” and “it’s cheaper to keep her”, just to name a couple. But the truth of the matter is, when I look at marriage and compare it to my bank account, I can see where it does add up.
As I sat down to prepare to write this post, I did a little research. There are many articles out there about how Marriages can help to improve someones financial status. You can even look at it from an economic growth standpoint. Married couples tend to buy bigger houses, save more money, shop more (not necessarily for the flashy items, but more so for the long term, dependable, & efficient items).
Allow me to state, for the record, marriage is not for everyone. Just because I state these things which I, personally have noticed, I am not forcing y’all to go out and hurry up and get married. I do not want to be accused of calling someone out because they are single. Trust me, I LOVED my single life, that was one phase of my life that I was happy while I was in it but now I am ecstatic where I am currently - married. So for all my single friends out there, and I have plenty, this is only how I view my life.
When I was single, I believed that I needed very little to live my life. I had a small house, it was just me. I had limited food in my fridge & freezer, I usually ate out. My savings account was practically non-existent, why save when I can buy what I want now. Now that I’m married, we’ve moved into a bigger home, stock our refrigerator and save for, not just the future, but a rainy day, “just in case”, and college (I do have a 2 year old to think about). But that is they key: My mentality has changed. I see the importance of having a future set up for my family, financially. I want to make sure that I can provide, and in case of emergency, I’m not “grasping at straws” as the saying goes.
My finances are not where I want them to be at. I still play the lottery every now and again, but I’m not living from check to check as I once was. My wife and I have a plan for the future, and it involves becoming debt free in 5 years. We would like to be able to spoil ourselves (and our son) on occasion without thinking of how we’ll be able to pay for it in the future. And while our savings accounts are modest, they do exist, both individually and collectively, and they are growing.
So yes, marriage has helped my finances tremendously. But more importantly, it has helped my mentality.
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