Couples Finances: Breaking Down The Walls And Finding Your Dream – 15-Minute Marriage Makeover

We have reached the end of our 28 day Love challenge! The last week, in this month devoted to strengthening the most important relationship in our lives, is all about the Benjamins.  Money, and how to manage the household finances, is one of the single most common sources of arguments between couples.  In fact, its the number one reason for divorce in the USA. That staggering fact alone, is motivation enough to make sure that money is a topic which can be discussed openly and honestly.

My Favorite Task this Week: What is your dream lifestyle?

When I read the headline for this task, I already knew my husband and I would love it.  Why?  Because for better or worse we are dreamers.  One of our favorite games when on a long walk in the countryside, or a road trip, is what would we do if we won the lottery.  We each take turns going over the increasingly detailed, and ever-evolving lists of activities we would do and purchases we would make.

This task is different though, its not about how would you spend millions, but how your dream life would look.  We all jump to beach houses and butlers, but would that really be a fulfilling life in the long run?  This task involves taking a proactive approach, and turning our dream life into actionable goals we can achieve to make it a reality.

To start with we need to look objectively at our everyday life now, and decide what we like about it and what we don’t.  By answering the following question the author of 15-Minute Marriage Makeover, Dustin Riechmann, is helping you think of your current lifestyle and how you would like it to change now and in the future:

What does success look like for your marriage and your family?

First you define your unique family picture of success.  Don’t be afraid to disagree or to even shock.  Healthy long lasting love is all about compromise and communication, as we learned in week one.  Once you have a clear definition, you can break the goal down into steps and make a dream life your life.

That Was Fun!

I can’t thank Dustin enough for his amazing book full of fun and new ways to connect with your partner.  My husband and I enjoyed all the tasks, and highly recommend the book to others.

I do have to say that at Perfect Madness we believe love is love, and can be shared between any kind of couple imaginable.  So we respect the author’s traditional Christian values, and feel simply that the message can be expanded to all types of couples; married or not, and of any sexual orientation.

Main photo by gingerchrismc.