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Congrats! You are officially a happily married couple. This is a chance for you to share your life and everything that comes along with it, including your finances. It may be a bit jarring to sit down after your wedding and realize that you have to figure out a budget and determine how you will share your money, but it is a step that you must take. Here at the
Score Navigator, we want to see every couple succeed, so we have some guidance on how you can figure out your financial situation.
CREATE A BUDGET
The first step that you need to take is to create a budget so you know how much money you have coming in and how much you can realistically pay each month so you can satisfy all of your bills and debts. You need to sit down together and factor in every income stream you have and then you need to write a list of every expense, from utility bills and credit card payments to entertainment costs and how much you spend to commute to work each day.
Once you have all of these numbers in front of you, then you can see if you are in good shape or if you need to cut back on some expenses. Think about what you really need and what you can eliminate. For instance, do you need to go out for coffee every day or can you brew it at home? Also, do you need every single streaming service or can you cut back? Figure these things out together.
DO YOU NEED TO MAKE MORE MONEY?
If your budget is showing you that you need to earn more money to make ends meet, then it may be time to talk to your boss about more hours or a possible promotion. If you are interested in getting to the next plateau at work but you don’t have the qualifications, then this may be the time to return to school.
Since you are low on funds, you may need to continue to work while earning a new degree, and luckily, you can by enrolling into an online degree program. When you go to school online, you still get the same degree but you have more flexibility as to when you can attend your classes. When looking at potential schools, do your research to make sure that they are accredited and that it offers competitive tuition rates.
If you are not sure what degree you should get, then consider going into an online nursing program. Healthcare is a growing field that can be very lucrative, and you will know that you are doing a job that helps others, which can be very fulfilling.
FIGURE OUT YOUR HOUSING SITUATION
Now that you are a legal couple, you need to decide where you want to live. Typically, that would come down to choosing to buy a house or rent an apartment. You need to look at your situation and weigh the pros and cons of each. Think about where you live now. Do you plan to set down your roots here or would you like to live somewhere else in the future? If you aren’t completely satisfied here then you may want to rent so it is easier to move when the time comes.
You also have to look at how much money you have. Do you have enough to cover the cost of insurance or an unexpected repair? If not, then you may want to rent so you can depend on a landlord to take care of those issues. How about a down payment? Can you afford to put 20% down on a home? If not, then home ownership may not yet be in the cards.
As you can see, there are some things that you and your spouse need to figure out as far as your financial well-being. Consider the information shared here and you will learn how to make it work. If you would like to know how Score Navigator Blog can help, then check out our video tutorials to learn more.