A study by University of Utah professor Jeffrey Dew showed that if you argue about money with your spouse more than once a week your risk for divorce is 30 percent higher than if you argue about money with your spouse a few times a month.

So, how can we avoid this? How can we find financial peace in our marriages?

There are five easy tips that we have chosen to follow from our faith, on churchofjesuschrist.org:

1. Pay Tithes and Offerings.

Amy and I pay our tithing and fast offerings at the first of every month before we take care of any other bills or financial planning. I know that as we have done this, God has helped us; he has helped us not to set our heart on our “riches”, to plan more wisely, and to be more grateful. He has also blessed us with more resources than we need. I know that this is because of our commitment to put Him first. I love tithing and fast offerings!

2. Avoid Debt.

Simple. Simple. Simple. Why is this so hard for so many people? Debt is such a burden. American consumers owe $11.13 trillion in debt. The US government is $16.8 trillion in debt. So many people are slaves to their passions, addictions, hobbies, and food. Debt is a prison…mentally, emotionally, and physically. Amy and I are proud to say that we do not have any debt and it feels wonderful.

3. Use a Budget.

We plan out our finances every week using a spreadsheet and mint.com…but it doesn’t really matter how you do it as long as you track your goals and spending and your spouse is on the same page.  Budgeting takes a few extra minutes but brings so much peace.

4. Build a Reserve.

Amy and I have slowly built up what we call our “slush fund” of reserve cash; we set aside about 15 percent of our earnings every month as a reserve for unnexpected events and emmergencies. We also have a three month supply of food storage; we buy extra food and water when we go to the grocery store and then rotate our storage - Amy even wrote a post about it.

5. Teach Family Members.

Yes. We should :)

And that’s about it; these simple tips can free us from the financial stress that so many couples struggle with.

Keepin’ our money fresh, Trevor

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