Marriage Part 6: What to do with our Money

My wife Sharon grew up a saver.

I grew up a spender.

Inside a spender's mind a little recording plays over and again:

I can afford this, no problem. What's a dollar or two -- or twenty or fifty -- in the grand scheme of things? 

I work hard. I deserve this little "payoff."

Sharon's counter-voice to this rationale is:

"Every dollar spent -- or saved -- adds up. It's a lifestyle. A mindset. Don't fritter away your resources."

After a few years of marriage, I decided she was right.

I converted. I've become a bona fide saver.

When I made the switch I had to admit that "spender" was not part of my essential self, and that I had no God-given entitlement to that way of life.

* * *

I grew up a giver, Sharon a saver.

She converted.

So the basic approach is to save and give but not spend.