What’s in your family’s budget?

• mortgage/rent
• groceries
• cell phone/internet
• car payment

The important stuff, right?

As I was going through my own budget the other day I realized I was missing an important category.  One that is arguably more important than any of the others: a marriage maintenance budget.

We all know that keeping a marriage/partnership alive and healthy is tough work.  Many of us would also admit that we don’t prioritize our relationships in the way we should.  So I am proposing a solution: make marriage maintenance a line item in your budget. If we set aside money at the beginning of the each year or each month the effect would be two-fold.  One, it would prompt us to take actually spend quality time with our significant other (and not just say we know we should).  Two, it would keep the health of our marriage a top priority in our lives (at least as important as paying the mortgage/rent on time).

What could you do with the money in your marriage maintenance budget?

• Go to a movie
• Hire a babysitter
• Buy tickets to a baseball game
• Enroll in tennis lessons (together, of course)
• Buy a steak for a romantic Tuesday night dinner after the kids are in bed

The possibilities are endless  – but will only happen if we plan ahead and make our most important relationships a priority when deciding how to spend our time and money.  Lawyers will assure you, spending a little extra maintaining your marriage each month is a whole lot cheaper than a divorce!