Have you ever found yourself thinking you should be doing something about sorting out your finances, but you just haven’t taken the first step yet?

The thought keeps coming into your head, and you’re starting to seriously consider taking action. Maybe you know it's time to get in control of the bills, or you're tired of thinking about saving for a holiday and it's way past time you took action.

BUT, just when you were about to actually do something about it, your spouse has a spat and tells you off. He or she is tired of living like this and something needs to change… You should be doing something about getting in control of the bills, or saving for that holiday, and it’s the very thing you were contemplating doing without being pushed.

Once you get that lecture, you get really annoyed and indignant. Now you find it almost impossible to make yourself do what you actually wanted to do before you got the lecture. Human nature is not your best friend and you’re thinking “no way, how dare he or she tell me what I should be doing”!

It’s actually quite possible that a situation like this can be the catalyst for a relationship to begin a downward spiral. The resentment of being told off can lead to a deliberate decision to get even. Maybe something like this “Well stuff her!” “That’s it! I’m going to buy that Harley I always wanted”, or “Stuff him!” “ I’m going to go on that trip to Fiji with the girls”.

It’s kind of crazy isn’t it? You cut your nose off to spite your face and everyone ends up worse off. That does not lead to harmony in a relationship.

As founder of the Spending Planners Institute I’ve seen many couples who were not living the dream. You can just about always draw a direct line between money problems and relationship problems.

When the money is good, even a shaky relationship will work OK, but when the money is not good, even a good relationship can crash.

Money and relationships really don’t go together that well unless the money side of the equation is in good shape or both parties are working together as a team to tackle what is not working and they can see their efforts are working.

So how do you improve your money situation?

After working in this space for over a quarter of a century I can tell you that, contrary to what most people think, pay rises are all very lovely, but they are not the answer to better finances.

However, when you know that you will always have the money to pay your bills as they come in, you are on track to achieve your important life goals, and you are making good progress on building up that emergency fund, it’s a pretty good feeling. To achieve that scenario does not require more income, it simply requires the right choices, planning and management.

It was the mid 1990’s when I started going into people’s homes to show them how I had found the formula for managing day to day finances that totally delivers peace of mind, and one thing I’ve learned in the years since then, is that in many homes across the country, there is one partner who is keen to get money right and one who is not really that focussed on money, and who is happy to just go shopping and let the other half deal with the fallout.

That's sure to cause friction in a relationship.

But do you know what? It can be so easy to resolve that scenario.

There is nothing quite like sitting down with your spouse and setting up a Spending Plan that is so simple to understand and follow, yet so powerful, it can help you both get on the same page and working together without resentment or arguments.

It’s pretty awesome to see the change in couples when they decide to give it a go.

I have been very blessed over the years to see this happen over and over again. I still get Goosebumps every time I hear of yet another couple who have fallen in love again since the money pressure went away.

If you're ready for a new spark in your relationship, you can get help to make this happen by working with a Spending Planner who can guide you in the setup and tweaking of your own personal spending plan. They will give you options and you can choose the one that suits you best.

Start the journey to a better love life by going to Spending Planning dot com and connect with me. I'll put you in touch with one of the many Certified Spending Planners trained by the institute. They are all passionate about sharing the benefits that they themselves have found to be life changing.

My personal guarantee is that you will never regret it.

What 25 Years of Money Coaching Has Taught Me About How Money Affects Relationships