According to Financial Peace University (FPU), there are two personalities when it comes to money. The Nerd and the Free-Spirit. The nerd is the one who loves to make a budget. They want to sit down and analyze where their money is coming from and where is it going. They like the math, and it provides a sense of control to tell the money how to act. The Free-Spirit is more carefree. They do not worry about where the money comes from or where it is going. The thought of a budget makes them nauseous and simply takes the fun out of life.
After completing FPU, I was shocked to learn that I am the free spirit in our relationship. I am not a person who you may consider a traditional free spirit. I am hard core rule follower, my husband is the rebel when it this area. I would also consider myself a nerd outside of the money topic. I love the learn trivia facts that most people do not care about and am constantly researching new things that will benefit my family. Ask my husband about the crazy way I am growing things in our garden this year!
When it comes to money, I am the exact opposite. It took me a while to get on board with doing a budget. I understood how it would help us reach our financial goals for our family, but I also felt like we would never be able to live free again. I thought “if it’s not in the budget than it is not ever going to happen”.
So, after walking this road for one year now I must confess; I STILL have a hard time each month sticking to my spending limit. I am the type of person who if I find something that I have been looking for to complete a project I am going to get it and not worry about where or if it will fit in the budget. Prime example, the dogs needed new flea collars this month. Having already had the monthly budget meeting I knew we did not budget for these, but they NEEDED the collars, right??? So, I ordered them and figured we could fit them in the budget later. My husband says when it comes to money, I ask for forgiveness instead of asking permission. This is true and it drives him crazy!
As a free spirit I do try every month to stay within what we budgeted as a team. This is hard and I want to encourage other free spirits out there. I work hard with my husband, my life partner, to accomplish our financial goals for our family. This free spirit has improvements to be made but at the end of the day I will never be a nerd and that is ok. My husband loves me for who I am and together we figure out the budget each month. Being intentional about budgeting and accepting that we all are unique is what makes relationships thrive. It is okay to make mistakes but at the end of the day if you and your partner are working towards the same goal with finances that is where the true reward will happen. Freely give and receive grace to each other. Now let me see how much “fun money” I have left…come on Amazon!!!
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