Managing Money Together

Lisa's side: He spent our money without telling me.

A few months into our marriage, Jim excitedly told me about a home-based business a friend had mentioned. The business consisted of selling new weight loss products on the Internet.

"We have to invest only $600 to get started, and we don't have to do much work to make a profit," Jim said confidently.

I was hesitant about taking money out of our savings for something we knew so little about.

"Let's take some time to think and decide later," I responded.

About a week later, as I was updating our checking account, I came across a receipt that showed Jim had paid the investment fee for the business three days earlier. How could he do this? We'd agreed to wait!

My anger built as I waited for him to come home from work.

"How could you go behind my back and spend this money?" I yelled. "I thought we were going to discuss this and decide together!" I expected Jim to apologize or give me a rational explanation. Instead, he clammed up.

"Well?" I demanded. "Don't you have anything to say?"

"I won't talk to you about this when you're yelling at me!" he snapped.

We didn't speak for several days.

What did he expect after he betrayed me? I had every right to yell!

Jim's side: I thought it was a good investment.

I feel responsible for our financial future, so I'm always on the lookout for ways to supplement our income. When a business associate told me about her new home-based business, it sounded like a great idea. I couldn't wait to tell Lisa about it and get involved immediately. But because she was apprehensive, I agreed to wait until we could discuss things further.

You have reached the end of this Article Preview

To continue reading, join now for free and get complete access.

Log InorJoin Now for Free

Read more articles that highlight writing by Christian women at ChristianityToday.com/Women