Marriage Monday--Financial Contentment in Marriage

German and I are a good balance of one another in terms of finances in our marriage. Neither of us are huge indiscriminant spenders--both having encountered getting into financial trouble before our marriage and having worked hard together to get out of it. So, I came to this month's four topics a little perplexed as to what to write. I've settled on speaking of

Our Christmas Spending Plan

which is simply Spend more Time than Money.

We both feel that Christmas gets way too commercialized and we decided early on that we did not want to focus on spending. Instead the girls each get three small gifts to open (a la the magi) and one of those gifts is always clothes. They also get a small gift of pj's to open on Christmas eve and a Father Christmas gift. For extended family and friends we send a family gift of either gift certificates to go out and spend time as a family or a family game they can enjoy together. My niece and nephew each get a gift.

We always say that we don't exchange gifts with each other--but somehow something small always finds its way under the tree. I can usually count on the latest celebrity cookbook, he can count on a new set of cufflinks. Small things we love but do not cost us much.

We always splurge on Pantomine tickets as a family. We have found that time laughing together to be some of our best memories.

The focus of the holiday however is time spent together. Time spent playing games or riding bikes or going for walks. Time spent going to the carol service and Christmas morning services at church. Time in the car looking for Christmas lights. Just time being. We have found that we do not have to break the bank in order to bank a ton of memories. And that keeps us content.

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