Money Issues

Dear KNOT,

Ako si Jeremy, 27 years old, at mag-iisang taon nang married. Madalas kong naririnig sa aking mga magulang ang mga katagang “money is the root of all evil.” Hindi ko lubos maintindihan ito dahil pera ang dahilan kung bakit ako nakapagtapos. Pera rin ang dahilan kung bakit mayroon kaming kinakain.

Of course, alam ko na hindi pera ang solusyon sa lahat ng bagay sa mundo. Ngunit kada-araw ng sweldo, kinekwenta ng aking asawa ang aking sweldo at halos wala na akong naisasantabi para sa personal ko na mga pangangailangan. Hindi naman ako madamot na tao, pero ngayon sa sitwasyon ko, para bang mas mahalaga pa ang pera kumpara sa akin. Ito rin ang dahilan ng hindi naming pagkakaintindihan ng aking asawa. Naalala ko tuloy na pera rin ang dahilan kung bakit tinaksil ni Judas si Jesus. Kailangan ko na bang maalarma sa sitwasyon namin ngayon?

Nagmamahal,

Jeremy

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Dear Jeremy,

Money matters are sensitive issues especially for married couples. We use to hear others say “ang pangit kapag pera ang pinag-aawayan”. That is why some couples, as much as possible avoid conflicts arising from such issues.

Money may be considered the root of all evil if we allow it to control us, if we allow our lives to revolve around it to the point that we seem to be so enslaved that relationships are destroyed. Sure, it is a reality that we need this in our day to day living but it becomes alarming if we look at everything with “money lens.”

Budgeting is a joint task of couples. You really have to sit down and dialogue, determine your priorities as far as this is concerned. Differentiate your needs and your wants. It may be tedious but helpful for your wife to take time and effort to list down your daily expenses so that you can monitor where your money goes. From this you will also have a glimpse of which expenditures you can forego and which ones you should not.

Considering this is your first year of marriage, it is expected that attitudes and other traits not seen before living together begin to emerge. This is part and parcel of your adjustment to the shared life. Communication in terms of dialogue is essential to reach a common understanding. Be patient with each other. Manage your budget effectively. Let love reign over money.

God bless you.

DJ Cheng and Ate Emily

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