Investing in Relationships
In the last issue of Matt About Money, I wrote about a financial planner who suggested an unusual New Year's resolution: "Buy a really nice gift for your spouse." His point, and I agree, is that relationships matter most. I asked readers what's one way they could invest in a relationship that really matters to them this year. One said she had long wanted to make a memory book for her adult son, but the task seemed too overwhelming. She has now decided to make a poster with one picture from each of his first 18 years. Another wrote that she has always resisted buying her tool-loving husband what he wants in favor of the more practical gifts that come to her mind. This past Christmas she bought him what he really wanted: an air compressor. She couldn't imagine what he would possibly do with an air compressor, but she bought it anyway. His eyes lit up upon seeing it. And, an unexpected benefit for his wife is that he got rid of a lot of old stuff in the garage to make room for it.
Matt's View
One of the most common ways we make financial investments in our most valued relationships is by giving gifts. However, gift giving is also one of most common budget busters. What to do? Make a list of people you plan to buy gifts for this year, set a gift budget, and set aside gift money each month. Then be on the lookout for deals on appropriate gifts throughout the year.
Managing Money by The Book
- "To keep me from becoming conceited because of these surpassingly great revelations, there was given me a thorn in my flesh, a messenger of Satan, to torment me. Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. But he said to me, 'My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.'" - 2 Corinthians 12:7-9
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- As we cling to the last bits of summer, the holidays may seem a long way off. But they're not. And if we are to navigate the holidays without going into debt, now's the time to develop a plan. Mary...…Read the rest
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