The ultimate money saver: not getting divorced

I read articles all the time about funding your retirement first: 401k, Roth IRA, HSA or 529 plans, or a post-tax savings account. Hey, but you’re forgetting about the biggest retirement account ever for a family? Read carefully…  Are you ready? It’s…not getting divorced! 

Now if you are in a miserable relationship that won’t work out, this article is not for you. I’m not saying that every marriage is meant to work out. Often times though, relationships turn sour because we are so focused on other issues - money, kids, or immediate family issues – and not on maintaining your partnership. Of all of the ways to cut costs, the one thing I will say is: don’t skimp on your marriage. Beyond being the biggest investment you’ll ever make, it is also the biggest financial investment you’ll make. And if it fails, your savings will go down the tubes.

Divorce is messy and expensive: lawyers, splitting up accounts, selling a house, setting up two separate homes, alimony, child support. These are all really expensive items that will severely cut down on your ability to save, and they will all certainly take years away from your life. So invest in your marriage, so that you can avoid going down this money-sucking and unhappy road!

Hiring a babysitter may be expensive, but it’s much less expensive than filing for divorce. Spend the money to spend that one-on-one time with your spouse. If your wife wants you to try that yoga class with her, then DO IT! You probably need to get up off your fat ass and lose a few pounds anyways, I know I do. If you don’t want to spend money on a babysitter, then start getting creative. Beyond the obvious family member who can watch the kids for free, you can set up a babysitting co-op with your friends or neighbors. Also a great money-saver is the day date. Take a day off from work while the kids are in school or daycare, and enjoy a less expensive breakfast, lunch or movie together! Also try some new things, look for Groupons or other cheap options. 

Here is an example of a day date we took a while ago.  My wife got sucked into a time share kiosk for a $100 gift card. When they called to confirm, we said no, so they then offered a two night stay at a nearby resort with a $100 gift card. We both had the day off and it was only a half hour away. So we went in telling the guy we ONLY came for the free stuff and no matter how well he did that he wouldn’t sell us, because we don’t have that kind of money. He did his schpiel, but of course we still gave a polite pass, even after he offered us better and better deals. He was super pissed that we wasted his time.   But we took our “day date” to earn a free vacation and also ended up with a funny experience that we can both bond over, which is really what time with your significant other is all about!!!

So the point of this article is to do what you can to keep your marriage strong. Try new things, set up dates, figure out new ways to relate to each other. Do inexpensive things that you can both enjoy, that you can do together, or just bond over mutual hatred of a time share sales pitch! It will make your marriage stronger and you won’t be paying forever for it!