Ugh – this stuff is hard! Making joint decisions about saving vs. spending…

If I had my way, we would be putting every spare penny into paying off debts and saving for our goals, so that we can get there sooner and enjoy the freedom to do whatever we want. If he had his way, we would be putting a few dollars into paying off debts, and spending most of the remainder on boat parts or upgrades, fishing gear, or fishing trips themselves. Ugh! We end up negotiating each and every extra dollar that comes into the house. Sold the project motorcycle? Yep, let’s discuss where that money is going. Took on an extra gig? Yep, you guessed it – let’s renegotiate! In my mind, it’s very simple – $$ coming in goes to debt payoff. If it’s his money coming in, from something he sold or did, it goes towards his debts. If it’s mine, it goes towards mine. If it’s joint or something we do together, it gets split between the debts. Simple, right?Except that the scenario more and more often seems to look something like this:

• 50% to my debts
• 25% to his debts
• 25% to boat parts/trips/fishing gear

Do you see how this could slow down our progress?  Could expand our 3 to 4 year plan into several more years? But on the flip side, I want Don to be happy (of course)!  I want him to feel like he’s not overly deprived as we make progress toward goals.  So, the negotiations continue. To his credit, he’s made big progress in emptying out and selling off the items in a HUGE (10 x 20) storage unit he’s had for years.  Star Wars collectibles, anyone?  Restaurant gear?  Household goods?  You name it, he’s kept it – and we’re definitely making progress in that arena.  But as to where the money is going when we do sell those items – that’s a different story. Ah well…another day, another dollar.  We are definitely making progress!