Iconic Moments In Your Relationship Worth Celebrating

Many of us will agree that growing up we have the idyllic view of relationships. It might be that you take source from your own parents, or if that isn’t the case you may have got lost in the latest romantic novel or TV program growing up and have this ideal vision of what your future relationship will look like. Of course, for some of us, we will have kissed many frogs over the years. But for others, you find the one quite quickly. At some stage, you will have fallen head over heels for someone and started to think about your future together. 

There can be many moments throughout a relationship that you might think is an iconic moment. Some worth celebrating. Some that are set but yet poignant. As February is the month of love, it would be an ideal time to celebrate some of the iconic moments of any relationship moving forward. It may just excite you about what is to come in your life, or simply remind you of some of the best memories you have with your partner in crime. 

The moment you realize you have found the one

Nothing can really explain that moment when you realize you have met the one. It may happen on your first date, the first time you realized you loved them, or just in a simple moment of ordinary. When you know you just know apparently. It’s a strange one. But the moment itself is one to look back on and remember fondly. Many people celebrate that moment. They celebrate the first date, the date they said they loved one another, and it can be a day worth celebrating and certainly an iconic moment in your relationship. 

When you get engaged

The engagement can be a real iconic moment of your relationship. The look of admiration in each other's faces, the exchanging of gorgeous engagement rings, and even managing to capture the moment either on film or through photographs. It is the start of a real commitment to one another, and it is certainly an exciting time in any relationship. Whether it happened in some lavish event, or simply at home, you will remember the moment for a lifetime. 

When you get married

Getting married is a real whirlwind of emotions, wouldn't you agree? There is the whole hustle and bustle of wedding planning. Booking venues, sampling cakes, and trying on wedding dresses. All providing you with amazing memories and moments. Then you have the lead up to the big day and the emotions attached to it. Finally, you have the day, and it will certainly be one to remember. To the point where you will look back on it in months and years to come and just want to relive the moments all over again. Thankfully a wedding video or a photo album will give you that same thrill looking back over it. 

When you start a family

Finally, starting a family is also a great and iconic moment of your relationship. Nothing can prepare you for it. From the moment you get that positive pregnancy test, to the birth of your child, the emotional rollercoaster you start on is an adventure certainly not to be missed. Having a family is life-changing. It can be hard at times there is no denying that, and you realize just how strong you are. 

As you get older 

There is no denying that having a full life to look back on can be a thing worth celebrating. You may celebrate family holidays, reunions, and other things along the way. But there comes a time in any relationship as you get older where you need to start thinking about the future. One of you may be struggling with illness or a mental health issue, which could mean that you need to think about How To Get Power of Attorney. Of course, it can be a worrying time for all involved. Especially when it is your partner. But celebrating every moment moving forward is something worth noting. You will start to appreciate the little things. 

There are so many iconic moments of any relationship, and as you approach the end of your life it is always worth looking back on. But remember to think about celebrating these things as and when they happen and in the present day. 

Let’s hope that this has sent you down memory lane and reminded you of some of the best moments you have experienced.

Cute (and Cheap!) DIY Valentine's Day Decorations

This post has been moved to my new blog MoneyFitMoms.comx

See DIY Valentine's Date Decorations post here.

Plus, here are the BEST Stay at Home Date Ideas.

By the way, check out this post if you're looking for how to save money fast.

Date Night Series: Dinner and a Movie for Cheap (Babysitting Included!)

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My sister-in-law once mentioned that she and my brother have made date night a priority. "It may be expensive, but it's cheaper than marriage counseling!" Seriously though, spending time together as a couple is important, especially when you have little munchkins. They say the best way to have happy, secure children is to have a happy, secure marriage. But really, for me, it's just nice to have a meal in which my table companion doesn't end the meal by dumping his bowl of Cheerios and milk all over himself and the floor. But what's a couple living on a tight budget to do? Enter Money Hip Mamas. We're starting a series of posts about how to do Date Night for cheap (subscribe by e-mail or like our Facebook page for updates). So let's start with the classic dinner and a movie. Here are some ways to save some of that precious moo-lah you've worked so hard to earn:

 

(1) FREE BABYSITTING: DO A SWAP

This is key. Where we live, babysitters run $

Arguing About Money? Two Things That Could Save Your Marriage

So I was reading this article about how arguments over finances are the #1 predictor of divorce. I think a lot of people suspected or assumed that was true, but this study proved it. The part of the article that got me excited was the researchers' suggestions for preventing and repairing those issues. They are two very simple things, yet so crucial, they could be the difference between making or breaking a marriage. And they're things anyone can do, financially-minded or not.

Marriage-Saver #1: Have a Fun Fund or "Mad Money" Account for Each Spouse

Our own MHM author Lauren addressed this issue months ago and she was dead-on. One of the first conclusions drawn by one of the study's co-author's Sonya Britt: "When one partner makes more money than the other partner, the couple has to decide if they each get to spend equal amounts of money on personal preference items." So how does a Fun Fund work?

Marriage-Saver #2: Have a Monthly Budget Meeting

To quote Sonya Britt again, "Couples should set times where they talk about the budget and if changes need to be made to the way they are allocating their money." She continues, "This advice remains the same no matter how long the couple has been married. Our preferences change all the time, so it is important that how the couple is spending money reflects changing preferences."
If Your Response Is, "Aww man...but I don't wanna budget.":
How much time per week would you be willing to dedicate to preventing the #1 predictor of divorce? If your answer is at least 30 minutes, then you have officially committed yourself to budgeting.
Have you ever heard that successful marriages take work? Well, this is exactly the kind of work they were talking about! Budgeting may be a pain at times, but it's a *whole* lot easier than dealing with the fallout from not doing it. Budgeting doesn't have to be hard (see our "How To Budget" here) and it doesn't have to be perfect. It's about putting something together that is good enough to facilitate that monthly discussion revolving around:
- How are we currently spending our money?
- How do we want to be spending our money?
- What changes do we need to make to reach those goals? (e.g. "How can we lower our gas expense?" "Do we need to allocate more money to groceries?")

Getting Started

Our marriage isn't perfect (Bryan won't play card games with me anymore--I'm kind of a sore loser). But despite our shortcomings, we don't argue about money or finances, largely due to our commitment to making a budget AND sticking to it. Even if you've never budgeted before, throw something together and adjust later as needed--it will never be perfect (it doesn't need to be), but you'll find it gets easier over time. Plus with all the free budgeting programs out there (as mentioned in Step #1 of our budgeting post), most of the work is done for you. Keeping your budget up to date may just be a matter of setting up your accounts and checking back on a regular basis to correct any errors the program may have made. By having a budget, the discussion about finances is when everyone is cool and you are logically making decisions based on needs and wants instead of pointing fingers and being accusatory about the spending habits of your spouse.
I'd suggest "tuning up" your budget (making sure the transactions get downloaded and correcting any mistakes) on a weekly basis, preferably around the same day/time each week so you don't forget.

Real Life Example

Every Sunday night, my husband and I spend about 15-30 minutes updating our budget. Once a month (usually on the first Sunday of the month so we can review the previous month) we have a "budget meeting" to review how we did and make adjustments as needed. Some months are smooth and it's a happy, 5-minute "looks good" discussion. Some months we realize certain expenses have gotten out of control and it takes 30 minutes to figure out how we're going to deal with it (e.g. "Maybe we need to take money from our entertainment budget and increase our grocery allowance" or "Ugh...time to cut back on eating out. Our dining out budget got slaughtered this month.") Sometimes it’s important to think about your major recurring expenses, as these can become too much for any budget for a variety of reasons, and it can be important to consider if it’s time to search for new Apartments for rent. It's a time investment, but because those discussions happen regularly in a productive and structured setting, we spend little to no time outside of those meetings discussing money and virtually no time arguing about it. It's a beautiful thing.

If you and your spouse argue about money, you're in the majority. But decide now to do something about it by taking these two steps towards a healthier relationship (and healthier finances!). It takes a bit of work, but the payoff is huge. Consider it an investment in the most important relationship in your life.

How have fun funds and budgets helped your marriage?