It’s inevitable. When you’re in a relationship, you and your significant other will find yourselves spending money to maximize your time together. If you’re not careful, you can end up spending way more than you can afford.
So how do you save money and still keep the spark going?
Realizing that there is a trivial relationship between how much money you spend on a relationship and what you get out of one is an extremely important first step.
When you’re in a long-distance relationship, it’s easy to get into the mindset that it’s important to do as many things as possible in the short amount of time you have together.
But if you actually sat down with your partner and talked about whether or not they actually cared about going out, what do you think they’d say? Chances are, they’d say they’re just happy to be with you and it doesn’t matter what you do (cue the “Awwwww’s”).
And like anything, creating a standard of having to spend money will make it harder to break the habit down the road. So the sooner you and your significant other can learn to be happy just by being in each other’s company, the sooner you can save up some money.
If you and your significant other both go to IU, take advantage of the free/discounted events on campus—there’s always something going on. Use these events as date nights to avoid having to spend a lot of your money.
Of course, there will be times when you want to go out and enjoy the town, and you absolutely should. Just keep in mind that even if you have a certain amount of money to spend, it doesn’t mean you have to spend all of it.
Dinner and a movie has long been the standard date night, and maybe in the way back it was much more affordable to do such a thing. But as it stands now, dinner and a movie can set you back over $50.
But it doesn’t have to if you get creative. Try cooking dinner and then going to a movie. Or go to dinner and watch a movie at home. Or if you’re a romantic looking for something slightly different, pack a picnic and go to a drive-in movie—it’s significantly cheaper, you get two movies, and your date will agree it’s much more special (Indiana still has some great drive-in theaters and you should check them out if you haven’t before).
The bottom line is that through a little extra effort/thinking, you can have a fantastic night for significantly less.
Although awkward, it’s a good idea to talk to your significant other about finances. Numerous studies have shown that money issues are among the top contributors to relationship problems.
That doesn’t necessarily mean that the couple, combined, isn’t making enough money to afford their lifestyle. Many problems start because everyone handles their finances and prioritizes how they spend their money differently.
What if you were always spending your hard-earned money on doing things with your significant other, but they spent all of their money on “stuff” (insert your own category here) and never had any left over for your relationship? Chances are you’d feel pretty slighted, which could lead to some issues in your relationship.
The important thing is that early on in your relationship you establish a habit of discussing finances, whether big or small things, to help you avoid problems down the road. So be honest with your partner about your money. Although it can be uncomfortable, that discussion will make your relationship stronger and better for years to come.
