GUEST CONTRIBUTOR: ELIZABETH DAVIS, USU EXTENSION ASSISTANT PROFESSOR

Money affects every facet of our lives, particularly our relationship with our partner. Marriage.com lists financial stress as the No. 2 reason for divorce among couples. If you and your spouse don’t have positive communication around money, it can lead to disagreements, fighting, and significant problems.   
 
In order to prevent financial stress from damaging your relationship, it is important to talk about money with your partner in a positive way. Do not wait until there is a problem (unanticipated bill, unbalanced budget, or overspending). There are numerous courses, apps, and money management tools that can assist us in the managing of our money (Check out the PowerPay Money Mastery Online Course!), but how can we learn about how we (and our spouse) feel about money? 

AMANDA H. CHRISTENSEN, AFC, USU EXTENSION ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR, UMM EDITOR 

GUEST CONTRIBUTOR: EMMA PARKHURST, CHES, USU EXTENSION ASSISTANT PROFESSOR

Do you know where all of your money is going each month? There have been times in my life where I think to myself that I should have more money remaining after paying my monthly fixed expenses (like mortgage and student loans). Whenever this occurred, I knew it was time to go over my expenses and review my budget. In other words, time to do a little digging and trim unnecessary costs! Have you ever had a similar thought? To celebrate National Weed Your Garden Day in a different way this year, here’s a fun challenge: think of unidentified costs as weeds, and your budget as the garden. Time to get weeding! Here are three tips to get started: 

GUEST BLOGGER: ELIZABETH VANCE

​I don’t imagine many couples get excited to talk about finances. In fact, we’ve all heard that financial disagreements are often a large contributing factor to conflicts in marriage. Whether it’s easy for you or not, financial conversations are a must in healthy relationships! Hopefully these few tips can make the process less daunting and more rewarding!

In case you missed the Northern Utah Marriage Celebration this weekend, don't worry! You have another exciting opportunity in Salt Lake at the end of the month at the Date Your Mate Marriage Celebration! Join us for a fun date night! Learn, laugh, and leave with skills from local marriage experts to keep the spark alive. There will be workshops and refreshments! For more details and to buy tickets for the conference, check out this website!