Finances and Fiancés: When You And Your Partner View Money Differently

Oh boy, juicy subject.

I’m an open book when it comes to money. The more we normalize what people are making and how they are or are not saving, prepping for their futures, etc—the less we are in the guessing game of “How am I doing compared to society and my peers?”

Thank you Lexington Law Firm for sponsoring this post. A high service partner and consumer advocate that will help you fight for the credit you deserve!

 I also get keeping your finances to yourself. To each their own! But I’ll take one for the team and tell you where Dan and I stand when it comes to finances. I hate to admit it, but finances are the biggest thing we argue about. Our fights aren’t big, or even close to a reason we’d separate—but they have been ever-present almost from the start. More on that later.

This article is brought to you by Lexington Law Credit Repair Services– I’ve written about them before! SUCH an incredible company. They helped me save my credit years ago and are working with me currently. It was so cool to write about them a few years after first using their services. My credit was quite literally in the toilet at one point and I did not know what to do. It was a whole dramatic story! You can read it here. I have a real soft spot for this company, and I know how much credit can impact people’s stress. I almost think they help repair aspects of mental health as much as they do credit scores lol.

Did you know that MILLIONS (yes millions!!!) of American’s are denied loans for homes and cars due to their credit? It’s a really big deal! 

Credit isn’t the “sexiest” topic to talk about, and therefore we’re not talking about it enough. Time to change! We can get ahead of it. Lexington Law can help so so much.

They believe we have a RIGHT to a fair, accurate, and substantiated credit report. They believe we have a RIGHT to be educated on what this entails. There is a lot of fact vs. fiction out there when it comes to credit. Lexington Law can help you navigate the ENTIRE credit repair process by pairing the power of knowledge and the law to fight for our right to healthy, strong credit.

Here’s some background for you.

Financial Plans

In the next year, Dan and I would love to purchase a house. A starter home! A little cutie to call our own! He also has plans of fully paying off his student loans—he’s almost done, mine is paid off. Other plans include getting a retirement plan going for myself… yes, at 32, I still don’t have a retirement plan. I am ashamed to say that but I’m being honest. I’ve put nearly all that I’ve made back into Violet Fog. Dan has also started doing some swing trading—which I assume as he learns more and more he’ll want to invest more. I am on board with it! Lastly, we have a wedding to pay for in the Spring of 2021!

 Where we are at, currently

Dan makes more money than I do. It’s okay! He’s not controlling about it. He’s generous when it comes to our livelihood. We both work hard it’s just that I’m on the entrepreneur route and Dan is in sales. His work is a lot more stable. And he’s great at what he does. He helps me a lot with Violet Fog things too. That man is always working—I admire him so much. I also have some money in stocks but right now it’s downhill with everything going on. Really hoping that picks back up! It’s very tough in my line of work to make a good living. I have to have multiple revenue streams. My blog isn’t very image-driven and it’s hard to convince brands to pay for research and not just “hey look at me looking cute holding this product!”…. I just can’t do that. It’s not me! I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t bitter sometimes that brands put their money towards that, aka a perfectly curated Instagram feed vs. time and research and honesty. Even if they are willing to put more money into my kind of work, it often isn’t as much as you’d think. 

Being a writer and researcher is a fulfilling job, but I don’t make that much yet. STILL! After years of doing this, with social media, I’ve successfully run many company’s social media channels but that’s often considered a “luxury” expense so when funds dry up, I am the first to go. Right now, my biggest paying account had to cut me. And that really hurt. 

I also have a hard time asking for money, I don’t know if it’s that deep down I have this insecurity that I’m not worth it or just that I flat out feel bad for asking for money. I want to help everyone I can… but I also need to make a living.

 Financials that Dan and I argue about

I will be the first to admit that Dan prioritizes and is much better with money than I am. We’re both frugal, we don’t spend a lot… our spending habits match up and we both put money into our health first, however, he is much more goal-oriented when it comes to what we earn. He wants to be able to provide for an entire family one day and he worries that I won’t ever get to contribute much in my line of work. He doesn’t get that I work so hard yet don’t make a whole lot.

He gets frustrated at how often I sell myself short by not asking for more money. He gets frustrated with how much I do for free for others. He gets frustrated that I don’t use affiliates because I don’t want to come off as sales-y. (Side note: I’m going to start using affiliates. I can’t not pay my bills. So he is getting his way on that.)

Often I am frustrated with myself.

Just being honest- that’s our biggest dilemma. Our biggest fights.

WAS THAT HELPFUL? Eye-opening?! I hope it was! I have financial and career goals of course- but I want to tell you what’s next when it comes to my credit because it’s very much tied to finances and career.

Smart things I have done when it comes to money

THIS IS WHERE LEXINGTON LAW COMES IN! This is one area where I *have* succeeded!

First and foremost, I got my credit in check and I continue to monitor it to this day. I really mean it when I say this, I owe my healthy credit score to Lexington Law. If there is one thing I realllllly have going for me now when it comes to money, it’s that my credit score is finally strong.

When my credit was at it’s worst (far before I met Dan) I had NO IDEA what to do. Credit bureaus, sending letters, how to get the dang score UP… I was so intimidated by the whole thing. Lexington Law helped me by doing all the heavy lifting. Contacting the credit bureaus, showing me what habits i need to work on. and HOW to do it in the easiest way. Their credit monitoring helped me keep an eye on my credit changes and after patience and dedication, my credit score was finally up!

 My next goal with Lexington Law:

I did have a couple of dings on my credit score in the last year. ON ACCIDENT. Lexington Law is helping me with those as we speak.

Violets, IT IS SO EASY TO WORK WITH THEM. All it took was signing up online and a phone call and they got to work. 

It is crucial for me to have my best possible credit score by the time we purchase our first home next year. I plan to  work with Lexington Law over the next 6 months to make that happen. I am confident I am in the best hands when it comes to my credit.

A few things about Lexington Law and WHY I chose them:

Lexington Law is one of the most established and oldest credit repair players in the game. They are reliable and provide legal-based solutions for credit repair. They also work with many different tiers of income. I LOVE THAT.

They even have an app that is super easy to use that gives customers best-in-class services. Real-time information right in our hands.

Follow along with my credit journey over the next few months, and stay tuned for an opportunity to start your own credit journey!

And in the meantime- more money talk? Do we like this??!