Did you know that the top two concerns facing American families today are how pay down their debt and how to recover the investments they have lost over the past two years? Everywhere you turn, another talk show host is telling Americans that they have to get rid of their debt....even Oprah has gotten on this band wagon.
What does all of this stress lead to? One prominent area is in relationships. We know that every marriage has its ups and downs. That's part of putting two personalities together. Sometimes differences can be overcome, but in other instances the stress from disagreement can become insurmountable, resulting in divorce. What is a common denominator? Money! It doesn't even have to be about the lack of money, but rather what to do with the money they do have. How would you feel if the money saved for a much needed family vacation was spent on an impulse-buy home theater system? Where do you think the stress level went in this situation?
You would think that marriage would mean more income when both parties are working. They should be wealthier, right? Not necessarily so because now they want a house. That combined with two car payments, two or more credit cards, and children take a toll on the discretionary income of a family. Stressors in a marriage can come from other sources but really escalate when money problems come up.
Today's economic roller coaster has only added to family stress, sending an otherwise stable family to the brink because financial stress can actually cause more stress in general. Not only can the arguments be money related but the frequency of the arguments increases as well. Have you ever seen a harmless discussion about a home repair degenerate into a blame game about something entirely different?
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