[speaker001:] well I guess you said that you're you're a uh you're engaged so you really don't have a a family budget to manage right now right
[speaker002:] uh I don't have a family budget but we do have a budget already to we're paying for our own wedding and everything
[speaker001:] well that's good right oh that's good so you're really planning on uh how to how to manage money from the beginning and that's a a good time to start
[speaker002:] so uh-huh
[speaker001:] uh we've been married twenty five years and uh we find that uh you know money management is is really important we uh don't have a lot but we still you know manage it fairly well we don't have a formal budget
[speaker002:] uh-huh
[speaker001:] uh we have just found that uh by trying to practice uh paying our bills every month uh especially our credit card accounts uh we don't spend more in a month than what we typically expect to be able to pay at the end of that month
[speaker002:] uh-huh
[speaker001:] or when the bill comes we find that that works pretty well for the most part  excuse me uh are are you planning on having a a real budget and and setting up a monthly monthly amount to spend or
[speaker002:] uh I myself I don't do it I've been paying for my own college education also for the past four years so uh
[speaker001:] uh-huh
[speaker002:] and my parents also have been married for twenty five years and I kind of picked up what they do they really don't have a formal budget like you do
[speaker001:] uh-huh
[speaker002:] and they just pretty much know how much they have coming in you know and they just make sure they don't buy over
[speaker001:] uh-huh
[speaker002:] and I'm pretty much like that also I don't buy a lot of luxury items I buy what I need and I buy it when it's on sale you know and I I don't go out of the way but my fiancee now he has a set budget that he goes by and he allots so much to each thing and it works out good for him but
[speaker001:] uh-huh
[speaker002:] I think whenever like for the wedding we're doing this you know the wedding money we're doing together and uh we've actually sat down and wrote out how much everything's going to cost and you know making sure we have enough for everything and going from there
[speaker001:] well now then I guess that's really you know the the idea of budgeting we know you know how much money's going to be coming in and we know what we have to spend so we don't uh you know we don't go out and spend a lot of money that for one thing when we need it for something else
[speaker002:] uh-huh
[speaker001:] and uh I guess that's a budget in in a sense it's it's strange I'm an accountant and my wife manages most of the money so you know I manage other people's money but or or you know help them manage their money
[speaker002:] uh-huh
[speaker001:] so I kind of let her manage ours and then you know if there's any questions come up you know we discuss it and work things out whatever needs to be worked out uh-huh
[speaker002:] uh-huh well see uh well like I said he he does computer he's with computer work and I'm a finance manager
[speaker001:] uh-huh uh-huh
[speaker002:] but uh we decided that we would kind of share like the books you know
[speaker001:] uh-huh
[speaker002:] he he he doesn't like the idea that I would just do all of it and I don't mind you know him helping with it either I think it's just pretty much going to be I think most couples you know it's not
[speaker001:] yeah
[speaker002:] it's it's not like one person doesn't know what's in there at any time you know
[speaker001:] right it yeah you you have to I think that's the the a good idea for both you know both parties to know what the finances are
[speaker002:] yeah
[speaker001:] then there's not ever any you know any question about whether or not the money can be spent or whether it's being spent properly or if one person knows that uh that if both parties know that
[speaker002:] uh-huh
[speaker001:] what has to be spent then there's not going to be I've already said that no questions
[speaker002:] uh-huh
[speaker001:] and and then plus if there's any uh you know tragedy or anything in the family then both parties are prepared to to take over control of the of the financial situation for themselves if they have to
[speaker002:] yeah uh-huh
[speaker001:] it's uh I've seen it uh seen it happen where you know people been married twenty twenty five years and one party or the other managed the the money and you know something happens and the other one was left not knowing what was going on so you really need both of them
[speaker002:] uh-huh  yeah well he's been on his own for probably oh it's been four years now so he is able you know to manage the money uh since we've decided to get married and stuff he hasn't been as carefree with his money like he used to he used to be really carefree with it and
[speaker001:] uh-huh
[speaker002:] like I well my my I came from a family we my mom had twelve children and my dad didn't start out as a out as with a high paying job you know so she cut pennies wherever she could
[speaker001:] yeah
[speaker002:] you know and I I've learned that from her and and it's really helping out now because in the you know
[speaker001:] yeah in just
[speaker002:] in the in a matter of a year and a half we've we've been managed to save it's going to be almost enough to pay for our entire wedding you know and we're talking five or six thousand dollars saving in a year and a half
[speaker001:] yeah well that's great uh-huh yeah so that's that's pretty good and it's you know it's good that you've got that that uh background of of managing and saving as much as you can with today's economy
[speaker002:] uh-huh
[speaker001:] because you know things are so uncertain that you really have to watch you know be prepared to you know to cut spending when you have to
[speaker002:] yeah
[speaker001:] but uh you know it's money management's really an important thing you know with today's with the situation the way it is
[speaker002:] uh-huh uh-huh and I know a a lot of couples starting out uh I don't think they really think about saving any either
[speaker001:] right
[speaker002:] you know and uh now I know you know as my mom and dad that's been a big part on them and I think it will be a big part on us also but I know a lot of couples don't even think about it or retirement or you know or in case an accident would occur
[speaker001:] right yeah most most young young couples starting out think uh well I've got you know forty years before I need to think about retirement so they they plan on waiting you know half of that time and so they wind up
[speaker002:] uh-huh
[speaker001:] when they you know twenty years later and they've already reached that point where they're spending everything they're making
[speaker002:] yeah and they say oh well we have the money we might as well spend it now
[speaker001:] yeah and they well they they got their uh their lifestyle geared to to spending everything and they can't cut back enough to start saving so
[speaker002:] uh-huh
[speaker001:] if you cut back to start with you you know you'll find you'll be surprised at how easy it is to you know if you start off saving and just continue to do that
[speaker002:] yeah it is really pretty easy I mean myself I'm a college student and I get loans you know I I don't receive grants but I do have loans and just in the matter since uh Christmas
[speaker001:] uh-huh
[speaker002:] I've managed to pay about five hundred dollars on my wedding dress myself you know and it it's amazing where you can cut your pennies and you know
[speaker001:] uh-huh yeah so that's that's real good well any other anything else that we want to talk about on budgeting
[speaker002:] no I
[speaker001:] we seem to agree on everything
[speaker002:] yeah
[speaker001:] that's that's good every once in a while you find somebody on these conversations that you don't agree with everything have to bite your tongue but
[speaker002:] uh-huh  well I really can't think of anything else on it
[speaker001:] okay well it's been nice talking to you
[speaker002:] it's been really nice talking to you too uh-huh bye-bye
[speaker001:] yeah okay thank you bye-bye