Whether you are married or single with significant other, discussions about money are bound to come up. Often times, these discussions turn into arguments, sometimes fights and even possibly divorce. Some couples avoid the money topic completely to maintain peace within the relationship, but that won’t work forever. So just how do you avoid arguments about money?

Communicate. If you want to avoid arguing about money, then you can’t be afraid to talk about it. Don’t wait until you are months into a relationship to at least start talking about some aspect of money. Some married couples have found it helpful to have frequent discussions about the family finances. If you are dating and marriage is imminent, don’t wait until you say “I do” to find out if you’re on the same page financially. If you’re single and dating, don’t wait until the check is on the table to decide who’s going to pick up the tab. Try to establish as much as you can before you’re faced with the situation.

Avoid Blame. Replace you with I. I’m no counselor of any kind, but I find this works with most arguments. Instead of pointing the finger at the other person saying: YOU spend too much, or YOU don’t know how to manage money try talking about your feelings. I feel scared about our financial future or I feel that we can do better with our finances. You can relax a person’s defenses by not starting a conversation with their faults. Avoid placing blame, nobody likes to be accused, even if they are in the wrong.

Be Satisfied. Be content with what you have instead of spending money on things you don’t need. Before you buy, ask yourself some questions: Is it really necessary to upgrade to the latest model? Do we really need a 52″ HD TV? Learning to be satisfied will help you live within your financial means without the added stress and money fights. Sometimes good enough really is just that, good enough.

Set Goals. Money is like time, if you don’t have a plan for it, eventually it will be gone. Setting financial goals as a couple or as a single person leaves less room for haphazardly spending money on stuff. Set specific goals, i.e. we would like to save $10,000 in 5 months or I would like to save $15,000 in 6 months. Keeping your goals in mind will help stave off frivolous spending.

These are just my top four ways, how do you and yours keep from having arguments about money? Do you mingle the money together or do you believe in yours, mine and ours?

Photo of couple by: Rojo.com
Photo in poll by DatingDames.com

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I always wanted one for my website and blog but never knew what it was or how to create one. Last month I stumbled upon help and as you can see, my pink lady (my web avatar) has been sitting pretty for weeks.

If you would like to create one for your website or blog, the site below (this is not the one I used for mine, I forgot to bookmark it,) will give you the tool and explain how to do it. Basically you….

1. Upload your picture (to the website below)
2. Generate your favicon
3. Save it to your hard drive, open it
4. Upload the favicon to the root of your site (blog)

That’s it! It’s really easy to do and there are instructions for people who don’t have access to their root directory, (i.e. Blogger). So go ahead and get those favicons up there, come back here and leave a link to your blog so I can see.

Website: FavIcon from Pics