He hasn't learned the lessons from his youth
when he drove that cool BMW, lived in an apartment that was the
envy of his friends and had to run to mommy and daddy for help when
the bills came due.
You overspent, too, early in adulthood. But
now you have grown up and you want to cut expenses ruthlessly and
save like mad. So you take a peanut-butter-and-jelly sandwich to
work. Over a dinner of macaroni and cheese at home, you scowl while
he recounts his $60 lunch at La Brasserie Tres Cher.
You and
your sweetie probably fit into one
of six categories of husband-wife combinations, Mellan says.
 |
Husband-wife combinations: |
|
|
| • |
A hoarder and a spender -- the most common
combination. |
| • |
A worrier and an avoider -- almost as
common a union as the one above. |
| • |
A money monk and a money amasser. |
| • |
A planner and a dreamer. |
| • |
A risk taker and a risk avoider. |
| • |
A money merger and a money separatist, who quarrel about whether to have joint or separate accounts. |
|
"If opposites don't attract right off the
bat, they will assume opposite roles eventually," Mellan says.
"Basically, if two spenders meet and marry, they'll fight each
other for the spending role and the other will assume the hoarder
role."
One will change
This process reflects human nature. When two spenders marry, one
usually freaks out at the bills and turns into a hoarder. A union
of two money avoiders becomes a marriage between an avoider and
a worrier. After all, Mellan says, "Someone will have to start
worrying about it."
