Starting out as a married couple often means going through some tight times. In this case, it may be a good idea to create a good budget that works. It is actually very simple to do, even simpler if you have a joint bank account.

In fact, if you sit down to make a budget before the actual marriage preparations begin, you will likely succeed in lowering your wedding cost. More importantly, you will establish good communication with your spouse along with a realistic money management plan.

Creating a budget is actually very simple:

1. Gather all your records of expenditures (checkbook, credit card statement, etc).

2. Open a spreadsheet or graph and assign a category to each column.

3. Record each expense under its corresponding column.

4. Calculate and record a total for each column.

5. Add all the column totals.

6. Compare that number with your income.

7. Revise your expenses and prioritize them.

8. Eliminate those expenditures that are low on the priority list.

9. Don’t forget to budget 10 percent of your income for savings.

You see, it’s not all that scary. More importantly, if you create a budget together, you will eventually see your money grow, especially if you transfer a portion of your income into a savings account.

Nathan Dawson writes for http://www.marriedfinances.com and http://www.successfulmarriageresource.com, great online sources for marriage and finance information.

• Managing Your Finances Once Married


• Banking Made Easy


• Banking Smart


• Are You Making These 5 Money Mistakes?


• Menu Planning: The Key to Food Savings


• Back to School Savings


• Financial Services Help Manage Money


• What is Index Trading?


• Take Home The Money


• Plan for the Senior Years