Hi Ladies! Long time no see. I’ve been back in bed for a bit, except to teach choir and maybe another hour or two.  Technically I could blog from bed (like I’m doing now) but sometimes even that takes too much energy. I don’t want to dwell on that, though.

I want to talk about manipulation.  Wait.  What?  What I mean is getting your husband to do something he really doesn’t want to do.   We should call it motivation instead.  That sounds better.

Sometimes we get on the saving money kick and our other half doesn’t get it.  If we save money while he spends it.  That can make for a rough relationship.  So how do you get a reluctant husband to budget with you?

1.  Budget naked.  Put the kids to bed.  Find a location behind a locked door and have a naked budget meeting.  He’ll show up at least, and that’s the first step.

2.  Have snacks.  Good ones.

3.  Do most of the work ahead of time.  Draw up a rough draft budget and have a short explanation of each category.  Then ask for his input.  Let him change stuff and don’t get your feelings hurt if he does.

4.  Talk less than you want to.

5.  Make the budget meeting a safe place.  He needs to be confident you will not yell, cry, or question his manhood or his character.

6.  Cheer him on.  Tell him all the things he does that you appreciate and never follow up with BUT.

7.  Have a common goal together.  When you both believe in the destination, you’ll both be willing to sacrifice to get there.

8.  If all else fails, let Dave Ramsey tell him what needs to be done.  That’s easiest done at  Financial Peace University class.  If he doesn’t want to go, do your own class at home….naked.

My husband does most of the budgeting (being an accountant and all) but sometimes it’s hard for him to set the time aside and get it done or include me in the process.  Seriously, the naked tip is the only one I need to motivate him, lol.  The keep it short and talk less than you want to, is what makes me show up.

What about you?  Does your husband like to budget?  Do you have any tips for making the budget meeting more fun (or at least happen?)

And yes the alternate title of this post was “Budget Naked.”