Family

Talking With My Spouse About Money – An Interview With Mrs. NCN

I thought you guys might get a kick out of hearing from my wife – Mrs. NCN.

NCN – So, what’s it like being married to a geek like me who likes to write about personal finance.

Mrs. NCN – It certainly makes life interesting!  It is pretty cool that you handle all of the boring day-to-day stuff and I don’t have to deal with it.

NCN – Do you feel like you are left out of the decision making?

Mrs. NCN – No.  If it’s a major decision or whatever, we talk about it, but you enjoy all the facts and figures.

NCN – How did you used to feel, back when we were in debt?

Mrs. NCN – Weighed down.  Nervous.

NCN – And now?  How does it feel to be debt free?

Mrs. NCN – Amazing.  It’s just a great feeling to know that we are debt free.

NCN – What do you think is the most important thing that a couple can do if they want to be debt free?

Mrs. NCN – Talk about it and then get in the right mindset.  Make out a budget – and then go for it!

NCN – Where do you think we could stand to improve?

Mrs. NCN – We still spend too much money on junk!  Our lives are so hectic, we still eat out more than I’d like.

NCN – Do you miss your credit cards?

Mrs. NCN – No.  I honestly never even think about them.  We have our budget, I use cash or debit.

NCN – How often do you read the site and what do you think about it?

Mrs. NCN – Every other day or so.  I enjoy seeing what you write, and I think it’s awesome when people comment and say that you have helped them.

NCN – If you had advice for couples who are tying to communicate about money, what would it be?

Mrs. NCN – Be honest with each other.  Listen to each other.  Compromise.

NCN – Would you feel comfortable taking over the day-to-day management of our finances, at this point?  Paying bills, transferring money between accounts, etc.?

Mrs. NCN – That’s a hard question.  I feel comfortable, due to the fact that our financial house is in order, but I really dislike handling those tasks.  So, yes, if push came to shove, I could do it and I know how to do, but I prefer that you do it.  We make a great team!

NCN – What is the most important financial lesson that you hope to teach our kids?

Mrs. NCN – Never spend more than you make – and value people over things.

At this point in the interview, I opened the floor for questions from Twitter

FrugalForLifeDo you feel NCN spends more time on the computer than with you?

Mrs. NCN  – He spends a LOT of time on the computer, but he loves writing.  I’m proud of his work, and he still manages to have plenty of time for his family.  Plus, he’s a bit of a geek, so if he didn’t have his computers, he’d have some other geeky hobby.

Now, I’ll go back to asking questions –

NCN – Do you ever miss our old borrow money – we can make the payments – lifestyle?

Mrs. NCN – Not really.  I guess I miss buying brand new cars and just buying whatever I might want, without thinking about the consequences.  Honestly though, having those more expensive things and going on those shopping sprees simply cannot compare to the freedom we now have.

A couple of more questions via Twitter pals –

BigHonkinHas you ever gotten frustrated with NCN over finances?

Mrs. NCN – He does tend to worry more than I do, but that’s because he cares so much.  Honestly, he’s the most laid back guy in the world, except when it comes to managing our finances or working with our kids.  Then, he’s super intense.  So, yes, it is difficult when we are out shopping, and he’s calculating, to the penny, how much each item will cost, but that’s just NCN being NCN.

FiveCentNickel – How do you feel about NCN’s No Credit Needed stance?  Agree or disagree?

Mrs. NCN – I completely agree.  It has fundamentally changed the way we manage our finances.  Now, instead of worrying about credit card payments, we save up for future purchases.  It just makes things easier.

BudgetsAreSexy – Do you get irritated hearing the words “blog” and “finances” 100 times a day?

Mrs. NCN – Haha.  Well, I didn’t even know what a “blog” was when you started, and I’m amazed that so many people are doing this now.  Let’s just say, I’ve learned to nod my head a lot when you go on and on about stats and stuff.

I hope you guys enjoyed this interview.  My wife is the greatest, as proven by the fact that she puts up with me!  It was super fun to talk to her, and get a little insight into what she thinks about the site and about our finances.  So many couples struggle – trying to figure out how to talk to each other about money.  We have learned, over time, to simply be honest, and real with each other.  We’ve also learned how to compromise, and we’ve learned how to focus on our own strengths.

Mrs. NCN – You rock!  And, I love you.

11 thoughts on “Talking With My Spouse About Money – An Interview With Mrs. NCN

  1. Cool, idea interviewing the wife. I’m guessing a lot of personal finance geek/bloggers can relate in a big way. I know I can. It’s refreshing to switch it up a little and see what behind the scenes at NCN looks like!

  2. Being newly engaged myself, I now know how absolutely incredible of a feeling it is to have a spouse (future spouse in my case) who’s on the same page with you when it comes to financial matters. Like you, I’m damn near obsessed with our finances and sometimes find myself going to extremes in order to preserve our overall financial well being. A woman who understands and appreciates our long term outlook and desire to live debt-free most certainly does ROCK! Best of luck to you both.

  3. Love it. 🙂

    I think every “pf blogger spouse” has a lot of tolerance and understanding – otherwise there would only be bachelors and bachelorettes doing it! 😉

  4. Great interview! I bet there are a bunch of PF Blogger widows out there who would prefer we spent less time on the computer. Sounds like Mrs NCN is very supportive which is totally cool. I like that you guys communicate your finances. That’s so important in a relationship.

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