There are hundreds of make-or-break convos that can totally kill the vibe in a new relationship, or just feel hella daunting to bring up. Think ‘Wanna be Facebook-official?’/’Come meet my parents on Sunday?’/’Have you deleted Tinder?’ territory: awkward, kinda frightening, stomach-churning stuff.
That’s not even mentioning the ‘money chats’ which will pop up. But they’re important to have, as learning more about your partner’s spending habits, financial situation and goals can help you find similarities and differences, as well as identify if you’re on the same page with your lyf plans.
But don’t feel like you need to jump right in and divulge everything: only share what you’re comfortable with, with someone that you trust. Once you do decide to start talking money here’s some questions our m8s at CommBank suggest you drop into convo, to get you thinking about how well you know your own and your new boo’s financial behaviours and circumstances.
Like when you’re getting to know each other, you can subtly suss things out by asking:
- What would you do if you won $1 million? Would you save any of it, invest or donate to a charity?
- How often do you like to dine-out?
- Do you buy your lunch every day or make it at home?
- How do you like to split the bill when dating?
- If you have spare money, what do you usually do with it – spend or save?
- Where do you like to shop for clothes, groceries, technology?
- Do you save up for your holidays? Or book on a whim using credit?
- Did you spend all your pocket money as a child or were you a saver?
Or when you’re becoming more serious, your money chats might become more serious too:
- Do you have a budget? How well do you stick to it?
- Who in your life has influenced your money habits?
- Did you learn any valuable money lessons from your parents?
- How old were you when you became 100% responsible for your income and expenses?
- What are your career plans? Mid-term and long-term?
- What are your lifestyle goals (where you’d like to live, how often you like to holiday etc.)?
- Do you have any debt?
- Do you know your credit score? Has it ever caused you any issues?
While we’re on the topic, for those of you who are dating or in a relationship, CommBank have more handy money tips on their Tumblr site. Check them out HERE.
