Managing money with your significant other can be one of the most stressful parts of a relationship. You may want to take a budget-friendly vacation while your partner wants to splurge. Or maybe you want to go out for dinner, but your partner wants to live on rice and beans so you can pay off some debt. You’re more different than you thought. Let’s face it: Disagreeing on these types of issues can lead to a lot of unrest.
In fact, not being able to see eye-to-eye on money management can cause more than the occasional riff with your partner. It can lead to resentment, lying about spending and even personal attacks — all of which do nothing for your budget or your relationship.
It should probably come as no surprise that fighting about money is the second leading cause of divorce. Studies have found that the frequency and intensity of money fights are directly correlated with higher divorce rates, so getting on the same page about your finances is critical for a happy, healthy relationship.
Luckily, technology can help the two of you manage your finances in harmony. Here are some of the best apps to improve financial responsibility so that you decrease the fights — and maybe even increase the romance, too.
Honeydue
After seeing that many couples were using spreadsheets to manage their household finances, Honeydue founders Eugene Park and Thien Tran saw an opportunity to build something better for co-managing money.
Honeydue helps couples track shared bills, look at their accounts in one place, comment on transactions and build big-picture goals. A key feature is the ability for couples to decide how much information they share with their significant others. This helps them stay focused on their goals and not get caught in the weeds, arguing over the small stuff.
Grocery
It seems almost impossible to remember everything you need when you’re grocery shopping. And trying to keep track of — and share — all of a household’s needs can be super frustrating.
It can also wreck your budget: Studies show that when you shop without a list, you can end up spending a lot more on items you don’t really need.
Grocery can eliminate some of this shopping frustration by allowing all the users under one roof to sync and view a single list of things needed. Now, instead of looking for a pen and paper so that I can write down that we’re running low on toothpaste, I can simply jot it down in the app, and my husband can grab the item when he’s at the store.
Honeyfi
Honeyfi is a money tracking app for couples. Enter your bank account information and track your personal finances together, even across banks. You can get alerts any time your partner makes a transaction, build a budget together and work together toward a common goal, all within the app.
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Any.Do
While not a purely financial app, Any.do can really take the pressure off managing bills and spending-related tasks between couples. The app’s simple, no-nonsense design makes it easy to add and view all “tasks” that need to be done and sync them across your household. There are separate sections for things that need to be done today, tomorrow, upcoming or someday. Once you add your significant other to a task, push notifications can keep both of you in the loop, including letting you know when a task has been completed. This app makes completing chores quick and easy, and — best of all — there’s no nagging.
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