I have no idea My brother's pushing 45 and he still hasn't got it down. As soon as his paycheck hits his pocket it's gone. And yes,he was all about buying the newest latest thing always.

people can change but not with his attitude about it. he needs to want to change, and he should set up a strict budget.

if you are aware of your spending habits you will be able to curb your spending and be smart about your finances

It's not hard at all. It's being aware of how much you spend. It's tracking it every day, and with smart phones and online acces to your statements and records, it's not hard at all to keep up on it.

deen engrained psychological patterns can take a lot of work and a long time to over come. baby steps. Its never about how much they make. There are people who make 6 figures that are always broke. people CAN change their spending habits, but they have to want to and they need help.

well i have tried talking to him and he says he wants to change but he hasn't proven it. Is it a waste of time waiting for him to change?

you have to be his money manager have a system set up and check up on it/him to make sure he's saving part of it. or you can walk him through having it automatiy being taken out of his check at the bank. Yes, it would be a waste of time waiting for him to do it on his own.

he suggested that. but I don't know if he will be able to live with me handling our money because he is so used to spending it. I think if the roles were reversed I would be bothered if my husband handled all of the money.I like to know where my money is going

all you have to do is discuss it often have meetiings and such..after two months..he will give up and just hand you the paycheck no guy wants to have those regular discussions

that's strange. if my husband were handing our finances I would want to have those discussions. It's important to know we're on the same page

look..guys don't even wanna discuss sex much less money

clearly, you have more interest in what happens to your finances than he does. you will be in charge, or you will be miserable. there is nothing wrong with the two of you taking on these roles, as long as it is good for your sense of well-being, as well as his.

he needs to monitor his habits and track em for a month or two .. so he can see how ridiculous some of those habits are if you have to divert some cash into a savings account via direct deposit or auto transfers .. do that too .. helps you "forget" you have the money

you'll have to do it, he won't. then comes the part where he hates you for it. but oh well, it's either that or end up on the street with nothing because your partner has no self-control.

they probably won't change until they have to I mean, right now what's his incentive to be thrifty with his money? You already said that he makes enough money now to be able to afford things. So, he's got a place to live, a loving girlfriend, AND he gets to buy all the toys he wants! So, what's his incentive to change? If you are going to get married, buy a house, and have , then I think you'll have to sit down together and work all the numbers out. How much will a mortgage cost over rent, once you factor in insurance and taxes? And how much do you want to be able to put down as a down payment? You'll have to start saving now if you want to have a good chunk. Think about when you'll have the house, and then calculate how much money you can save before then. If you are going to take some time off when you have a baby, look at your monthly incomes and show him that if he has to support you AND a baby for a couple months, he'll have to really cut back on his expenses (OR start saving now!). Once he sees the numbers, and has a clear idea of what he's saving for, he might show more restraint.

thanks for the advice. I'm a little worried that he will never be able to save to buy a house, etc. Look at these numbers and you'll see why. He was making $x,x for several years and two months ago he started making $x,x plus bonuses so it could be up to $x,x. He lived with a roommate the whole time so saved on rent. Right now he only pays $x for rent/utilities/cable TV/Internet. That's pretty good huh? Guess how much is in his checking account? $x See my point. I make $x,x, have xk in checking, xk in savings

Definitely. I was a frivolous spendthrift as a teenager and in my early early x's. But, once I was an at-home mom and had to manage a budget, I got pretty good at it, pretty fast! Necessity will drive him to get it together, eventually. Just don't move in with him or marry him until he does! FInancial arguments are the #x cause of divorce (or, they were a few years ago, anyway).

how hard is it for someone to learn how to budget and live within their means, when they never have before? My boyfriend and I are x. I'm still waiting for him to get more responsible with money. He tells me it's really hard not to spend money if he has it. With the amount of money he's making it isn't a problem. How can people think it's so hard to live within their means? I think if we get married and have a kid, he'll buy us and the child too much and we'll run into the same problems because he " really wanted to buy his son those expensive toys". Do people ever change their spending habits?

out of sight out of mind