3 Tips for Having a Financial DREAM Date!

So you want to start paying off debt and get your finances in order!?  Where do you start?  Of course you want to start with the Baby Steps and create your first budget, but if you don't know WHY you are doing these things, if you don't have a PURPOSE, your motivation is going to fade the moment the going gets hard!  So call the babysitter and plan to go with your spouse to a quiet restaurant for some time alone!  It's time to TALK and to DREAM!  Here are 3 tips for making sure you have a successful DREAM DATE!

1. Get on the SAME page. 
   • Now I don't mean you have to love the same things or even want to do the exact same things in retirement.  You don't even have to have the same "why" - but you do need to agree on them.  You both need to be in alignment with each other and supportive of each other's ideas for how you are going to get out of debt, build wealth and retire.  Discuss your "WHY" and talk through why your "WHY" is important to you.  My husband and I have different "WHYs" but we are super supportive of each other's reason for getting out of debt and building wealth.
2. Think about the FUTURE.
   • Close your eyes, think about 5 years, 10 years, 20 years, 40 years from now, what do you see?  What does your life look like?  How does it change with each stage of life?  Obviously you don't have to have a detailed specific plan for how your life will go, but it is a good idea to think about what direction you would like to head towards and where you might like to end up.  What does retirement look like?
3. Choose a specific GOAL that will get you closer to that future. 
   • What is your very next step?  This will probably be closely related to a Baby Step if you are following @abbettroad or @daveramsey.  When you reach Baby Step 7, it could literally be ANYTHING!  This goal should be specific and time measurable as well!  Do you want to finish building your emergency fund in the next 3 months?  Pay an extra $50k on your home mortgage in the next 12 months?  Be able to give $100k a year to your favorite charity in retirement?  Spend a year traveling the world?  What do you two want to do together?  Without a plan, the future will just happen to you instead of you happening to it.

Getting the chance to sit down and talk to your spouse about your DREAMS and goals is a huge part of Personal Finance.  It helps you get on the same page.  I encourage you to revisit these conversation topics throughout your financial journey.  Talk about what the future could look like and what your progress looks like in moving toward those dreams and goals.  

*Note: Chris Hogan introduced us to the idea of the Dream date!  We loved the idea and wanted to take it and expand upon it!  What a rock star!

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