This Sunday will mark six weeks! It has really gone by quickly. I’m sorry for the lack of updates. Rafa has been so busy finishing up school stuff. His last day is next week. I am so proud of him and I can’t wait to see him cross the stage in his cap and gown in June 🙂
As he’s been wrapping up his journey of higher education, we have been embarking on a journey into joint finances. It has been much more pleasant than his homework, trust me. All of my name stuff has come in. I am officially Sarah Soriano. We took my new social security card to the bank to combine our accounts and begin our financial adventure.
There was never a question about if we would combine our finances or not. The “yours, mine and ours” option was never on the table for us. When we got married, we did so under the promise of God in Mark 10:6-9:
“But at the beginning of creation God made them male and female.For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh. So they are no longer two, but one. Therefore what God has joined together, let man not separate.”
We firmly believe that we are not two people anymore, but that we have become one flesh. And since we are one flesh, why would we need separate accounts? Some additional benefits are that we can practice unity in our decisions. We can hold each other accountable to our financial goals. We can pray together about our stewardship. And we can keep the possibility of secrecy in our marriage out of the question.
It is a small sacrifice to die to myself in this area. Yes, I do make money, but I trust my husband to manage it with integrity, just as I trust him to be the head of our home. This does not mean that I can mentally check out and leave all the business to him. I can be an active help in our financial process and make sure that I am doing everything I can to help us meet our goals of clearing our debts and becoming homeowners.
So far, we’ve been having weekly date night and separate Finance Time!, which is always said with the exclamation for emphasis on the fun that comes with it. It is a learning process right now, but it will result in a stronger marriage.