7 Tips for Planning a Money Date in 2025
Every Sunday morning, my fiancé and I get in the car, drive to a different coffee shop, order our favorite drinks, and sit down to talk about our finances. We call this our weekly money date. During this money date, we go over everything that happened that week financially and we look forward to the coming week. We organize all our expenses (coffee factored in, of course), we plan any known expenses for next week, and we see how on track we are for the entire month. We’ve found by doing this weekly check-in, we don’t find ourselves surprised by a blown budget at the end of the month. We can keep an eye on all of our categories and see what needs to be tweaked. Add a little money here, take away a little there. In addition to our weekly money date, we also have quarterly and annual money dates to look at everything from a bigger picture. These look similar to our weekly dates, just on a bigger scale, and help us make sure we’re staying on track to meet all of our financial goals for the year. If you are looking to adopt a weekly (or quarterly or annual) money date, here’s how I think you should do it.
Set Aside a Scheduled Time Every Week
As I mentioned, we like to do Sunday mornings. Some couples like to do it over dinner, or on a Friday night. It doesn’t matter when you choose, the important part is to be consistent. Make it a part of your schedule. On X day each week at X time we are going to meet for 30 minutes and discuss our finances.
Open with a compliment/gratitude
Starting with a compliment can help set the tone for your date. Remember, you are teammates working together. This is the time to build one another up and set each other at ease. Remind one another that you’re working together towards a common goal. It can be something as simple as “you look incredible today” or “I’m so grateful to have you as my partner”.
Have an Agenda
Any successful meeting needs an agenda. Your money date is no exception. An Agenda will keep you on track and make sure nothing is forgotten. You can set this up in advance (see my template below) so that you’re not cutting into your meeting time. Remember, money dates should not be long. 30-60 minutes is plenty of time for a weekly meeting. Any longer and you risk burning yourself out with money talks.
Things to Discuss (tailor this to your needs)
This is very personal. There are many money topics you can discuss but I’ll list a few to consider. I will, however, advise you to keep your first few money dates light. Discussing budgeting can be stressful for some, so it may be worth building up to that so that you don’t scare you or your partner away. In your first money meeting, start talking about your goals. Do you want to save money? For anything specific? Do you want to pay off debt? Discuss your goals with your partner and start brainstorming ideas to meet those goals. “If we save $100 per paycheck, by the end of the year we can go on that vacation we’ve been talking about”. Next, start tracking your spending. You don’t need to jump into full budgeting yet, but this will give you an idea of how much you’re spending in each category to build that budget. Be kind to yourself here. There is no need to beat yourself up for your spending, you don’t even have a budget yet! Once you’re ready, build a budget together. Don’t forget to add room for personal spending for each of you. Once you’ve graduated to a weekly budget discussion that is going well, feel free to start throwing in some bigger topics. Retirement planning, long term savings goals, paying off debt are some great places to start. There’s plenty more things you can choose to discuss during your weekly meeting, just remember to be present in each other’s emotions while you do so.
Bring Everything with You
My fiancé and I have run into this issue before. We’ve gotten to the coffee shop and I’ve got my ipad in my purse but I forgot my laptop. Make sure you’ve got all the necessary tools you need to have your money talk. Laptop, bank statements, retirement account information, credit card statements. Whatever you plan on discussing, make sure you’ve got the documentation to do so.
Make it fun but be honest
Don’t forget to have fun! Money can be fun and exciting. Money is a tool that opens up doors and possibilities. Don’t forget to dream while you’re having these talks. Who knows what ideas you may come up with.
End on a Positive Note
There’s no denying that discussing money can be stressful, depending on the situation. Don’t let the stress be your take away from the conversation. Make sure to end your money date on a positive note. This may be another compliment or gratitude or maybe you save your goal setting for the end. That always puts me in a good mood! Whatever it be, make sure you’re both ending positively.
Below are some resources for your money date that I hope you will find helpful to get started. As you get more comfortable with these dates, make these resources your own. Tailor them to meet your and your partner’s needs.
