Constant Communication is Key

This post is targeted for all the married people that are going through the debt free journey. The importance of consistent communication with your spouse about all things related to the journey is paramount. Rachel and I recently had a major disagreement with the overall plan. After sorting through the specific issues, we realized that we were both on the same page on several things but failed to understand each other for some things. Throughout this entire time, I thought that I was being transparent. But apparently I had several thoughts in my head that I didn't openly or clearly communicate. And when Rachel heard about these goals/future plans, she felt left out in the decision making process. For the record, leaving her out of any decision was never my intention. But it goes back to the need for constant communication and it should definitely go both ways. If one person has any issue pertaining to the debt free plan, they need to call it out right away so that both parties can get back onto the same page ASAP.

So, with that, I'm happy to say that we're both back on track after discussing the discrepancies we had. But we didn't stop there. One thing that we've added to our overall plan is to enforce the need to review our progress and update the future plan, on a periodic basis. This is a very similar concept to companies that hold annual planning meetings. Since we feel that it would be beneficial to meet more frequently than yearly, given the point we're at in our journey, we've decided to formally meet quarterly. Now, this doesn't mean that we won't talk about our plans outside of meeting quarterly. But it does force us to formalize a review on a quarterly basis. This way, we ensure we're driving towards the same targets at least every quarter.

With our decision to meet quarterly, we have also decided to make sure it becomes "an event". We're going to secure a babysitter and make sure we have a lot of fun together. It'll turn out to be a more elaborate "date night", not just a meeting to discuss finances. We both feel strongly about making sure that the journey is not all focused intensity without sometimes stepping back and really enjoying the ride. I strongly urge all couples going through the journey to formalize a periodic discussion around your debt free plan...and to always make it an event to remember. Because we all know that we're more likely to do things that bring us enjoyment. And ensuring the constant communication of your progress to date as well as the plan for the future is so vital to your journey that it MUST be something you do.