Do you and your spouse fight, argue, or play the passive-aggressive game about your credit card debt? The average credit card debt per household is $15,300, and the fact that one of you thinks that the debt is ok and the other doesn’t is slowly eroding, tearing apart, and ending relationships. Here is the good news…it doesn’t have to be that way! Getting out of debt together, with your marriage intact, is totally possible.

4 C’s to Getting Out of Debt Together

1.  Confess

Sit down and discuss reality. That means sharing all those credit card balances that you thought would just disappear if you ignored them long enough! It takes a lot of courage but you will feel a big relief once you do it.

2.  Confirm the Amount

Double-check what’s real by calling the credit card company and getting the numbers right. If we don’t look at these numbers for a long time we forget they GROW!! Get on the phone and get the raw hard numbers. You won’t regret it!

3.  Calculate

This is where things start looking up! Click here for a free debt calculator that will help you and your spouse get back on track! Take a few minutes and each of you separately think about when you would like your debt paid off and how much that would take per month to do. It is important that you do this individually. Once completed, come back together and discuss your reasoning.

4.  Compromise

Now that you know the amount that you have to pay off and how you want to pay it off individually, you can make a compromise with purpose. The couples who use this as an opportunity for growth are the ones that come to it together and don’t erode the relationship with any more passive-aggressive games.

Do you have any other suggestions on how to get out of debt together?

Taylor & Megan Kovar

The Money Couple