Most budgets have a line for power, food, rent, fuel and subscriptions. Far fewer have a line for kindness. But kindness often costs something. It might be the extra groceries you buy when someone comes over. The petrol from always being the person who gives lifts. The small amount you send to an adult child. The meal you cover when a friend is having a hard week. The birthday present that becomes a little bigger because you know someone needs cheering up. None of these are bad things. In fact, they may be some of the best things money can do. The problem is not generosity. The problem is invisible To View More >>

Sometimes the biggest money arguments begin before anyone spends a dollar. The same money quietly gets given two different jobs. One person looks at the bank account and thinks, “Good, we can finally start putting something aside for that holiday.” The other person looks at the very same balance and thinks, “Good, we can finally replace the tyres.” No one is being reckless. No one is hiding anything. But the same $120 a week has quietly become two different futures. That’s how money tension starts in a lot of homes. Not with a dramatic argument. Not with a terrible To View More >>