Customer Reviews

Debt-Proof Your Marriage: How to Achieve Financial Harmony with Coupons

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Something has happened to Mary Hunt since her 1999 publication on Debt-Free Living. Or perhaps it's happened to her editor. Or perhaps a ghost writer has slipped into her life.

Regardless, the same passion and good sense is now expressed with a pleasant and flowing presentation that makes her medicine all the more bearable to the debt-laden patient.

Simply put, this lady can write!

Mary Hunt's book about finances in marriage sparkles. She has taken conventional wisdom about marriage, gender differences, and biblical teaching about a generous Creator and woven it together with her trademark 10-10-80 approach to managing money (give 10%, save 10%, spend 80%). Revell has helped out by packaging a supremely attractive book (the colors, the spacing, the flawless editing ...) at a decent price.

A major first section sports the title 'Get Your Relationship Ready for Financial Harmony'. Hunt's own story reveals that she knows how taxing financial stress and indebtedness often are on a marriage, so she's chosen to invest significant pages reminding her readers of some basic gender patterns and communication skills. You'll get a little bit of 'Men are from Mars, Women from Venus ...' language in this section, but always winsomely packaged and with an awareness of how individuals vary.

Then it's on to 'How to Debt-Proof Your Marriage', ten short chapters that present material Hunt has developed and presented elsewhere since the 1992 launch of her 'Cheapskate' business.

A third section ('Unique Solutions for Common Dilemmas') is almost an extended set of appendices, each valuable for reference or inspiration.

As a reader of a fair amount of material on debt and its effects on individuals and families, I have gravitated to Mary Hunt's work as the steady best. Debt-Proof Your Marriage is her high watermark thus far.

When it comes to financial matters, do you find that you and your spouse speak a different language? Is one of you a spender, the other a saver? Would your marriage be stronger if you could somehow work as a team to manage your finances and get out of debt?

Notice that I didn't ask if your marriage would be stronger if you had more money. Mary Hunt aptly notes that money problems are about more than a lack of money. Money problems are the result of conflicting attitudes and habits, and indicate just how well you and your spouse communicate and combine the two.

Debt-Proof Your Marriage is written in three parts. Part 1 explains the relationship side of the equation, enabling you to prepare the groundwork for financial harmony. Part 2 gets into the numbers, starting off with six debt-proof principles that are powerful and easy to understand. Part 3 provides resources to help you apply parts 1 and 2.

All of this is written from a Biblical perspective, from someone who has walked the walk. Both frank and friendly, this is a sound message that will improve both your pocketbook and your marriage.

Larry Hehn, author of Get the Prize: Nine Keys for a Life of Victory

I have just started reading this book, but feel that it was written for my husband and me. I love it and wish I could take a day off work and just read it. I am already planning to buy this book to give as a wedding gift. I wish my husband and I had had it when we got married. What a lot of grief it would have saved us.

When it comes to financial matters, do you find that you and your spouse speak a different language? Is one of you a spender, the other a saver? Would your marriage be stronger if you could somehow work as a team to manage your finances and get out of debt?

Notice that I didn't ask if your marriage would be stronger if you had more money. Mary Hunt aptly notes that money problems are about more than a lack of money. Money problems are the result of conflicting attitudes and habits, and indicate just how well you and your spouse communicate and combine the two.

Debt-Proof Your Marriage is written in three parts. Part 1 explains the relationship side of the equation, enabling you to prepare the groundwork for financial harmony. Part 2 gets into the numbers, starting off with six debt-proof principles that are powerful and easy to understand. Part 3 provides resources to help you apply parts 1 and 2.

All of this is written from a Biblical perspective, from someone who has walked the walk. Both frank and friendly, this is a sound message that will improve both your pocketbook and your marriage.

Larry Hehn, author of Get the Prize: Nine Keys for a Life of Victory

We've read Mary's first book "Debt-Proof Living" and tried to apply her adviced but it was only when reading this new book that all the principles and how it related to our marriage came together. We are restarting our Rapid Debt Repayment Plan, saving for emergencies and giving money to charity...we feel almost rich and all on the same salary we were making! I recommend this book to everyone!

One day at work in the break room I came across this book--obviously someone had forgotten it there. I was curious and probably bored so I flipped it open to the middle and immediately devoured a whole chapter. Midnight infomercials on how to change my life and financial situation make my stomach quesy and I feared this was the same kind of book. It's not. It's the story of a woman and the financial disaster she wreaked upon her family. It's also how she escaped it and what she learned. I realised quite simply finances and how to manage them properly were never really taught to me. She provided a great educational service to me in that one chapter. I left the book in the break room, but ever so often I remembered the book and vowed to find it. I only vaguely remembered the title and so could not find it. Then one day it reappeared in the break room and I immediately went out and bought it after I memorized Mary Hunt's name. I am grateful after reading the whole book that I have finally learned some skills that will allow my husband and I to control our money instead of our money controlling us. I will also add that if you want to cut your grocery bill, read Ellie Kay's Shop, Save, and Share. You won't regret reading that small paperback either.

I feel so lucky that a friend recommended this book to me just a few months after my wedding. It's absolutely the best financial management and planning book I've read. I recently took the Crown financial studies bible class at our church and felt miles ahead of the game for having read this book and beginning the recommended management only 1-2 months before (By the way, the recommendations in this book are even better when paired with the Crown study - a course recommended by many finanacial planners). Shortly after our wedding we experienced sudden, large car and home repair debt. Having started the savings program we were able to manage the problems without incurring more debt.
The first 1/3 of the book is about strengthening your marriage and learning how to communicate with your spouse, pointing out that without it financial stability is difficult at best. Then it's down to the nitty gritty -- explaining her financial principles and incorporating them into your life. I won't say everything she recommends will come easily, but a little stick-to-it-tiveness will reap great rewards.

Buy it, give it as gifts to newlyweds. Great, great book!

I find Mary Hunt's book and on-line monthly newsletter very helpful. I am rereading Debt-Proof Your Marriage and have printed several issues of the newsletter to get "back on track" from where I was after I read it several months ago. When I'm doing what she says, my bank account grows. My relationship with my husband improves, as well!!

Numerous reports indicate that married couples argue more about money than anything else. Mrs. Hunt's book offers practical help. The book begins with a brief look at her admitted mishandling of funds early in her marriage. But she and her husband decided they loved each other enough to work out their financial woes. And wow! They sure did. Writing from firsthand experience and years of expertise, Mrs. Hunt explains her non-failing formula to get out of debt.

The chapters build on one another, including understanding your money personality, goal-setting, developing a spending plan, slashing romance-killing debt, setting up a workable savings plan, and perhaps most importantly, learning to communicate with your spouse out of mutual love and respect.

Marriage is worth fighting for. As Mrs. Hunt says, "Happily married couples view problems as 'us against the problem', not 'us against each other'. They identify themselves as a team." Build a better relationship with your beloved spouse by reading this book together and then applying the principles.

"If you have money issues in your marriage...I am going to help you bring harmony to that most challenging part of our marriage." ~ Mary Hunt

If your husband or wife has started to collect credit cards the way people collect baseball cards, then this book shows you how to take back control of your financial life. The author was originally more than $100,000 in debt and found a way back to financial security though a new level of respect.

Mary Hunt discusses issues like the area of divorce and how it can increase financial problems. At least by reading the statistics, you can make a better decision about your life. If getting your finances under control will save your marriage, then this book will be worth the initial cost.

I love this section of the book:

"In one study, 86 percent of unhappily married people who stuck it out found that five years later their marriages were happier...surprisingly the very worst marriages showed the most dramatic turnarounds."

This is the type of information that gives people hope. Mary Hunt also discusses the reality of marriage, the needs of men and women and explains the various stages of married life. She has a very straightforward writing style but also tosses in some wry wit and humorous observations. She covers all the bases and gives you good reasons to stay in your marriage and develop your character and financial portfolio.

Eventually you get to the place in your marriage that you realize that even if you moved on to another life, you'd be taking yourself with you. This of course is one of those painful things that may just happen to occur right before your life seems to improve. If you do develop a budget and try to stick to it, the rewards will be more peace and harmony in your marriage. I've been trying to stick to a budget for years and I find that each time I read a book on finances it helps to motivate me in a good direction. I have found that automatically paying off credit cards is truly the answer and you don't have to worry about the monthly payments if you put it into your budget. I found that paying off a smaller amount weekly was the key! It hurt less and each month you can see the total decreasing, which is rather satisfying and gives you a sense of "I'm finally in control."

I loved the "Finding Money You Didn't Know You Had" chapter where you can find advice on everything from shopping with cash to positive self-talk, although I think I'll stick with my favorite shampoos. I did learn to cut my own hair and now seem to only get my hair cut a few times a year. It was a bit iffy at the start, but that proves, you can learn to do just about anything to save money so you can buy more books and gourmet foods! There is probably a very good reason no one has written a book called: The Bibliomaniac's Budget.

Debt-Proof Your Marriage is definitely the best book I've ever read on getting out of debt and saving your marriage. If you are looking for timeless wisdom and are ready for a reality check that will lead to greater happiness in your life, this is the book!

~The Rebecca Review

P.S. You may also enjoy reading "Imperfect Harmony."