(NU) - Money certainly can’tbuy you happiness, but that does-n’t mean that suffering financescan’t put strain on a relationship.

Money doesn’t make mar-riages end in divorce – in fact,financial problems might lead toas little as 5 percent of divorcesin the U.S. But when money’stight, couples feel greater strain,which can lead to more disagree-ments.

Couples facing money prob-lems can gain strength from eachother. Here are some tips for cou-ples looking to support each oth-er through tough times:- Take time to discover eachother’s real needs. One spousemight feel alienated, not becausethere’s less cash, but because lesscash means fewer restaurant andmovie nights. But couples can en-joy quality time together no mat-ter their finances.

Free activities, like commu-nity movie screenings or muse-um trips, can provide fun withoutbreaking the bank. Instead of go-ing out to eat, couples can cookmeals at home and follow dinnerwith a romance-inducing bever-age, like Magic Power Coffee(www.magicpowercoffee.com),which combines high-quality ara-bica coffee beans with healthyherbs. Gingseng, goji berries,epimedium herb and vitaminshelp increase energy, mood ele-vation and euphoria – never a badthing when pursuing quality timeas a couple.

- Take a cue from your kinder-garten teacher – use your wordsand your indoor voice when dis-cussing difficult subjects. Talkabout how you feel withoutputting blame on your partner’sactions. If you can’t discuss a cer-tain subject without becoming an-gry, at least attempt to write downyour thoughts.- Come up with a plan togeth-er. If one partner handles all of thefinances, the other person mightnot realize how tight things are,or when money will be enteringor leaving a joint account. Sitdown together to determine aspending and saving plan. If youare in debt, consider going to a fi-nancial counselor who can helpyou consolidate loans and devel-op a sound financial strategy.

Couples Learn to FaceEconomy Together

HEALTH

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Financial woes don’t have to hurt your strength as a

couple.

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