Does marriage make you stable financially?

You have avoided getting married until “you are stable” and nothing including constant reminders by close relatives including your mother that you are “ageing” will get you to start thinking about marriage.

You have a nice car, stay in a respectable neighbourhood in a spacious flat and the girlfriends you have had are left wondering why you are not willing to pop the question.

You have enough reasons

Among them are excuses such as:  “I have not met the right person”, “I am pursuing a post-graduate course” Marriage is difficult”

“Let me have a bit more fun before I finally settle down.”

Your age-mates or colleagues got married years earlier and even though they may not be your average wealthy couple, they no longer pay rent because they have a small structure in a plot they struggled to acquire some years back.

When you meet them, you pity them for all the talk about school fees, visiting days, mechanical problems of their small car or the mortgage they are still financing. Yes, they seem to always talk about committing money, instead of spending it.

So does marriage drain your resources or boost your prospects for a more stable life in future? That is the question we asked those who have been married.

“It is not necessarily that you become a better manager of money after marriage. It depends on how you share responsibilities and whether both of you have an income,” says Nicholas Omondi.

These days, he says, a couple will find it difficult to improve their financial health if only one of them is working or in business. He says sharing responsibilities is key to financial freedom.

“I have seen women whose houses are run solely by the husband and yet they, too, are earning a salary."

Destructive attitude

Saying your salary is not as big as your husband’s is a very destructive attitude,” says Omondi.Omondi says people become mature on many aspects and falls short of suggesting people should delay getting into marriage until they reach a certain age.

“When you are around 35, you are likely to have realised what you want to achieve and you will be more committed to it,” says the mechanical engineer.

But, the father of college-going children says being stable in life does not mean having it all in life. There is also the social aspect.

“If you have spent most of your resources educating your siblings and other relatives and are today driving a modest car, you are better off in this world than the man who has never helped anyone make life better and is zooming around in a state-of- the-art vehicle. You may not be rich in the pocket but you are rich at heart,” he explains philosophically.

For Philomena Nduta, when one gets married, they tend to hang out with more serious friends.

“When you are discussing things with people who have families, you tend to revolve around securing a better future for your family. This is what bachelors lack. Most tend to live for today, never worrying about the future,” she says.