Sit down together and determine your financial goals as a couple. How much do you want to save? When do you want debt paid off? When will you purchase a house or if you have already purchased a house will you ever refinance? How much should you work toward for an emergency fund? When do you want to retire? There are a million things you could talk about, but be sure to write your goals down. It is too easy to get caught up in going about your day to day activities and not notice that you aren't getting where you want to be going. Set financial goals as a couple and budgeting will be ten times easier than if you don't have a dream you are working toward.

Step #2: Household Income.

Determine your household income from all sources. What are your sources of income? Do both of you work? Is your income set or is it determined upon performance? How much net income is being brought in on average? Are there other sources of income you haven't considered? This step is all about determining your cash flow in your marriage relationship. This step is important to determine precisely. You want to know as precisely as possible because once you know how much money is coming in, you can determine a budget and find the spending leaks.

Step #3: Household Needs.

Determine your household needs together. There are set expenses every month like a mortgage or rent payment and there are variable expenses like gas for your vehicles. Other expenses could include grocery bills, insurance, credit card payments, other debt payments, utilities, etc. Set your expenses down in categories including individual spending categories. Give your variable expenses a limit on how much you can spend on a particular category. This will help you determine how much of your income is going toward month to month expenses. Don't forget your annual expenses when determining your household needs. You'll have car repairs, membership fees, and other annual expenses that can put a strain on your budget if they aren't accounted for ahead of time. As you go through your household needs, determine where you can cut back if needed. Sacrifice isn't always a pleasure, but if your financial goals are something you're really determined to work toward, then sacrifice may be necessary. If you have set financial goals for retirement, emergency funds, and savings, include these in your expenses and make them apart of your spending report.

Step #4: Track it.

This budget is to help you, as a couple in a marriage relationship, reach your financial goals, so be sure to track how you're doing as a couple. Determine together where the spending leaks are and what plan of action to take in order to prevent them.