I recently started dating my girlfriend, and naturally I wanted her to feel special and comfortable, so I've been spending quite a lot on outings, gifts, food, cabs, and small surprises - almost like treating her like a princess. I genuinely enjoy doing these things, but at the same time I'm also starting to worry about my own finances and limited pocket money. Sometimes I even end up borrowing money from friends just to keep up the same level of spending. Now I'm confused because I don't want the relationship to become too dependent on money or expensive treatment from my side. I also have a small fear in my mind - what if she slowly gets used to this lifestyle and keeps expecting the same all the time? How do I maintain a healthy balance between being caring and generous in a relationship while also staying financially practical and not putting pressure on myself?

I am a 45 years old Indian living in the US for the past 10 years with the family. Despite having a steady job and a pay which typically is considered high, I end up spending more than my income. My wife also works full time with good pay as well but she thinks it's my responsibility to provide and she just saves all her money in her own accounts. We have multiple properties on both our names including cars but only I pay. I pay for groceries, bills, travel everything. On discussing about the expenses, which I have done multiple times so far, she says I should be ashamed to expect money from a woman. If this continues, I will reach retirement age kind of broke I feel. Also, I will spend sleepless nights thinking about finances until then. Please advice.

I (27M) have recently started searching for prospects through Arranged Marriage Platforms. I got connected with a Lady (25F) & we seemed to be getting along quite well, through chatting & phone calls. When we were planning to meet in person, for our first Date, she picked a place which is one of the most expensive ones in our City & just a single Date over there may cost us around ?10 Thousand. Though, I am earning pretty well (?30Lakh/Annum), I am reluctant to spend so much amount on our First Date, whilst we are still in the process of getting to know each other. If I'd been Married to her, I'd be willing to spend that much for celebrating our Wedding Anniversary. But this is just our First Date & I am not even sure whether we'd be getting Married or not. The Date is scheduled for next Month & I'm still in Dilemma, whether I should request her to meet up at a more affordable venue or ask her to split the expenses, equally or proportionate to our Earning (She earns just around ?6 Lakh/Annum). I'm afraid that being so Straight-forward & upfront about Money Matters, at this stage, might give her a negative impression about me. She seems to be having a lot of Materialistic Expectations from me, as I earn much more than her & she has been hinting me about her expectations such as Expensive Gifts & Vacations abroad. Even though I am a person who's very cautious & disciplined with Money, I'd be glad to spend generously, for the happiness of my Life Partner, but not at this stage, when we haven't even committed to each other. Please suggest me, how can I handle this situation without coming off as too miserly? Moreover, I'm also planning to discuss some important matters, such as how we'd be handling our Finances in the Future. But I am worried, whether it would be appropriate to bring up this matter, in our very first personal meet-up? I'm afraid that she might Judge me as too Money-minded & I might lose out on a suitable match. Please Help me.

I am a housewife and a mother of a 5 year old daughter. I left my job to take care of my family. I used to be a cheerful person before. I often find myself losing my individuality in relationships because I care too much about the other person’s needs. How can I strike a balance between being loving and staying true to myself? What can I do so I am not overly dependent on my partner?

My partner and I have lived together for three years, and we really love each other. She is 36, I am 37. But our different ideas about money are causing huge fights all the time. For example, I like to save, and she likes to splurge, and it's making us both stressed about our future. How can we deal with these money fights without letting it ruin our relationship? I grew up in a middle class family, while her parents are privileged. She thinks I nag too much about money that's why I am unhappy. Can't we find a way to agree that works for both of us? Or is this just a sign that we're too different and can't get along?

Ma'am, All the investments we made were based on mutual discussions. She is co-owner in everything. Even the car she drives was bought by me, and I pay. She believes in a marriage the man should remain responsible in financial aspects and also believes its a new world and the man should lend his hand in household chores too. To answer your question on why I am forced to spend more than my income, its because you invest and plan budgets based on certain threshold but over a period of time the inflation and interest rates will push the expense above the threshold. I think this is what happened in my case. I have also been paying for our kids expenses. I am tired of taking care of literally everything.