The benefits (and disadvantages) of marriage

When The Hubby read my recent post on the benefits of connections, I think he got a little jealous, because he asked me “Hey, what about marriage? Marriage has lots of benefits!”

So, to make him feel better (and because I think it would be interesting to look at marriage from both a PF and a happiness standpoint), here are some of the benefits I was able to come up with (some serious, some a little teasing), as well as some disadvantages (just because I feel like really teasing him): 🙂

Financial Pros

• Filing taxes jointly can have more tax benefits.
• If (god forbid) something happens to either one of you, you can get a tax exemption for property left to the surviving spouse.
• You can get health insurance through your spouse’s employer, as well as retirement plan benefits, life insurance benefits, etc.
• Spouses can receive Social Security, disability, and Medicare benefits.
• You can get family rates for things like homeowner’s insurance or car insurance.
• When you’re married, you no longer need to spring for pricey date nights to impress the other person. (Ordering in pizza and renting a movie is fun enough for us!)
• Two sets of families = twice the gifts on your birthday and holidays.

Financial Cons

• A wedding itself can be a huge drain on your finances. (Not to mention the honeymoon, buying a house, and all the other stuff that comes along with getting married.)
• It’s not the same buying your spouse a fancy birthday or anniversary present, because really the money’s coming out of both of your account. (“What a pretty necklace! Thank you, me!”)
• If your spouse is more of a clothes horse than you are (ah-hem!), it kind of ruins your clothing budget.
• Two sets of families = twice the gifts to buy for birthdays and holidays.

Happiness Pro

• All the lovely benefits mentioned in my other post. 🙂
• You always have a date for weddings.
• You can be yourself, no matter how silly and messy that is, because they’re stuck with you!
• Happily married couples are actually healthier overall.
• You have someone to argue a wrong item on a restaurant bill when you’re too much of a wuss to do it yourself.
• You have a built-in cheerleader, life coach, stress reducer, and BFF 24/7.
• Two sets of friends = more friends for everyone. (Unless you really hate your spouse’s friends!)
• Cuddles, whenever you want them!

Happiness Cons

• Two sets of families = twice the amount of parental expectations, crazy uncles, and other family-related stress.
• To be honest, that’s the only con I can think of, happiness-wise. (And I don’t just say that because The Hubby is reading…we really are that super-cutesy couple that everyone probably secretly hates.)

What about you? What marriage pros and cons can you come up with?

~Heart,

Em

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photo credit:  Eddy