Before a young man begins to think of marriage, knowing fully well the responsibilities attached to it, he must, among other things, be financially matured.



Financial maturity, in my own words and in this context, is the state a man reaches where he has a regular source of income, has formed the habit of saving, and has mastered the art of giving.



In this first part, we will consider financial maturity with respect to earning, or getting.



It is generally believed that buying a new phone or a pet is like marrying a new wife. It is partially true, but I must confess to you that it is far beyond that.



If you still depend on your parents, guardians, friends and/or relatives before you can get your daily meal, recharge your phone, feed/treat your pet, visit the boutique, pay your bills and the likes, I'm afraid you might have to send your wife to your mother-in-law one night before you can have supper.



How on earth do you intend to run your home on your neighbours' income? The day he loses his job, your family begins to starve. And, if you dare disagree with your benefactor on any issue, it matters not who was wrong, your home suffers for it.



'Oh, my fiancee has a job already, and she's well paid. She can take care of the whole family, even up to my own parents.' Shameless man!, are you building your home on the income of your wife? Where then is your crown of headship? How do you rule your home when the key that 'answereth all things' lies in the purse of your spouse? Who will defend you when she draws the budget and gives you an embarrassing share?



Don't get me wrong! It is not an aberration if your wife is richer than you. And I do not talk in respect of job loss. What I mean is that, before you get married, you should display a certified financial capability to rule your home. You should have a regular source of income that can first, cater for you, and then, your wife.



Before you get married, buy a pet, preferably, a cute puppy.If it grows lean after a month, my dear, you are not ready.If you have to spend all you have on it with nothing left to save, you are still not ready.But, if you are able to take care of it out of your income, without having to starve yourself sometimes or deny yourself just for the month to pass, and you still have something to save- no matter how small- I may say you have passed the test and scored 50 on the scale of 100.Let the puppy stay for 2 more months before you draw your conclusion.



The point is, before you consider yourself financially matured for marriage, you must first have a regular source of income that can take care of you first, and then, your spouse.



In the second part, we will see how indispensable it is for you to form a commendable saving habit as part of the requirements for you to have a financially stable home.

N.B.: This note was originally updated as my status on the 11th of May 2012.

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John Kehinde Ogunjimi

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These are some of the comments from facebook:

Okah Stephen Ugwu John! more inspiration for this job be supplied-divinely to you for more n higher higher .
May 16 at 5:30pm via mobile

Anani Sunday K Good.
May 16 at 5:38pm via mobile

Olusola Adelaja Gud work here, more grace & inspiration, u shall daily be refreshed @ Gods alter for more of this. God bless u.
May 17 at 5:12am via mobile

Francis Obiorah Good
May 17 at 11:17am via mobile

Ogunjimi James Taiwo Hehehehe...Marriage consultant. Kudos
June 15 at 6:23pm via mobile

Anu Tope Good talk. Men are realy up for a serios business. It is well. No wonder dat immorality rules around bcaus the country is not friendly, even those men who tink after a degree its over, they still nid special favour from God. It is well. The Lord's mercy is the overall tin.
August 17 at 5:00pm via mobile

A well thought post. But instead of using a pet, like you said why not use a human being. I am seriously thinking of getting married in now(maybe next year).
This is what I did. In january or February during the fuel subsidy strike, I invited 3 of my cousins over to my place and they stayed for a month plus. My budget for the month went up a bit. Later two left and I'm currently staying with one now, for almost 3 months and counting.
I call this pre-marriage practical.

Abali1: A well thought post. But instead of using a pet, like you said why not use a human being. I am seriously thinking of getting married in now(maybe next year).
This is what I did. In january or February during the fuel subsidy strike, I invited 3 of my cousins over to my place and they stayed for a month plus. My budget for the month went up a bit. Later two left and I'm currently staying with one now, for almost 3 months and counting.
I call this pre-marriage practical.

That sounds like a good idea too. It's to make you feel a sense of responsibility.