Dating and the mortgage

Two years ago, I had the opportunity to be an intern in Washington D.C. It was by far one of the greatest experiences of my life. I made AWESOME friends, had some GREAT night and had some AMAZING dates. *Let me enjoy this flashback*

While I was there interning and making my rounds in the D.C. area, I realized that every decision we make in life somehow affects our ability to pay mortgage/rent on the first. Perhaps this is something you already knew, but it was a new revelation for me. Even though it's something we often think about, it's important to realize how relationships can hinder you paying the mortgage. Think about it.

Deciding who to date is important. This part of our personal life can affect our work life in positive or negative ways. A good relationship can give you that extra boost of confidence that you need at work, allowing you to excel and achieve short-term and long-term goals. A bad relationship can be strenuous. You eventually take your problems with you to work, causing you to lose focus on work assignments. Either way, your relationship can affect your ability to maintain your job.

Besides that, you have to ask yourself if the person you are dating has the potential to help you pay a mortgage or can pay your mortgage if you cannot.More importantly, is this the person you want to share this responsibility with? It sounds simple, but it's very important.

This isn't one of those materialistic thoughts about wondering if a person can your bills, it is more so about evaluating the people that we decide to date and how much time we give them in our life. It's nice to date someone because they make you happy, but statistics show that one of the major reasons for divorce is because of finances. Please don't ask for me to show you the stats. Google it - it's true! We have to ask ourselves what it is this person is going to be able to bring to the table in the long run. If they don't have it now, do they at least possess the potential? Sometimes we have a diamond in the rough that just needs some work.

After a "break up" that I recently had, I realized, again, how important this is. Am I over thinking it? How do you feel about it?