If you and your partner are constantly battling about money, consider these five financial tips. Pretty soon you’ll be on the same financial page and no longer arguing about dollars and cents.

1. Share your financial philosophies. Have you ever had a long discussion with your partner about your philosophies on money? When do you both want to retire? How much do you hope to save each year? What are the big ticket expenses you can’t live without?

Before you can move to financial solutions you need to find a starting point. Find out where you agree and disagree. This will pinpoint areas that need further discussion before you can move forward as a couple.

2. Set a realistic budget. You can’t get a handle on money until you get a handle on how you spend it. For one month agree to track every dollar you spend. Compare your total monthly expenditures to your monthly income. If the expenses are greater than the income, you’ve got a problem.

Use this information to your advantage. See if opportunities exist to cut the budget or reallocate expenses. Work together to get your expenses under your income and you can start that saving plan for retirement.

3. Decide on joint accounts. If you’re really honest together about money then there’s no reason to avoid consolidating your funds together. This gives both people equal access to the funds and a clear snapshot of where you stand as a couple.

You can still keep small checking accounts individually. Agree on a monthly figure you’ll each spend on personal items. As long as you commit to staying below your budget agreements, the money can go for anything…golf outing, spa treatment, etc.

4. Pay yourselves first. Before you go out for dinner, before you plan that next vacation, before you install the new flat screen TV, pay your savings account first. This is the surest way to make sure savings come before spending.

Ideally, you’ll want to setup an automatic funds transfer from your checking account to a savings or investment account. That way, you’ll avoid making the saving decision each month as the automatic transfer will do all the thinking for you.

5. Stop blaming each other. It’s too easy to point out an extravagant purchase. If only your partner had resisted the temptation to buy the hottest new clothes. If only your partner understood that sitting in the front row at a concert is an unnecessary expense.

Remember, you both have a 50% stake in reaching your financial targets. So stop blaming each other for expenditures and work as a team to reach your goals.

Getting started can be the hardest part when it comes to budget planning. So start small. Have that first financial philosophy discussion or open a joint checking account. Whatever it takes to generate some positive momentum will go a long way to reaching your financial dreams.

Jeff Cohen is the author of the e-book, 30 Minute Guide to Online Dating. It's a must-read for anyone looking to master the art of online dating without wasting hours of valuable time. To learn more about the e-book and purchase a copy, please visit 30 Minute Guide to Online Dating..