How important to you is financial security in a relationship/marriage?

[cheerfulgreek]

It's a 7 for me. I say a 7 because in every relationship a couple is going to go through some financial ups and downs. I just don't want a guy who isn't financially responsible. I think maturity is a requirement that's often over looked when choosing a partner. I think developmental disturbances, coupled with the me first mentality are destined to cause problems in any relationship. A guy who isn't fully mature in this area of his life is not ready for commitment and the responsibility of a future with me. I think part of what contributes to the debt problem in the United States is our demand for instant gratification. We live in a society where instant gratification takes too long. Today, it just seems like a man and a woman marry, and they instantly want what their parents have taken a lifetime to assemble. It's just that couples today don't see the boxes their parents used for chairs or the mismatched hand me down furniture they once had. Of course I don't mean that literally, but I'm just trying to make a point why I think marriages don't last. But it's a 7 for me. If he's having a hard time making ends meet, I have no problem helping him, just as long as he's not taking advantage of the situation. I don't mind helping but I don't think I should be the one paying for everything.