Gay couple relationship goals
What are your gay couple goals? To have designer dogs, to bet on the winning queen on Drag Race, to jet set, or more? We think it’s the latter, and here’s why.
Why money must be included in your list of gay couple goals
A leading factor why gay couples divorce, not unlike straight couples, and why gay individuals are unhappy is financial stress and insecurity. So, having a healthy, happy relationship and truly living a fabulous life also means discussing and managing your money (better) together. Studies show – and we confess anecdotally – that gay couples who talk about their cash have better sex lives.
That’s enough reason to talk about your money together. Right?!
1. Buy a home together
Having a place of your own creates a sense of togetherness as a couple. It’s a tangible goal and gives you all sorts of things to call “ours.” Plus, you’ll get the benefits of a combined budget rather than living separately – more on that further down the road. If you think you’ll be house-poor owning a home, think again. There are several steps gay couples can take over one to five years to make themselves perfect candidates for owning a home.
2. Pay off our credit card debt
Did you know that 56% of the queer community stress about money every week? We’re the Debt Free Guys, so it’s a given that we’d say “become debt free.” Right? Plus, paying off credit card debt is key to some of the other gay couple goals on this list.
That emotional stress can sabotage a relationship and age you ungracefully. Paying off high-interest credit card debt will save you and your man money, improve your credit score, and help you sleep better together at night. Paying off our debt allowed us to travel to Australia, New Zealand, Spain, France, England, and many more places.
We paid off $51,000 in credit card debt in two and a half years with our unique Debt Lasso Method. It’s faster and saves you more money than the Snowball or Avalanche methods.
3. Adopt children together
There are over 1.5 million children in the foster care system, 1.5 million kids who’d love to have two daddies like you love them, too. Grow your family and save a child from a system that bounces them from one house to another (up to 9 times before they’re finally adopted or aged out of the system). Only about 20% of LGBTQ people have children, though any gay couple with kids will tell you it’s one of the best goals they’ve ever achieved.
4. Get to know transgender folks in our community
Thanks to many of our allies, our community’s Ls, Gs, and Bs are much more comfortable being out. They saw us as their friends, neighbors, and family. Transgender folks are still seeking that same acceptance and love. One way we can support them as gay couples is to get to know more trans folks in our local and broader communities. This gay couple’s goal is to enrich lives and spread love.
5. Say “I love you” every day
The 3 little words every single guy or gal wants to hear. It’s the stuff of romcoms and storybooks. Don’t forget to say it – I Love You – to each other every day.
Love is one of the five building blocks of an authentically happy, healthy, wealthy gay life.
6. Explore the world together
Oh, the gays and our travel. A recent survey by Grindr showed that we spend upwards of 10% of our annual income on travel. 10%! No shame, though. More travel is one of our three relationship goals (along with saving for a fabulous retirement and giving back). So, go out, have fun, and see the world – do it money smart. By strategically using travel rewards credit cards and paying your balance off every single month – every . . . single . . . month, you can get a lot of free travel by using your travel rewards credit cards for everyday purchases you already make.
7. Save for a fabulous retirement
Sadly, too many gay men email us as they’re rapidly approaching 65 years old, asking what they can do today to retire tomorrow. So, although it may be 20, 30, or even 40 years away and may feel too far to think about, you don’t want to be one of them. The good news is that the earlier you start saving and investing for retirement, the less money you will have to save. That’s the magic of compounding interest. If you wait too long to start, when you do start, you’ll have to cut an even more significant chunk of your current lifestyle, likely making it not-so-fabulous.
Who wants that? No one!
8. Mentor LGBTQ youth
Upwards of 40% of homeless kids identify as LGBTQ. That means many kids need a guiding hand to help them make better life decisions. You can fill that role for those who don’t have parents in their lives. Visit your local LGBTQ center to see opportunities to help needy kids.
9. Support LGBTQ friendly politicians
We have to do more than vote. It takes money and volunteers to get the officials elected who advocate and push for our rights. So, find the politicians you and your primary man support, and support them with your time or money. Knock on doors. Raise money. Attend fundraisers (and bring your friends). #9 is one of the main reasons we’re passionate about queer money.
10. Visit the Stonewall Inn in NYC
The Stonewall Inn is the epicenter of the U.S. fight for LGBTQ rights. It’s also now a museum in New York, thanks to President Obama.
Make it one of your gay couple goals to visit. Then, take in the rest that NYC has to offer.
Travel smart to NYC and save money
1. Use Airbnb rather than a hotel or motel
Unless we have hotel points from a travel rewards card, we almost always use Airbnb. With Airbnb, you typically get more for your money, they’re less hotel-like (sterile and poorly decorated), and we usually get an Airbnb with a kitchen. We like the kitchen option because, at the very least, we’ll make our breakfasts and lunches to keep costs down.
2. Use travel rewards cards to earn rewards for future travel
Travel rewards credit cards are great ways to earn miles for future flights or hotel points for future overnights. By strategically using travel rewards cards, you can travel more for less. That’s not a tagline. We put our everyday and travel expenses on our travel rewards credit cards and – most importantly – pay the balances off every month, and we have more miles and hotel points that we can use right now.
11. Hold hands while you walk down the street
A level of excitement and love comes from walking down the street or through a local store holding hands with the man you love. We love holding hands whenever and wherever we can. It’s another way of showing our neighbors that our relationships are more than the occasional bump and Grindr. More so, it’s a way of sharing a tender moment when we’re having fun or running errands. Unfortunately, there are too few places in America where a same-sex couple can show this level of non-sexual affection.
12. Support LGBTQ-owned businesses and entrepreneurs
The LGBTQ buying power in the U.S. is over $1 trillion, yet too much of our money goes to companies and organizations that don’t support our community. Did you know that over nine companies in the Fortune 500 don’t have LGBTQ employee protections, companies like Twentieth Century Fox, which makes movies and television shows we’ve all watched? Let’s spend more money in our community and with companies that support us.
13. Leave a legacy for the LGBTQ community
There are hundreds of organizations across the United States that fight every day for our rights. Many of them do it on shoestring budgets. Let’s change that. Set a goal as a gay couple to leave a legacy to further LGBTQ rights long after you’re both gone. There are creative ways, such as using life insurance, to leave a more significant legacy than you may be able to do with your savings and investments. If you wish, there are contingencies you can place on your donations to ensure your money’s used as you want.
14. Attend a local or national LGBTQ march
Whether it’s in your backyard or the nation’s capital, there’s always something happening for LGBTQ rights. As a couple, you’re now privileged with many rights that our forefathers, foremothers, and trans family fought for over 50+ years. Today, let’s honor their efforts by continuing the marches, advocacy, fundraising, door knocking, and phone calls. March is brilliant, though. It doesn’t help if you hurt your financial security while flying all over the globe, pushing for LGBTQ rights. Again, hotels are expensive and sterile.
15. Practice monogamy
Some couples have open relationships. Some like to play together with others. It’s all good. But, when you set the goal as a gay couple to be monogamous, you learn more about each other and what you both like more intimately. Then, things get exciting!
16. Give at least 5% of our income to LGBTQ charities
On several occasions, we’ve heard and read that gay men give less than $45 a year to support our queer community. Unfortunately, we can’t find that documented anywhere now, but if it’s even close to true, it’s concerning. Studies also show that giving ranks as one of the lowest discretionary expenses of our community, far below travel, dining out, and hygienic expenses.
We want things to improve for us, especially LGBTQ youth. How will that happen when the organizations that help us, LGBTQ youth and LGBTQ seniors, don’t have the funds they need? If you’re able, giving even just $50 a month goes a long way to helping these organizations and, subsequently, those in our community who need it most.
17. Have more sex more regularly
Speaking of bumping and grinding, two things happen the longer we’re together as a gay couple. One, our sex drive slows down. Two, we run out of fun and interesting ways to have sex. Set the goal as a couple to explore more. Whether that means hitting the local porn shop or buying toys online that do it for you, do it. The more sex we have together, the closer we are as a couple, and that’s a goal every gay couple enjoys.
Being prepared for more sex more regularly can be a full-time job for whoever bottoms.
18. Start an LGBTQ supportive business
A National LGBT Chamber of Commerce (NGLCC) survey showed over a million queer-owned businesses in the U.S. We contribute over $1.7 trillion to the U.S. economy! Join us and the many other queer entrepreneurs and start a business as a couple (we did!) that supports your financial goals or even gives you a few extra bucks each month for all that travel you want to do together. Plus, by earning a few extra Benjis, you may have more time and money to give to LGBTQ causes and organizations that help our community in so many necessary ways.
19. Find an LGBTQ mentor
There are many ways to grow as an individual and a couple. One way is to find another queer person or couple who can mentor you. This mentorship doesn’t have to be structured or formal. The point is to learn from their experiences.
20. Set 1 – 3 money goals
We already told you that gay couples who talk about money together have more sex, but what do you talk about after you’ve got the budget locked in, the bills are getting paid, and your careers are going well? Each couple should have at least 1 – 3 money goals they can work on together. You can have your own money goals and support each other accordingly. However, having at least one money goal you work on together strengthens your partnership, makes you feel like more of a team, and gives you a mutual goal to celebrate.
Such money goals can be saving for an all-cash vacation somewhere new for both of you, starting a business together, or setting and working toward your retirement number (the amount of money you’d need to have saved and invested for you both to feel comfortable retiring).
Financial security – money – is one of the five building blocks of an authentically happy, healthy, and wealthy gay life.
21. Talk about money every month
As talking about money is a catalyst to more and better sex, make the most of that news. Talk about your money at least monthly. Make sure your bills are paid and your budget’s aligned.
5 tips for living even more fabulously together
1. Workout better together
While we’re on the topic of more and better sex – oh, and setting worthy gay couple goals – another aspirational goal is being healthier, both with dieting and exercise. Twenty minutes of cardio 3 – 5 times a week and 30 minutes of weight training 2 – 3 times a week will get your blood flowing, exercise your heart, increase your bone and muscle density, and improve your skin and mental health.
Exercising together will also increase your energy for all that travel and all those marches you’ll be doing together.
2. Eat better together
Now about the eating better together part . . . eating healthy complements everything cardio and weight training does. It improves blood flow, provides nutrients to your heart, brain, blood cells, and skin, improves skin tone and mental health, and makes you feel better overall. Most people assume eating better means spending more money. This isn’t true. It just requires a strategy and grocery shopping smarts.
3. Talk with each other better together
No amount of talking will help if you don’t know how to communicate with each other appropriately. Some couples get this innately. Others struggle. If you’re currently in the latter group or you have been with most of your past relationships, make this a gay couple goal of yours . . . talking with each other better.
4. Serve the queer community better together
It feels like every time our community makes progress, there’s a politician or party eager to take us backward.
As we said above, this is one of the leading reasons we’re so passionate about queer money. The more financially secure we are as individuals, the more financially secure we are as a community. The more financially secure we are as a community, the more time and money we have to push for our rights. Your financial security as a couple and our financial security as a community will make those votes, marches, and fundraisers more impactful.
Then, maybe someday, so many LGBTQ kids won’t be homeless. Simply put, our financial security is our stepping stone to equality. Our community needs more advocates, and you and your gay guy are the advocates our community needs. You can inspire and encourage more in our community to follow your footsteps, causing the movement to grow by leaps and bounds.
5. Think better together
Your spiritual practice as a gay couple is as important as anything listed above. We’ve had some dark times, and one of the ways we’ve overcome them and been together for two decades is our spiritual practice. What does that include? Daily (as best we can), we read, often together; meditate; journal; recite individual affirmations; exercise, and make space to share our deepest feelings.
How to set targeted gay couple goals using the Q.U.E.E.R. method
Another tool we’ve used to stay focused on our gay couple goals is what we call the Q.U.E.E.R. method. Most workers are familiar with setting S.M.A.R.T. goals. Businesses often use this method at the beginning of a new year and each quarter thereafter to help employees set and progress with annual goals that align with the business’s goals.
We created a method that’s more adaptable and supportive of the queer community for personal goals. Q.U.E.E.R. stands for:
- Quantifiable
- Understandable
- Executable
- Exciting
- Relevant
Individuals and couples often don’t make progress because they lack direction. These are our 21+ gay couple goals to provide you and your husband with direction. We suggest that you pick one goal, do it, master it, and then move on to another goal.
Success is a series of small steps completed over time. Keep it simple, and you’ll be surprised by how far you two will go.