You know that feeling. Your face starts to flush. The hair on the back of your neck stands up. Your heart picks up a few extra beats.

The family money talk that was supposed to keep everything in order for the month takes an unexpected turn, and now you’re at odds with the person you love the most—again.

Budget battles can take all shapes and sizes. Maybe it’s an expected bill that hits at just the wrong time. Or a loan to a family member. Or a purchase you just don’t think the family needs right now—or one that you’re sure you do. But the source of the struggle isn’t nearly as important as knowing how to navigate the storm.

In marriage, effective budgeting means couples coming together each month for knee-to-knee budget meetings. And those don’t happen without lots of conversation.

Jump-start your conversations with the class that has helped more than 2.5 million families take control of their money!

More communication is awesome. In fact, couples who work together on their finances can see incredible results beyond the budgeting sheet. They can nurture troubled marriages and strengthen healthy marriages. But even the best budget conference can’t eliminate all of the tensions that produce good, old-fashioned money fights.

So, since you can’t avoid occasional financial dust-ups, you might as well learn how to make the most of them. Here are five tips for ensuring that your family’s money fights remain fair fights.

1. Recognize—and be okay with—your differences.

You already know that men and women are different. But being different isn’t bad. In fact, it’s really important. As financial expert Larry Burkett used to say, if two people in a marriage are exactly alike, one of them is unnecessary. So, recognize that you and your spouse respond to things differently then use that to maintain balance during your money talks. And don’t just hear their concerns; really listen to them and look for the truth in what they say.

Sesson 2 of complete guidance package  is dedicated entirely to this topic. Get a glimpse of what you’ll learn.

2. Focus on the real enemy.

Hint: It’s not your spouse, so stop putting a target on his or her back.  Tell your money what to do, NOT your Spouse.   Instead, zero in on the problem and work together to find a solution. We call this “budgeting from the same side of the table,” and it’s vital for making progress on money issues. Remember, you’re a team, so keep the fight focused on the real opponent.

3. Avoid wild exaggerations.

Two of the most dangerous words in any marriage fight—about money or something else—are never and always. It’s really easy to fall back on “you never do this” or “you always do that,  ”Or worse yet “What ever you want, Honey” But most of the time, those accusations are based more on emotion than reality. Don’t fall into that trap. Keep the room temperature at a reasonable level by refusing to drift toward extremes.

Video: Watch How this plan Helped Transform This Couple’s Marriage -->

4. Don’t be afraid of compromise.

You might think compromise is a dirty word, but it’s not. While you never want to compromise your integrity or wreck your financial plan, meeting in the middle can lead to a great solution. Marriage is all about give and take, so stay on the same page by allowing a little wiggle room on tough topics.

5. Keep the end in mind.

As a couple, you know where you are right now. And you should have a shared vision for where you want to be. So don’t let the immediate conflict erase the progress you’ve made or derail your dreams for the future. Start every financial discussion with the end in mind—and never let your fights move you off that foundation.

Money is an emotional topic, and how you deal with it will affect your family tree for generations to come. You might not be able to avoid every money fight in your marriage, but you can learn to fight fair.

And that can spell the difference between moving forward and getting stuck in a budgeting rut.

Start or continue moving forward in your marriage today!