14.
“I didn’t marry just for money as I love my husband — but when I first started dating him, it had a lot to do with his career and income. I grew up well off and lived a very comfortable life. I went to university but lost my way and ended up graduating with a useless degree. I never found my niche and got stuck in a number of dead-end office jobs. I even worked a second retail job just to have some extra cash and a little more of a social life. During this time, I was dating a lot, but the relationships would end with me getting hurt emotionally and financially. I spent a lot on my exes and felt like I was supporting them financially while we dated (putting gas in their car, buying groceries for them, lending money, etc.). I knew I wouldn’t be happy living paycheck to paycheck; I wanted to live the way I grew up, comfortably, and if my career wasn’t going to provide that for me, I needed to find a husband who would.
“My new dating rules were that he needed to drive a nicer car than I did, needed to be able to pay for the first four dates, have their own place, have a college/university degree and be using it, and have some sort of long-term financial goals. Once I put those rules into place, I found myself a lot happier — I was dating men who I had more in common with and I could see a long-term future similar to my own upbringing.
“On the first date with my now husband, he took me to an inexpensive restaurant, but we got along well. After dinner, he showed me his recently purchased car and asked me on a second date. We continued to date for about a year, and then, he was being relocated for his job. I was devastated because I loved him, but I knew I couldn’t afford to leave my job and move. He asked me to come with him, and I explained I couldn’t afford to; he said he would take care of me for the rest of my life. He proposed, I said yes, and we moved. He has taken care of me ever since.”
—35, England
Source: https://www.buzzfeed.com/lizmrichardson/people-who-married-for-money-over-love
