New Delhi, Dec. 2 -- For couples, money decisions evolve as quickly as life does. The shift from carefree dual incomes to growing family responsibilities can completely rewrite how, and how much you save.

Chetan Verma, 47, and Shalini Balim, 47, have lived that shift across continents and life stages. The couple began their journey as a "dual-income, no-kids" household (a DINK setup) while working in Africa-comfortable incomes, low financial pressure, and little need to plan beyond monthly expenses.

That changed in 2012 when they moved to Gurgaon and were expecting their first child, Vardaan. With parenthood approaching, their priorities flipped: clearing the home loan, strengthening health insurance, and actively tracking where every r...