Budgets make me giddy.
Sit with that for a minute.
I LOVE to make budgets.
I make a monthly budget for household expenses...Netflix...life insurance...IRA...tithes...taxes etc. and then copy it off so I can put a check mark in the column when the category is paid.
I make budgets for the vacation fund...this much a month to put away, which gives us this much by the time summer comes around.
Our vacations have budgets...this is what we have to spend for gas...food...tickets.
I know where every penny goes. Honest.
Long before I had ever heard the name Dave Ramsey (Google him if you need to), I was budgeting by envelope to keep myself on track. One envelope for food money, one envelope for monthly fun family activities, one envelope for miscellaneous. Once the envelope was empty for the month, then you waited until the next month. Note: This was also a great way to clear the freezer of the last two frozen hamburgers, one chicken breast, a pork chop, and the bag of peas and carrots that you just can't seem to make a full meal out of. Betty Crocker has deceived us into believing that family meals must consist of the same thing on each plate.There really is NOTHING wrong with everyone at the table eating different random leftovers for dinner one night...or two.
Lucky for me, my husband humors my type A (A+ if there is such a thing) personality that craves control and goes along with it. He happily accepts his $25.00 a month personal fun money (Yes, you read that right. We each get $25.00 a month for pocket change) and I happily accept mine. Sometimes we don't even spend it all!(Remember, I've been doing this budget thing a long time. We started with $50.00 each and have brought it down to $25.00 so we could put that other $50.00 toward something else. $50.00 x 12 months= $600.00.)
I love to make budgets for other people, too! You want to save $2000.00 to buy the new living room furniture? Show me your income and your bills,follow the plan I make for you, and in no time you'll be sitting on that new sofa. You want to know how to be able to save $5000.00 for that vacation you've always wanted? It can be done.
If you've never tried it, I encourage you to do it for three months. Sit down with all of your bills, your income, and your desires and plan it out to the monthly penny (always leave $100.00 cushion in the checking account though). Stick to it. It will be hard at first, but after three months, maybe you'll be surprised at the small nest egg you've started that you never thought you'd have, or maybe that possible summer trip you didn't think you could manage will be a little more real, a true possibility.
This I know. Doing it won't hurt you. You won't spend more money in those three months, and if you've never budgeted before, perhaps it will open your eyes to where your money goes and how you are spending it.
And maybe that list of dreams that you have shoved to the back of the drawer will find its way into the light again.
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