Not in the budget
I'm pretty sure I've said those 4 words more often than any others in the last 1 1/2 years. (Except, perhaps, "I said no" when speaking to my children).
In February of 2009 we read The Total Money Makeover by Dave Ramsey and it changed our whole relationship with money. We now spend everything on paper (called a budget!) before we actually spend it. We use cash. Only. Which means we only buy what we can afford.
I love it and I hate it. I need new shoes, our comforter has seen better days, Bri needs work boots, I'd love to do a little redecorating. But...it's not in the budget. Yet.
The upside is that eventually we can work that all into the budget. Right now we're debt-reducing so the budget is tighter. I'm so excited for the day we can loosen the purse strings a bit. And it will feel good because we waited for it. We worked for it. Committed to a life-style change and stuck with it. We don't subscribe to everything Dave says but most of what he says just makes sense. Like use cash and buy only what you have cash for.
Don't get me wrong, I've messed this up more than once. Snuck a little money from the grocery budget for an impulse buy. Spent too much going out to eat so had to cut the clothing budget short. You get the picture. It's been a process of ups and downs. When one debt gets paid off you get a rush and get psyched up to tackle the next. After a few weeks the excitement dies down as you settle in for the long-haul. But we finally have a plan. A plan we want to do, together. It's been great not only for our finances but also for our marriage. So when I fall off the wagon, Bri's there to remind me of the goal (because I'm the spender in the family).
For now, I'll have to pass on the perfect comforter that I saw at Bed Bath and Beyond on the clearance rack because, it's not in the budget.
In February of 2009 we read The Total Money Makeover by Dave Ramsey and it changed our whole relationship with money. We now spend everything on paper (called a budget!) before we actually spend it. We use cash. Only. Which means we only buy what we can afford.
I love it and I hate it. I need new shoes, our comforter has seen better days, Bri needs work boots, I'd love to do a little redecorating. But...it's not in the budget. Yet.
The upside is that eventually we can work that all into the budget. Right now we're debt-reducing so the budget is tighter. I'm so excited for the day we can loosen the purse strings a bit. And it will feel good because we waited for it. We worked for it. Committed to a life-style change and stuck with it. We don't subscribe to everything Dave says but most of what he says just makes sense. Like use cash and buy only what you have cash for.
Don't get me wrong, I've messed this up more than once. Snuck a little money from the grocery budget for an impulse buy. Spent too much going out to eat so had to cut the clothing budget short. You get the picture. It's been a process of ups and downs. When one debt gets paid off you get a rush and get psyched up to tackle the next. After a few weeks the excitement dies down as you settle in for the long-haul. But we finally have a plan. A plan we want to do, together. It's been great not only for our finances but also for our marriage. So when I fall off the wagon, Bri's there to remind me of the goal (because I'm the spender in the family).
For now, I'll have to pass on the perfect comforter that I saw at Bed Bath and Beyond on the clearance rack because, it's not in the budget.
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