In the Spirit of Budgets

A monthly budget, it seems pretty straight forward, right? ... ... ... WRONG!

Luis and I are huge advocates of Dave Ramsey and his lessons on paying off debt, savings and priorities when it comes to budgeting. Unfortunately, although I am an advocate, things aren't any easier when it comes to the monthly budget and the multiple allocations for our fixed amount of income.

I have and use an extremely straight-forward template. There is a line item for all of the necessities as well as the options; and I am to fill in the determined amount for each item, every month. Yes about 90% of the items are fixed (or rarely/slightly change) including: rent, electric, tithing, groceries, gas, insurance, Urban Active membership and any other monthly bill we pay. The problem arises with the optional items; entertainment, clothes, home maintenance...those are the main items that stand out in my mind, but there are others.

So why is it so difficult when 90% doesn't change? Ya know, the more I think about it, it's not the difficulty of determining the "right" amounts for each field, but rather the discipline in actually obeying those "right" amounts. Because, once I type them in my little excel sheet, press 'save' and begin the month, things are "set in stone"...yes?

Let me first let you in on a little secret...it may shock you...Luis is the FREE SPIRIT in our budgetary relationship. Shocking, right!?! :) For the most part, he cares to have little to no involvement in the monthly budget assignments. And those months that he gets the itch to put in his two cents...well let's just say, that scenario is not nearly as smooth. So, in being the free spirit, he has the ability to wipe out any recollection of a budget when he really wants something; or when I really want something for that matter. Every now and again, I do get the urge to just say "Screw it. I'm ready to spend that money we don't have!" and Luis will be like "Sweet!" On the other hand, when Luis is saying that, I am able to quickly bring him back to reality.

I often tell him to quit making me be the 'bad guy' in our budgetary relationship. If people ask us out to dinner around the 28th of the month and we have no more money in our 'entertainment fund' the answer should be no...technically. Well Luis is a yes man, and so if he says yes and then I say "babe, we're fresh out of money for the month," well then I'm the bad guy. See how that happens? We're working on that. (Let me also say here that Luis' yes man and free spirit tendencies are also a few of the reasons I love him so much.)

So what's my point? Discipline. And our world has made it so easy to avoid discipline with money at all costs because now we can charge it and pay it back later. At least that is how it's suppose to work. Let me just say, it rarely does. Because it is out nature that once we get a little, we want more and the vicious cycle begins.

And so, we are working on paying off debt and enjoying life with what we have now. Dave Ramsey says "Live like no one else, so you can live like no one else." Hopefully that 'pays off'...see what I did there. ;)