Saturday, April 10, 2010

A Spending Plan!


Doesn't that sound so much better than the dreaded "B" word? A spending plan and budget are one in the same. We have been avoiding making/following a budget for over a year now. I have been scared to death to even write down our expenses. We had a crazy year last year and we have felt like our finances were out of control. We went back to Financial Peace last Wednesday and our first homework assignment is to make our budget/spending plan. Today was the day. You know what? We CAN do it! I am actually feeling like a huge weight has been lifted off my shoulders. We wrote down all of our expenses and debt and we have a plan. It's going to take a while but we can do it. Isn't it amazing how much energy and anxiety we waste with the unknown? Our situation isn't near as bad as I thought it was. It's very managable if we stick with it.

I have always been the kind of person that just did things "by the seat of my pants". I've never made lists or followed a plan. Planning and organizing our spending and household is really making sense to me now. WOW! I love the challenge of making our money work for us instead of feeling controlled by our spending. I always thought that I could just work a little more then I could keep up with our bills/spending habits. It didn't work. One of the things that they tell you in Financial Peace is to get a second job to get things going. I would strongly advise to first make your budget and cut as much and where ever you can before considering this. Please put a price tag on your time at home with your family before attempting this. I worked for 4 months straight without a day off last year and now look back and think how much I missed with my family. I know it must have helped our situation financially but I really am not convinced it was worth the sacrifice.

So, I'll be sharing with you all our successes and failures as we take this journey.

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