I'm in the midst of a midyear systems check, and this time the focus is on budget. For most of my life, the main goal of my budget has been to either get out or stay out of debt. We've simply tried to spend as little as possible.
And yet, a lot of our favorite memories as a couple come from the time when we were just starting out + spending as little money as possible. We still found ways to enjoy an 8 inch pizza in the park + occasionally to even split a favorite candy bar for dessert. I still remember the first time we split a slurpie from 7-11 on an especially hot Denver day, and it tasted like heaven. It may not have been possible for us to have a slurpie every day, but that one was worth every penny. :)
These days some of our main goals include:
We have recently begun having monthly conversations about our spending, expenses + budget. And we've been discussing our dreams + what "enjoying life" means to us. What fun!
It's pretty cool to note that even though we have a little more income now, most of what it means to us to enjoy life involves things like: not having to worry about scarcity + enjoying the simple things right where we are together. I'm so grateful we learned the goodness of that lesson early on!
It's also been meaningful to me to plan a few enjoyable things into our budget. For example, eating out is a real treat for us...but I can still feel guilty about the extra expense (which puts a damper on the whole experience). When we decide that we are going to budget for eating out every so often (+ stick to that schedule), it alleviates that guilt + gives us something to anticipate. Instead of constantly thinking, "I wish we could eat out tonight" (+ feeling deprived)...we look forward to eating out on Friday + enjoy our other meals too. We draw out the anticipation (+ enhance the joy experienced) by discussing where we'll eat during the week + texting about it during the day on Friday.
It's nice to have a little extra wiggle room in our budget now, but it still takes intention + attention to stay within the limits we've set for our spending.
A few of the tools we use to stay on track include:
This year has not been kind to us. We've made some whoppers of mistakes + we've made some really good choices too. Budgets take work + commitment + discipline...but they can also offer boundaries + direction + opportunity. Opportunities for collaboration + harmony. The opportunity to recognize the inherent goodness of simple pleasures + the potent beauty of enough.
Love,
Jane
And yet, a lot of our favorite memories as a couple come from the time when we were just starting out + spending as little money as possible. We still found ways to enjoy an 8 inch pizza in the park + occasionally to even split a favorite candy bar for dessert. I still remember the first time we split a slurpie from 7-11 on an especially hot Denver day, and it tasted like heaven. It may not have been possible for us to have a slurpie every day, but that one was worth every penny. :)
These days some of our main goals include:
- prioritizing generosity
- maintaining our buffer
- paying off our mortgage
- dreaming (+ saving toward a dream or two)
- enjoying life
We have recently begun having monthly conversations about our spending, expenses + budget. And we've been discussing our dreams + what "enjoying life" means to us. What fun!
It's pretty cool to note that even though we have a little more income now, most of what it means to us to enjoy life involves things like: not having to worry about scarcity + enjoying the simple things right where we are together. I'm so grateful we learned the goodness of that lesson early on!
It's also been meaningful to me to plan a few enjoyable things into our budget. For example, eating out is a real treat for us...but I can still feel guilty about the extra expense (which puts a damper on the whole experience). When we decide that we are going to budget for eating out every so often (+ stick to that schedule), it alleviates that guilt + gives us something to anticipate. Instead of constantly thinking, "I wish we could eat out tonight" (+ feeling deprived)...we look forward to eating out on Friday + enjoy our other meals too. We draw out the anticipation (+ enhance the joy experienced) by discussing where we'll eat during the week + texting about it during the day on Friday.
It's nice to have a little extra wiggle room in our budget now, but it still takes intention + attention to stay within the limits we've set for our spending.
A few of the tools we use to stay on track include:
- embracing "enough"!!!
- anticipating + scheduling expenses
- practicing discipline
- remembering our priorities
- saving!
This year has not been kind to us. We've made some whoppers of mistakes + we've made some really good choices too. Budgets take work + commitment + discipline...but they can also offer boundaries + direction + opportunity. Opportunities for collaboration + harmony. The opportunity to recognize the inherent goodness of simple pleasures + the potent beauty of enough.
Love,
Jane
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