When I began this site and blog, a big encourager of this whole deal said I should write a blog on budgets. Me? We're broke! What can I say about budgeting? She didn't see it that way. She saw a wife and mom working here and there while her husband was at work to earn some extra. She saw a woman feeding four mouths and making sure it was there for every meal and snack. She saw me trying to get us where we should be. But she didn't see the behind the scenes. She didn't see the fear and anxiety. She didn't see the struggle to make ends meet or the juggling of funds. I am a great actor when necessary.
A few months ago I got some new neighbors. Through discussions and joking, it was brought up that I was going to try us on some Dave Ramsey stuff. Well, except I didn't quite understand it all. So what do my neighbors say? "Dave Ramsey? We love Dave Ramsey!" Huh? Yup. The answers to my prayers for financial freedom moved on in next door. Over the last three months my family has been living on a budget. A real life, big girl panties, no going back, budget. And you know what? It's. Ah. Maze. Ing. Yup. I have never felt so much relief in our finances. Okay, so that isn't always true. Sometimes I just want to go running to Target and spend $100 on whatever I feel like - clothes, shoes, office supplies, a snack and drink. There are some days that I feel the noose of the budget as restriction from the things I want to do. But then I take a look at what that budget has actually done for us. We have money saved up in case of an emergency. We tithe like we are supposed to without waiting for the next paycheck to cover it. We have money for food, gas, bills, family fun. We are taking all extra money and paying down debts - holy cow, thank you Jesus - and seeing/feeling the difference. And there are little categories in the budget that will help my sanity, once they get a few months behind them. So that pair of sneakers I wanted to buy on Sunday aren't condemned to lie the shelves until dismissed. I'll be back in a month or two when my budget has saved the money and I can pick up some sneaks for work. Sweet deal. Budgets aren't impossible, if you are taught how. I highly recommend a budget, no matter who you are or where you are in life. You need to make sure you know where your money is going, and be able to tell it where to stay. I know Dave Ramsey rubs people the wrong way sometimes, but he knows his stuff, and he admits where he screwed up before. The idea of a zero based budget may seem like a foreign language completely. If it is, find someone who knows how it works and learn from them. I can't tell you how thankful I am for my neighbors. Learning these simple things will make this school year, this Christmas season, and every day life easier and stress free.
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May 2023
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