I feel like I blog a lot more about the diet than the budget. The reasons for that are multi-faceted I suppose. Budgets are more private, you can't see my bank balance, you can see my weight, that kind of thing.
Also, the budget is much more easily under control, everything has its little category and I am doing my darnedest to stick to it.
I do find myself in a bit of a quandary though... Currently I have a little extra money. Between successful budgeting for over 2 months, savings and a weird calendar that has resulted in a seemingly "extra" paycheck this quarter, I am not destitute like I was in August and September.
What I have found is that it is much easier to stick to a budget when you have no money. That may seem elementary, if you don't have the money you can't spend it. With the money present in my account it is harder to say no to dinner out or a manicure. These are not huge indulgences. I didn't get in to debt from huge indulgences though, it was 20 years of dinners out and manicures.
I am grateful for the breathing room, especially with the holidays right around the corner, but I know eventually that money is marked for something, it wasn't lottery winnings I stumbled upon, it is part of my annual income and I cannot fritter it away.
It is a huge temptation though, like the cookies I failed to stand up to this past weekend, I need to look at this challenge as a test of my fortitude in my long journey. If you see me with highlights, knock some sense into me.
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