Budget, Budget, Budget


I really think that BUDGET is Husband's favorite word. *sigh*

"Babe, did you budget for that?" "Stacie, how much of your budget goes to gas?" "Honey, I think I'm going to add more to the grocery budget." "How much of the kids budget goes toward doctor's appointments?"

See? He's a man with our family's budget on his mind. *sigh*

CONFESSION:
In all fairness to him, I am not the best at budgeting, by any means. Sometimes, I fail horribly at it. Truth be told, if were up to me, our family would have no budget.

What my Husband has taught me is a valuable lesson that I AM STILL LEARNING:

Paying bills on time and budgeting your money are two very different things.
(Let that sink in for a moment.)

Here's some background information. I came from a family where there was a lack of budgeting, not too much planning on what to do with money once it came in. Many times, the money was already "spoken for," a robbing-Peter-to-pay-Paul situation, gone as quickly as it came. Often, bills were overdue and there were some very hard times.

With that said, my mentality was, "When I become an adult, I will make sure all of my bills are paid on time!" Boy, was I emphatic about this. If I owed something, then I paid it right away and that was it. However, budgeting was not in my vocabulary. There was no saving for a rainy day, there was no allotting a certain amount of money for certain things. It simply was once my bills were paid, the rest was available for me to SPEND, SPEND, SPEND!

Paying bills on time and budgeting your money are two very different things.

So, fast-forward to me marrying a man who budgets money very well and even does budgeting for a living. Imagine my shock, my struggles, my denial, my ISSUES! Which brings us to the other day. Husband gave me a little more money to spend budget each month. I thought "YES!" until he called me from work and asked that I have a budget all planned out so we could go over it when he came home.

(Hopes deflated--dreams deferred! LOL)

What he asked is that I really think about the needs of our home, our family, and what I find myself spending extra on each month. So, I sat down and created a very simple chart of how the lump sum would be broken down each month. I had to have an amount that I save, no matter what. And whatever was solely "mine" to spend, had to be a smaller amount than the other categories. Husband explained that in order for it to be a "budget" I must stick to my plans, period. So these are the areas where the new "extra" money will go:
  • Savings: simply putting money aside without any "labels" attached.
  • Home: whatever items I need for organization, home decor, and bigger cleaning purchases (like a new vacuum--hint, hint!). Things that will help me make the house a home.
  • Gas: I know this may be a "strange" category, but with gas prices being what they are, and swim lessons 4 times a week, taking the kids back and forth to school--I need to have this money set aside.
  • Personal: I get to choose.
I would have never thought to budget "extra" money. You know my thinking, "I'm already budgeting in other areas. This is extra! Time to find a sale!!!" While this is a struggle for me, I can say that I am able to find freedom in practicing this discipline. It is also a very good way for me to practice stewardship over the blessings God has given to me and my family.
Thanks, Husband.

The post is linked here
Raising Homemakers

Comments

  1. Excellent post! Praise the Lord for Godly husbands.

    Your husband is blessed to have a Godly wife who is eager to submit to his leading.

    Blessings

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  2. Hi Lorie,

    You are so sweet. We're trying over here!
    As much as I struggle, it has been such a blessing. Thank God for a Godly husband. Take care, friend.

    -Stacie

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  3. Stacie - Loved this post:) In my marriage, I'm more like your husband and my Handsome is more like you:) We talk over priorities, I keep track of the bills and the budget, and I encourage him to budget and prioritize our wants so we can save for the next big purchase we want/need. (Our mower - the one I drove into a tree - is still chugging along, but my mechanical man thinks its only a matter of time, so I think that is our next big thing.) Budgeting works, though! We just budgeted away and paid off our last revolving credit account this week (we fenced in the back yard and had to pay the fence off). Such a good feeling!

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  4. Stacie,

    It looks like you and I got the same lesson from our husbands. :) I am doing better with budgeting the finances for the home, but I am far from being an expert.

    -Lady Rose

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  5. Stacie,
    We are working on budgeting as well. Two very helpful books are "Cut Your Grocery Bill in Half" and "America's Cheapest Family". Both by Steve and Annette Economides.

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  6. Hi Stacie,

    When I read: "Husband gave me a little more money to spend budget each month. I thought "YES!" until he called me from work and asked that I have a budget all planned out so we could go over it when he came home.

    (Hopes deflated--dreams deferred!)"

    I was LOLing too(:

    I'm striving to budget better as well. As we continue to cultivate Biblical womanhood, we are wiser for it.

    Insightful post. Take care and be Blessed!

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  7. Lady Rose,

    Boy am I getting a lesson! :o)
    But I see the blessing in it. Take care, my dear sister!

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  8. Hi Jennifer,

    Welcome to No Idle Bread!
    Both of those books sound very good. Thanks for the recommendation. God bless you.

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  9. Hi Snowflakes,

    I think it is something how God draws two people together in marriage. There's always something one spouse helps the other to improve upon. What a blessing!

    Yes, I remember the lawn mower :o)
    Congrats on paying off your account...I think you're right. You sound just like my Husband! LOL He says things like that, too.

    Take care!

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  10. Mrs. Gertha,

    Girl, yes! I had to laugh at myself, but that is surely how I was feeling! LOL

    Thanks so much for your encouragement. . .
    Take care, lady. :)

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  11. Ha!!! LOL...you really got me to chuckle,,,you can't imagine how 'freaky' it was to write all that and just a little worry that it'd be taken as...NEGATIVE, which as you so well saw, wasn't my intention!

    OH Lady! THANKS SO MUCH for your post here, and for being a friend. Did you know that FRUGAL..(jk *wink) is my middle name?? Love what you put down here~and it's the TRUTH! God brings to us our OPPOSITES or complements for our mates! And I blog a thrift blog called Thriving with No Green$ Thanks for blessing me~hugs, cheryl ;-))

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  12. LOL, it's okay SisterT! I knew exactly what you meant. And truth be told, if your readers are honest, they've had those moments too! But God gives more grace . . . Praise the Lord!!!!!

    I will check out your other blog. Oh, I need some strength in this area! :o) Thank you for your sweet words. HUGS right on back to you, too! Take care, my blogging friend.

    God bless,
    Stacie

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  13. I can so relate to this post, Stacie. It sounds like we were raised in the same type of home when it comes to money. I too had always thought until my hubby recently started a budget that paying bills on time was budgeting. *Sigh* I find budgeting hard but like you, their is freedom in it too.

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  14. Oh Jennifer (Unsell Family), my kindred spirit!!

    It can be so HARD sometimes. . . and truth be told, the spending is what is familiar, what I'm used to. So actually budgeting is a re-training of sorts. This is definitely where I have to "renew my mind" (Romans 12:2)

    Take care, Jen. Be encouraged and know that I'm right here with you.

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