Dear Friends and Family,
We made so much progress on the budget yesterday!
I called the photographer for the school photos and negotiated a reduced price. Instead of paying $50 for a CD with the class photo on it, I'll be paying $25 for a CD and print of the class photo. That's progress. And, we found $154 on a credit card. We had paid one of our credit cards twice over the holidays. So, that's money we didn't have the day before. And, last but not least, we decided to stay at my sister's house for my nephew's birthday party.
And, that's what life is like on a budget. I wonder how many people are on one. It's not fun. It's not easy at first. And, it can introduce stress. Still, on the flip side, we're building up for retirement. We're saving for tuition for school next year. We're prioritizing our spending on what's important to us, and in the process simplifying our lives.
We've got $38 left for the week and that's not going to go far. We need toner for the printer and it can't wait until the weekend. Mr. mouse unequivocally wants to get invites out for P's birthday party because I am adamantly opposed to the concept of a "save the date" for a kid's birthday party. We need gas. And, either of those alone will chew up the $38 much less both of those.
I could theoretically get gas on the weekend, but it's more expensive. Or, I'm fine borrowing from the weekend budget since we found $355 through the above three changes. If I do the math, this is what it's like to be comfortably middle class and I'm okay with that.
It'll teach us discipline and teach P something about money. My parents didn't teach me much of anything about money and I had some painful lessons of my own before getting my plan in place. I think back a handful of adults who gave me some really good advice when I was in the early twenties. I think back to a pivotal class I took on retirement planning. I think back to books I read to get started.
I never thought twenty years later I would make the progress I did. And, I never thought twenty years later I'd be on this budget. Perhaps the two go hand in hand.
Cheers!
mouse
We made so much progress on the budget yesterday!
I called the photographer for the school photos and negotiated a reduced price. Instead of paying $50 for a CD with the class photo on it, I'll be paying $25 for a CD and print of the class photo. That's progress. And, we found $154 on a credit card. We had paid one of our credit cards twice over the holidays. So, that's money we didn't have the day before. And, last but not least, we decided to stay at my sister's house for my nephew's birthday party.
And, that's what life is like on a budget. I wonder how many people are on one. It's not fun. It's not easy at first. And, it can introduce stress. Still, on the flip side, we're building up for retirement. We're saving for tuition for school next year. We're prioritizing our spending on what's important to us, and in the process simplifying our lives.
We've got $38 left for the week and that's not going to go far. We need toner for the printer and it can't wait until the weekend. Mr. mouse unequivocally wants to get invites out for P's birthday party because I am adamantly opposed to the concept of a "save the date" for a kid's birthday party. We need gas. And, either of those alone will chew up the $38 much less both of those.
I could theoretically get gas on the weekend, but it's more expensive. Or, I'm fine borrowing from the weekend budget since we found $355 through the above three changes. If I do the math, this is what it's like to be comfortably middle class and I'm okay with that.
It'll teach us discipline and teach P something about money. My parents didn't teach me much of anything about money and I had some painful lessons of my own before getting my plan in place. I think back a handful of adults who gave me some really good advice when I was in the early twenties. I think back to a pivotal class I took on retirement planning. I think back to books I read to get started.
I never thought twenty years later I would make the progress I did. And, I never thought twenty years later I'd be on this budget. Perhaps the two go hand in hand.
Cheers!
mouse
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