Hey, Everyone! Do you hate turning down things because they aren’t in the budget? Or when something comes along that you really want to do, do you bust your budget “just this once?” I know. I totally get it. I hate being in that situation. I hate turning things down that I really want to do and I hate breaking my budget. So what’s a girl to do? It’s a no win either way. So I set out to figure out a way that I could stay true to my budget while also getting to embrace the things that were important to me.
Planning is a huge part of sticking to your budget. Poor planning is almost a sure fire way to break your budget. But what about those things that come up that you don’t plan for? Well, technically, if it’s not in the budget you are supposed to say no. It wasn’t planned so don’t do it. But what if you really want to? What then? I’m about to share with you the little trick I use to afford almost any of those types of things while still sticking to my budget.
Here it is. It’s super simple. Don’t roll your eyes. Ready? DON’T SPEND ALL YOUR MONEY! Boom! What? Ok, let me explain. It’s all about prioritizing your wants. Not sacrificing what you want right now for what you want most. So if you have a misc category in your budget or even personal blow money, that’s where this trick comes in to affording things that don’t have a specific line item in your budget. Obviously, this is within reason and depends on how much money you have in those categories. But for me it’s the difference between going out to eat one night as a family because I want to get out of the house, have had a long day, don’t feel like cooking, life was stressful and want to blow off some steam, or saying no to that because it’s just a temporary relief and something I want in the moment but not something I will want or remember tomorrow or in the days to come. But saying yes to renting Kayaks and spending the day on the lake with my family for the same price? It gives you an experience that you will treasure, time spent with family and in nature. That is a real heck, yes for me.
So you can’t say yes to everything. Can’t afford everything. But you can figure out what is the most important to you to be able to say yes to. Even on the tightest budgets, there is still some non-essential spending. Some things or habits that we all do that might seem microscopic but when added up over the whole month or several months would enable us to do something we really want to that we think we can’t afford. No matter how tight our budget has gotten before, no matter if I thought there wasn’t one more thing to cut, there always is something that we can do. And that is a super liberating thought. We don’t have to be victims of small budgets but can wield them in a way that enables us to afford the most important things to us. I love it. It’s freedom to me. And freedom I want to share with you.
So let’s stop saying yes to the now things and wait for the heck, yes things. Life will be more beautiful, freeing and enjoyable and I guarantee you’ll have some pretty epic memories to boot.
Simply,
Grace