Getting Real

After going to Financial Peace University last March, I have been attempting to work with a budget each month. Each month is broken down weekly. The goal is to spend every dollar on paper so that every dime of income is designated to a certain bill or savings. I used to use the budget forms included in the book that came with the class, but being the big picture person that I am, I now use my own system that lets me see the entire month, broken down into weeks, on one sheet of paper.



We got off-track at Christmas which I guess shouldn't be too surprising since this was our first holiday season with a new financial system. We didn't go off too bad, however, and the spending was much improved from previous years.



Anyways, I've been getting back on track as of January 1. It's kind of like going back on a diet for me. I am not a saver by nature. I am a spender (or as Dave Ramsey puts it, I am a spending nerd!) I like figuring out the budget. The only problem has been that I never seem to be able to stick with it 100%. I've been giving this alot of thought over the past two weeks and I've come to the conclusion that I'm not being real with my budgeting. I'm budgeting some areas far too low and have unrealistic expecations. Therefore, it is causing me to blow my written budget each month. I'm somewhat relieved because the budget isn't being blown because I'm going out shopping all the time. In fact, other than the grocery shopping, I don't shop. If the kids need jeans, I head to Goodwill. If socks or underwear are needed, I throw it in with the Wal-mart grocery shopping. So, I'm going to try to get real with my budget. I'm hoping we'll have a bit more success with more realistic expectations.