Budgeting

Budgeting is evil.

I could be calling it evil only because it's hard, but I still think it's evil.

I have been trying to budget my money for the past three years and so far I have a gained an okay grasp on what it should look like. I mean I divide the money into specific allowances for specific categories and haven't spent outside my means. Yet, the reality of me sticking to the budget is as real as Big Brother 15.

Every time my card swipes thoughts of excuses flows through my head:
"I think I had $20.00 left in my eating out budget last week when I looked, I should be fine" "Eating out is a social thing and I definitely can't miss out on that." "If I eat out this time I'll 'transfer' that money over from groceries. I rarely buy groceries anyway."

So over the past few months I have paid closer attention to my budget and found out that my previous method of budgeting has proven to be unsuccessful, to say the least. I would tease my savings and sometimes put money in that account, but not if it competed with a group night out! So I have decided to put my foot down for casual spending and raise my fist to disciplined savings and a maybe little less spending.

Hopefully just a little less.

I have sought advice from many people here at Pine Cove, who are financially wise, as to what is the best method in taking care my money. Each one has stated, that first and foremost this money is given to me from the Lord and the focus should not be on me and my work, but how I can steward this money in God's design. So, after many chats with my fellow budgeters I came to the conclusion to use the popular envelope system from Dave Ramsey's Total Money Makeover. http://www.daveramsey.com/article/dave-ramseys-envelope-system/lifeandmoney_budgeting/.

After reading the process and working this new budget into my life I have now coupled the budget system to all things evil like the Grinch and Cruella Deville 

Here is my log of recent battles with this budget

March 1: Dear Diary, after spending the day in town I am tired and hungry and want to pull into Taco Bueno to eat their dip combo, but instead the budget crept in on me and made me eat food at home!
Budget: 1 Fun: 0

March 3: Dear Diary, it's me again today was a better day with Mr. Budget. Its Thursday and everyone, really everyone goes to Chic-fil-a for lunch and I love Chic-fil-a. The decision came to go our not and this budget tried to keep me stuck at home so instead  I jumped into the vehicle with my co-workers and hit the road for lunch. I decided that today I am going to use this money and budget well for this meal. Instead of fighting with the budget I will work with it. Yet, before we headed into town we stopped in to check the mail and there I find a St. Patrick's Day package from my grandma with $20.00 inside! Thank you Grandma, that came at perfect timing I will use this for Lunch! So not only did I receive an amazing gift of cash I was blessed with eating at Salsarita's with my co-workers too! We passed on Chic-fil-a only this time to enjoy some white queso.

I will eat white queso any day. I could have a problem.

Already I have learned a lot from this system and I know I still far to go. But maybe budgeting is not all THAT evil and if I use it well I can still eat out AND have white queso.  I also learned that I should slow down on eating at the fast food Mexican restaurants.