Y'all it's time. I can't put it off anymore or else I will be living with my parents until I win more than $2.00 on a scratch off ticket from my gas station friends. Starting tonight, after this post is posted, I am going to begin budgeting. Ugh the word gives me heart burn just thinking about it BUT it has to happen. And y'all are going to be there every single step of the way as I complain and grumble about how I can't go out and use my coupons or buy something JUST because it's on sale or clearance or because I have a coupon. Of course, you can all join me in my little money saving adventure if you would like. Or you can sit and read and laugh as I strategically place my money into savings and divide and add and subtract it all for bills, rent, food etc.
Now, the second my Dad and I began talking about budgeting this is what was going through my mind, let's see if you can find the irony…
-I'll go buy a Dave Ramsey book.
- I'll download (and purchase) a software to do it all for me.
- I will buy a journal and binder and organize all of my receipts (which I technically already do) and keep it all in perfect balance all the time.
Hmmmm….yep, it's that bad. And honestly guys a lot of my compulsion to shop is a replacement behavior, dual addiction yadda yadda. I used to exercise when I was stressed and anxious, then that turned into binging when I was anxious and now I just shop and spend money. It's all about filling the voids people, the holes in my heart are trying to be filled by material things. You think I would have figured it out by now but that would be a negative. Well, I'm sorta making progress with this post, huh?
Advice on budgeting would be greatly appreciated. Dad said I shouldn't start saving for retirement or grad school or a new car right now because then I won't ever move out into an apartment sooooo let the ideas flow fellow friends. Let them flow.
Okay, five things that have been a positive in my life since the last post:
1.) Photographed this beautiful lady.
2.) Stumbled across Parks and Recreation on Netflix.
3.) Attended ReGeneration for FOUR freaking weeks in a row! Whoop.
4.) Met with all three members of my outpatient treatment team (dietitian and therapist today)!!
5.) Got personal responses from three of the girls from this past Survivor. I don't know what the deal is but I'm like so fascinated by these women, I want to meet them! I think a lot of it is because they are true, down to earth people who have a heart for friends, family and the important things in life. This could very well bring me to an entire new level of stalker but I believe that if you have something genuinely nice you want to say to somebody then you should do it, whether you know them or not. We need more niceness and less judgment in this world.
Who knows, but they're on my heart a lot.
Who knows, but they're on my heart a lot.
1 comment:
Caitlin! I love budgeting! It's the only thing that puts my mind at ease. As I'm about to move into married life at a young age and without a stable income, budgeting is my second best friend. You asked for advice and so I'll give you some of mine. It's FREE ;) so you don't have to use it!
1. ALWAYS TITHE. The Lord tells us to in His Word. It seems so hard to tithe 10% when you're working with so little, but it's always possible. He gives so much to us every day and makes it possible for us to earn the money. His glory and kingdom deserve some payment! Plus, He promises that He will always provide for you if you do this. Josh and I have seen His goodness through this! We have tithed when that was all we had and we still had bills due the next week. He worked out a way for us to pay those bills. Your faith will grow through tithing.
2. Keep a budget and do not forget about it. I use Dave Ramsey's online service at "MyTotalMoneyMakeover.com". The first 30 days are free, and after that you have to pay. Paying for it is worth it because it keeps you in line. You enter all your online expenses and can track your spending. I would always have a hard time just swiping my card, but this has helped me tremendously. If you don't keep track of where your money is going, you can overspend and get behind. You may even stress out and just give up.
3. Be realistic and learn to do without. If you could put money in your shopping category, but wouldn't have any in savings - just do without that month. It will be so much more rewarding at the end of the month to have some savings instead of new shoes! I can't even believe I'm saying that, but that's how true the statement is! I'll stand by it. :)
4. Find good deals. One thing Josh and I do is buy all of our groceries at Kroger. They have a deal where if, for example, you have 400 reward points you get $.40 off of your gas with them! You would buy food and gas anyway so why not take them up on the offer! Use coupons so that you save money and have extra for savings or yourself.
5. Find other ways to socialize. I used to go out to eat with friends, but now I go on a walk or watch TV. It's cheap and more fun!
I hope some of this helps you! Budgeting will help you so much. We all need to work on ourselves spiritually, physically, emotionally, AND financially!
Love you. :)
Post a Comment