Having a Budget and Living on a Budget--Two Different Things!

For the past 5 months we have done horrible at living on our budget.  I looked at it every few days. Entered the amounts. Watched it go over. Redid it for the next month. Entered the amounts. Watched it go over. Redid....Get the point? I even had a conversation with one of my friends recently laughing about it!

Sunday morning I finally saw the big picture! We can't keep living this way if I plan to continue to stay home with our kids. So, Johnny and I talked about our behavior. We even pinpointed lots of our "stupid" logic and behavior.  For example: "Let's just pick up something to eat. We don't have anything at home." Or we go to the grocery store with no plan--"grab that, it looks good!" Or we go into a store for 1 thing and come out with 12...Living without a plan is what that is called.  Actually, I guess we had a plan--we just didn't FOLLOW the plan! You know, the hard part-making ourselves behave and having self-discipline.

So how are we getting back on track? 

1. We are going to eat all this random food we have collected in the house! We have a stocked pantry from all those "this looks good" thoughts. We plan on eating what we have and only purchasing those few little things we may need to complete a meal.  
2. Johnny is now driving the car to work. His first full week back: $136 of gas in the truck! He has to drive all the way to Plantersville. We talk about how nice it would be sometimes to live somewhere that we could just bike (the pedal kind) to work! Last year, we put 31,000 miles on our car.  I guess we'll even top that this year! Joy, joy...surely we don't need to start another car fund...
3. We are beating ourselves into submission by battling those thoughts of "just buy one" "that is why you work, right." I want a new camera-just located the exact one last week...I have been letting my nice gray shimmer through, getting ready for a trip to the salon instead of doing it at home(haven't been in forever!) Well, it looks like, I will be pressing the iPhone snap button a while and will be making a trip to Sally's in the very near future! Poor me! Right?  Absolutely NOT! I am blessed beyond measure and absolutely none of the things I "want" contribute to my real joy! Thank God that my true source of joy comes from Christ and not from things acquired!

For me, it is now a game. Will we win?  We always have--all we have to do is make ourselves behave! I'll know more on August 31st!

Live a Meaningful Life!