The B Word

Written by Laura

Treasure 

1  a (1) : wealth (as money, jewels, or precious metals) stored up or hoarded <buried treasure> (2) : wealth of any kind or in any form

    b : a store of money in reserve

     2

:  something of great worth or value; also : a person esteemed as rare or precious

     3

:  a collection of precious things

In March, we are going to focus our writing on the theme of treasure. We aren't just going to focus on the money aspect of this word, but hope to explore the fullness of it's meaning. 

But, being a good steward of finances is a passion for me, so we are going to focus on creative ways to save money. I want people to feel like they have a good handle on their finances, not so they can just sit back and be comfortable, but so that they can be free to be generous, seeing and meeting the needs of those around them.

Part of having a good handle on where your money is and where it's going is the dreaded B word. 

Yes, Budget! What were you thinking? ;)

Stick with me. I did not always love budgeting, in fact I hated it. In college, I had to learn this lesson the hard way. I quickly realized that my part time jobs did not supply me with enough money to buy all the cute clothes I "needed" and pay for my gas, cell phone, etc. I needed to make wise choices, and sometimes I did, but very often I didn't.

Hubby and I got married before our last year of college. We were both in school full-time and working part-time. We have very generous families that helped us a lot that year, but we knew we needed to be careful with our money and we did not want to go into debt.  So, we sat down and made a budget. It was very difficult for me at first, I was kicking and screaming in my heart against these perceived "constraints" on my spending.

It took awhile (we have been married almost 10 years), but since those early years, I have embraced the budget. I have seen it's value in what it has allowed us to do, and the bondage that it has saved us from.

A few years ago, we switched our budget to the cash envelope system. People often ask me about this, and I always give the same answer "I love it!". We get our money out in cash after our paycheck is deposited and put a determined amount of money in each envelope to last until the next paycheck.  I am visual and it helps me to see exactly how much money is in a given category and if it isn't spent within a month, it rolls over to the next month. If the money in a certain envelope runs out, we can't make any more purchases in that category until there is more money.

Kelly asked me to do a challenge for her and anyone else that wants to. I'm challenging her to use the cash system, starting with just her monthly grocery budget. She is going to weigh in throughout the month with how it's going. For her, she will get $100 a week and when it's gone, it's gone. Who wants to try it with us?