These are some of my priorities. Priorities are not always fun. I try to spend my money on things that bring me joy, but let’s face it. Most of the things I spend my money on are not super exciting. Now, what does get me excited?
Going out to eat, vacations, date night, outdoor adventures, our dogs; now those are the priorities I enjoy the most. But does that make them more or less important than the others?
I don’t love paying rent, but I sure do love having a place to live and store all my stuff. Our disability insurance feels like a waste of money-just like we hoped it would be. And gosh, who cares about car maintenance, except those of us that like having reliable, healthy cars.
That’s up to you to decide. But we can’t deny that these things are important. If I don’t put gas in the car, how am I going to make money so I can go on a cool vacation, buy treats for my dog, or give more? If I don’t have a roof over my head, I don’t think I’d be too focused on planning a fun date night this Saturday. And if I don’t pay for boring old insurance to protect my income, my health, or all my stuff, well, I could lose it all anyway! So the boring priorities really give me the capacity to build the life I want. And, if that’s true, maybe they’re not so boring after all.
We work hard for every dollar we make. We deserve to spend those hard earned dollars on the things that are most important to us. Those things are our priorities. We may not always take pleasure from every single thing we spend money on, but that doesn’t make them any less important. The budget allows us to put our priorities out there in black and white (or blue and green if you’re looking at the mobile app).
When we check the budget before we make our spending decisions we ensure that those dollars continue to be protected for our priorities. When life happens and our priorities change, our budget can change right along with it-all the while keeping us completely aware of what our priorities are and which ones we can afford right now.
Budgeting is not restrictive. You won’t be spending less, you’ll be spending right. So what do you have to lose? Except all that debt and stress?
