Conversations on the Benefits of Having a Budget

So the other night I was sitting with a friend of mine, we'll call her Maxine (since that is what she calls herself) and we were discussing budgets. Maxine has a seasonal job. She works very hard fall through spring, but in the summer her work is so slow that she usually is laid off. I should note this is an actual lay off - unlike what is happening now where "lay off" essentially means "fired" - she is rehired again once work picks up.

Maxine was telling me that for the first time, she used a budget to plan out her erratic year, and she was really happy with how it came out. "I love my budget," I sighed dreamily. Maxine looked at me, puzzled. She had discovered how good a budget can be, but hadn't yet found the love. "Why?" she asked. "Tell me why you love your budget."

So I did...

Prior to having a budget, I equate my financial situation with walking through the woods - blindfolded. I knew that there were rivers and bears and trees and grassy meadows out there, but I didn't know where they were. People say that ignorance is bliss, but not in my case. Sure, I could pretend to be happy because I didn't see any danger ahead, but inside I always felt lost and scared - never knowing when something terrible was right in front of me. Even the good times were filled with fear - was the sun shining on my face because I had made it to a big sunny clearing, or was I standing on the edge of a cliff?

Over the last year I've been perfecting my budgeting strategies. Simply figuring out what bills I had to pay and how much money I needed each month was like taking that blindfold off. Sure, there was still danger, but at least now I knew where it was. Suddenly, I could see the little roots across the trail that used to trip me up. I could easily avoid them. Do you know that in the last year, when I have had to come up with nine hundred dollars each month and seriously feared foreclosure, I have never had one late bill? That I have never had to use my overdraft protection? And in fact, I have had far more money in my account than I ever had before? The biggest step was just taking off that blindfold.

Then I have tweaked that budget, tried new budgeting challenges and even created an extra budget based on time, which was like creating a map. The blindfold is off, I can see what is ahead of me, and now I even have a map so I can plan ahead. Sure, nothing is perfect, surprises could still pop up, but the big obstacles I can avoid or find my way across. It is so much easier to find the sunny meadows now.

Don't get me wrong, I still wish I had more money.. who doesn't? I have big goals and am working hard to make them happen, but I while I still have my own internal drive, I don't have nearly as much fear. Getting your financial house in order isn't about being super organized or being great with numbers. It isn't about sacrifices, suffering or scrimping. It is about putting everything on automatic so you don't have to worry anymore. It's making it so you can just glance around and see where you are in the woods, rather than having to feel your way every inch. People sometimes say to me about how much work it must take to do what I do, and I just keep trying to tell them, yes it is a little work - but all it does is make life so much easier.



Photo by: kwefeldein
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