My husband and I are both what you would call "fiscally responsible" adults. I, in fact, grew up as a rather fiscally responsible youngster. I would always save up my allowance to get something I really wanted instead of spending it the first chance I had. When I was older, I spent my summers working to save money for college rather than having fun but having to pay off student loans later. When we got married we moved into an apartment that left much to be desired, but with a monthly rent of less than $500, we were able to save up for a down payment on a house and moved into one less than 2 years after our wedding. We never use credit cards, except for cash back on gas, and even that we pay off every month. I've often prided myself on managing money better than many young adults in this day and age.
That being said, I've never really lived by a monetary budget. We are not rolling in dough, mind you, but I've always relied on my (and my husband's) own good sense to make wise choices about where to spend money. God has blessed us richly, but we are starting to realize that, as our family grows and I am no longer working, we need to be more conscious of where our money is going. Thankfully, other than our mortgage, we are 100% debt-free: Praise the Lord! But, this is the first year that we have had 2 children and that I am not bringing in any type of income. And, with several large purchases looming on the horizons my husband decided, and I agreed, that we needed to make a spending budget for the year. So, here we go...a new year and a new budget.
I've realized that some things are going to need to change for me. For instance, I am by no means a shopaholic, but I do enjoy buying new things occasionally. But now, when I see a cute shirt at Target (which is probably my favorite store of all time and where I do most of my "guilty pleasure" spending) on sale, instead of just splurging I need to ask- is this in the budget?- and if not, I need to say no. Another thing the comes along with seeing the numbers layed out in a budget is worry. I'm prone to worry by nature, and I suddenly find myself thinking: how in the world are we going to afford a new roof?- we were told a couple of years ago that our current one only had 3-5 years left. And how are we ever going to save enough to buy a new, bigger (and thus more expensive) vehicle? And what about the paver patio we wanted to replace our falling apart deck? or the ceiling fan we wanted to keep our bedroom from being positively stifling in the summer?
As overwhelming as this can all seem, it also provides me with a new opportunity to trust the Lord. He never promised to give us everything we want (ok, the paver patio and ceiling fan and even the larger vehicle can wait), but he does promise to provide for our needs. And in doing so, this new budget also provides a way of teaching me some self-discipline. And who doesn't need that, right? I am also reminded that my not working, which drastically cuts our income, is a choice I made. I CHOSE to stay home and raise our girls instead of going to work, and I believe it is what God wants for our family. I am incredibly thankful that God has put us in a situation (and my husband in a job) that allows me to do that! So, here we go...a year on a budget. We'll see how it goes and how I do!
