Okay. Tomorrow is May 1st, and that means that we (my darling husband and myself) need to start sticking to a budget. I know that for this to work we both need to agree to the budget, and while I’m all gung-ho on the Total Money Makeover front (actually was doing some research into Mutual Funds today), my husband is slowly getting it. I am hoping that after this month he will be on board. 
That being said, this budget thing is HARD WORK! I’ve been trying to figure out how we’re gonna eat, and how we’re gonna put gas in our cars, not to mention find money to go see movies (hubby gets tired of staying at home every weekend). It’s a little bit frustrating for me, because I really want to get out of debt NOW, so that we can have more money to play with LATER. I understand that it’s going to be tight for a year or two, but so what? If that means that we eliminate credit cards, car payments and student loans, then the only things we’ll have to worry about is a mortgage (God willing that will happen before the end of the year), power, water, gas and groceries. I cannot WAIT to get to that point. It just seems SO far away right now.
Fighting this budget thing is a real challenge for me…I’ve never actually put down on paper what we spend and where it goes. I’m actually a little bit scared that it won’t work. I’m sure that when the end of the month rolls around, I’ll be much more comfortable. No one gets good at anything without practice. And that’s what this is going to take. LOTS of practice!! I just cannot wait until there are less bills and more money….I know that it seems like a really long ways away, but it’s not. I just need to get comfortable with that.
{ 4 comments… read them below or add one }
I have been on the whole “debt reduction” thing for like 3+ years now and have only recently started a budget. What I found out was that Jay was eating breakfast and lunch out and we were spending like $450 a month on eating out! WOW! So we’ve gotten him on a plan to eat breakfast (he likes the microwave sandwiches…he likes making things REALLY easy) and lunch he now takes. We are spending a lot more in groceries, but it’s healthier for him and it saves up money in the long run.
I have been using Quicken online for the past few months and like it. It tracks where you spend and gives you some nifty charts and graphs. It’s also free!
I’ve been a Dave fan for a long time. Once you get your credit cards paid off you will never ever miss them. Are you using the envelope system?
I don’t do a written budget because we own a business and never know how much money we will have when or what bills we will have or how much they will be…we just know that they will be paid in full each month. I do keep an accounts payable list, which is sort of the same as a budget.
Like Dave says, you WILL have more money when you tell your money what to do. I understand wanting the be gazelle intense, but don’t deny your husband a movie date night with you. That will not set you back that far from your goal and it can be a reward for staying on track.
Bree, you can do this!!! When DH and I first looked at how much we were spending out to eat our jaws hit the floor! Now we have a certain allowance each week and do a great job sticking to it. (I don’t miss Starbucks, TOO much, either!)
I agree with pp, we do NOT miss our credit cards! We finally have them ALL paid off and besides emergencies, have absolutely no need for them!
I got to see Russ Carrol speak about The Total Money Makeover at the JA convention this weekend. He’s worked for The Lampo Group for Dave for like 12 years. He’s not as dynamic as Dave but he gave a good presentation. I thought about you while I was there. =o)