Why budgeting is important… but definitely not fun.

Money and budgeting and I have never been on great terms.

Budgeting and my husband however? The best of friends.

My relationship with money had always been a precarious one. Either I was reckless and ridiculous or hyper sensitive to the thought of owing money I didn’t have. Money was to be spent and sort of saved if there was nothing good at the mall or online.

Money and Budgeting and I finally formally met when I got married to my saint of a husband. When my first student loan payment was demanded from me. And suddenly all the days of carefree spending were finished.

We had bought a home. We had a mortgage. I had student loan payments and now with our combined homes we had two cars, two insurance payments to pay each month. And suddenly after mapping out my monthly budget, my extra frivolities went out the window. And this hurt.

We had grown up money responsibilities. And my attitude to money was fairly juvenile.

I had a really negative relationship with it. I was miserable. I hated that I had to budget. I bemoaned the fact that I wasn’t rich. I would cry out, “BUT I WOULD BE THE BEST RICH PERSON! I WOULD GIVE A BUNCH OF MY MONEY AWAY!” as if that were justification for all my wreck less spending desires.
The other realization was that I was going to have to start saving for my future. At 24 you think you’ll live forever. Putting away money that you won’t be touching until you are old? BIZARRE. But also terrifying to think of what would happen if I didn’t!

But as the years passed and I started learning to budget and then seeing the rewards like yearly tropical vacations and being able to help people out financially and more I was amazed at this feeling I had. This feeling of…accomplishment and pride. Suddenly I didn’t want to burn through our money.

Needless to say my budget-loving husband was joyful.

So while I may miss my days of wreckless spending when I was young and naive – I am glad to know that when I am old and grey I won’t be dependent on a piggy bank with 4 quarters in it.
And that’s a good feeling.