Mr. GV and I have decided to try a new budget. Now I am not one to talk much about money in public. There are two things that I believe should ONLY be between two partners and not shared with others---one of those things being details of their intimate life, and the other being the details of their money situation. That doesn't mean if someone needs advice/monetary help then they shouldn't open up to those that want to help them; I just mean I don't believe in talking about EXACT NUMBERS of income or savings on a public forum or in a group of people. Others willingly share these details and that of course is their right to do so. (Sharing amount saved in coupons, growing their own veggies, etc of course is a completely different thing.)
So--the budget. Mr. GV and I have never been good with a budget. For most of our 17 years of marriage, we haven't had a written budget. We just know how much we have coming in and how much we generally have going out. We put money into retirement, savings, and our only debt is our mortgage.
But we've got a few big expenses coming up in the next couple of years, and we want to save more aggressively toward them. So it's all on paper now, categories, amounts allotted in each category, and every transaction we make.
We've only been doing this about 2 weeks now. So far so good. Ha! Let's see how we're doing when the holidays roll around!
Mr. GV
Avid bicyclist, reader, vegan, medical professional, and all-around wonderful husband.
Mom
Great Mom and Nana who has a wonderful sense of humor. Loves to laugh and have fun. My best friend next to Hubby!
Sister S
Middle sister, loves anime, manga, and gaming. Witty and caring, which makes her a natural for her job as a CNA.
Sister K
Baby sister, wonderful mother to J. Enjoys yoga and Big Bang Theory.
The J Man
Nephew, son of K. Lives too far away but that just makes our times together more precious. Loves animals, WonderPets, and playing "Scary Monster." (Update 2012: Loves Perry. Favorite food: apple. Favorite drink: water.) (Update 2013: Lives near our town now, with his mom!)
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2 comments:
Now that you are tracking your spending, have you noticed any times where you would ordinarily spend and now decline to do so. Have you spotted any leaks where you are spending and need to stop? Or, are these things you will not discuss?
Oh no, I don't mind discussing that at all. That was our main reason for starting this budget. It's the little leaks that add up! It's only been two weeks, so I don't think we've faced too many challenges yet, ones where we would be tempted to go off the rails. I suspect that we will find out it's the gift category and groceries that we are overspending the most in. Those trips to Whole Foods are a doozy, and we get sucked into buying fun convenience foods that we don't normally buy at our regular grocery store.
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