I’m amazed how this budgeting thing works. You watch the pennies and suddenly dollars appear. As we take small, baby steps toward our own money responsibilities, our world comes together to support us and help us celebrate our new found responsibility.
Some might call it spiritual forces.
Right before Christmas hubby and I were in budget crises, trying to figure out how to pay for the holiday and presents and have a nice time with family. We watched the pennies, and were grateful for the money we did have. We didn’t whine or complain about our lack of cash, but we carefully tracked what we did have, and where it went. Almost every evening hubby worked on the budget – not obsessively, although it might sound like it was, but with care, adding up what we’d spent, and what was coming in each day.
Low and behold, right before Christmas I was sent a rather large check – almost $600.00! Totally unexpected. It came from a sale of my marketing book to a large distributor. Unexpected as I hadn’t sold anything to this distributor for more than two years, and suddenly, he sold some books and mailed me a check.
YEA!
As we watched the pennies, our intention was rewarded and extra dollars came our way.
This year, even though we came into a small inheritance, we are still watching the pennies. Every small amount counts towards our budget. We have a little more fun money, but that doesn’t mean we are going into spending overdrive – far from it – and I can see the same principle continuing to work in our lives.
We take care of the small stuff, take baby steps in the right direction, and the outside help leaps forward. We’ve had another unexpected check come in from MIL’s (Mother in Law) estate. Small, but unexpected, we are budgeting it as we would any other money coming in.
Some for life, play, some to save, some to give.
Try it. Here are the steps:
1. Write down what you spend.
2. Pay bills, Save, Have fun, Give – but don’t be wasteful. Give thought and choose carefully in each area.
3. Be grateful. Give thanks as you pay bills, have fun money, put some in savings.
Have you tried it? I’d love to hear your stories.
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