Man, the longer I'm in this family finance class the more bummed I am that I didn't study accounting or business. I've just gotten so into it, you know?!
Since the beginning of the semester Chris and I have changed lots of different things about our finances. However, the biggest thing that we've changed is how we budget. We sat down at the end of January and really looked at our budget, how well we were saving, and what we spent money on. Up until that point we'd put money in savings pretty regularly but not consistently; we'd spent an inordinate amount of money on eating out, and we were always stretched at the end of the month, trying to figure out how to make it and pay all of our bills.
We stuck to a strict budget all of February and March and April is looking to be on the same track. Let me tell you - it has
changed our relationship. We had a conversation about a week ago about how we haven't had a big argument since January and we haven't been stressed about money in the longest time. We now know where all of our money is going to and how much we can expect to have for different categories. We hadn't even realized it but maybe that financial stress was causing tension in our relationship. Without that tension we have been so happy with each other.
The timing of the budget did happen to coincide with when I stopped working in property management, which was an
enormous source of stress and anxiety in my life. So perhaps our miraculous change of heart (so to speak) was due to the lifting of that burden. I choose to belief that it's both. The combination of not working
in hell as well as being more secure in our finances has made us so much more happy toward one another.
Budgets are hard. But there's a reason all of the experts recommend them. It will change your finances and your relationship. Take my word for it!
