What to Do When You Don’t Want to See What You’re Actually Spending
We’ve all been there.
It’s so easy to hit the “Buy Now” button on Amazon or to think, “Well, it’s on sale!” and to never keep track of the numbers.
When you start on your budgeting journey there are a lot of blogs and books that say you need to know where you’re starting. You need to know how much you actually make, what you’re actually spending, and how much debt you’re actually in. Which is a lot easier said than done.
Budgeting is a very emotional process. It is a lot easier to say “I’m going to allocate $50 in shopping” when in reality, you’re spending $250. But, in order to make your budget work for your life you have to write down that you are really spending $250 shopping.
So how do you gear up to do this task?
The answer: Objectively.
Also defined as “without feelings or opinions”. Straight facts.
The money is spent. There is no use beating yourself over what you spent. You aren’t getting the money back. When you look at the fact that you spend $80 in Starbucks this month – it’s just a fact. Write it down and move on to the next expense. You can’t take those Starbucks drinks back.
But, you can be aware that maybe you spend a little too much at Starbucks and you may want to cut back the next month.
Budgeting is all about being aware of what you are spending and what you are spending it on.
You cannot budget if you do not know where to start. If you are spending $80 on Starbucks a month and you would prefer to only spend $40 – then write that down! When you’re in the Starbucks line for the fifth day in a row, think of the goal of spending $40 on Starbucks – assess what you have spent so far – and make a decision. Will this Starbucks drink fit into my budget of $40 a month and do I want it right now? If the answer is yes – then buy it! If the answer is no – then step out of line. Life is a series of choices.
Kumiko Love from “The Budget Mom” wrote an excellent book called “My Money My Way“. It was all about how she tried to make other people’s budget numbers work for her life instead of looking at what she was actually spending. Once she was able to see what her numbers actually were – she was able to make her real budget.
You can’t make your budget for your life if you don’t know where you stand on what you’re spending.
