Budgets and Bargains

If you know me, then you know I love making budgets. I spend hours in Excel--much like my grandfather--trying to figure out how much we can spend month to month in order to save a certain amount of money. And, usually, we never end up saving that amount of money. Things happen. Cars break down. Jeans get holes in them. Material items wear out. Nothing lasts forever.

So, why do I waste my time budgeting? Because I like to be optimistic. Eventually my tireless efforts will pay off. If they never do, at least I can say I've tried.

I'm fairly new to the whole paying bills thing. Since Kelly and I have gotten married, I spend more of my time trying to determine when each bill will arrive and when we have to pay it than I do worrying about anything else. I'm not sure if that's a good thing or not. Being married means I can no longer rely on Thursday night dinners with my father for food. Instead, I have to be smart about how we spend our money if I want to feed us.

I've learned how to be "cheap" with our monthly necessities; it's a gene my mother passed along to me. She literally gets free samples of cereal, toilet paper, granola bars, shampoo, etc in the mail every week! The list is endless. But her frugal ways have taught me a great deal about what I think I need and what I really do need. The difference between the two is mind boggling. Besides, I can't ever justify spending more than a dollar on dish soap, foil, or plastic bags. Thank you Dollar Tree!

I've become quite the bargain hunter in the last few months. Dollar shelves, Dollar Tree, and thrift stores are like old friends these days. They've all helped me see the price we put on a brand new pair of jeans (normally $40-60 in this house) can become a slightly worn and older pair (for a measly $10) if we're willing to put aside our pride and buy reasonably. There's no shame in hand-me-downs. Especially for young newlyweds.

For those days when the bank account gets really low, and my budgeting skills have lost out to the harsh realities of the real world, we rely on God to figure out our finances. He never lets us go hungry or without paying a bill. God always brings us what we need when we need it. Not a moment too soon or too late. He's always right on time.