“We fell off the budget train”

Well I knew it would happen and it finally did! I had a reader contact me this week, “we fell off the budget train.” We were doing so well, I had an interview that I nailed couldn’t have gone any better I was positive I was going to get my dream job and have an increase of about $20,000 we went out to celebrate with a couple friends dinner out drinks, spent the weekend grilling out and really enjoying the time with my wife and kids. I got a call Monday that I was the second choice they were filling to position with someone who was moving to the area from within the company and they had the experience that I was lacking. “We went way over budget” what do I do now? Do you have any extra room in your budget? Not really with the kids going back to school this next week, we bought some shoes and new cloths, backpacks, school supplies. OK, well take some of that back to the store, maybe keep the new shoes and a new shirt? Can the backpack from last year work? Probably, return the new one. What about all the extra stuff we spent? You can’t return food or drinks. You live tight for the month, this is not an emergency I wouldn’t go to the bank and take money out yet. Could you sell a couple things online? This is the month you are going to have to get aggressive on your budget make sure the rest of the month you are following your budget and plan to the letter. There can’t be a night of well I don’t feel like cooking. Sack lunches, no eating out even a $5 footlong is more than $5 when you get a drink and chips. No coffees before work, get creative. This is not the end of the world you can’t give up now. These things happen everyone has trouble months, I forgot this was coming. This is the time to get together and figure out a plan. Redo your calendar for the rest of the month. Where can we adjust? You can’t let one weekend set you back in your goals.

The main reason for the budget is so that you and your “budget buddy” either spouse or friend or parent are on the same page almost like a contract this is what we are going to spend. If you do spend more that originally anticipated get back together and say I or we screwed this up and move on. You can’t justify it to yourself you don’t get to say well we were going to go out anyway we just won’t go next month. No you have to adjust what you are going to do to offset this month. This is not an emergency do not go to the bank for this. A blown tire is an emergency, a broken tooth is an emergency. Too many drinks is a choice. Budgeting isn’t always easy, the first month that you don’t do it after you have been budgeting for a while I will promise you that you will wonder where all of your money went so quickly. You didn’t tell it where to go it just left all on it’s own.

“Everybody has a plan until they get punched in the mouth.”

– Mike Tyson

Expect to be punched in the mouth from time to time. This is real life, life is all about choices. What are you going to do? Let it ruin everything you have been working towards, or are you going to punch back? Do yourself a favor and go to youtube and look up “sounds like life to me” by Darrel Worley

not everything is going to always go your way all of the time you are going to have to do most of the work yourself. In the end it will be worth it.

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