High-Fives and Budgetting
Recounting my tale of being witness to a young woman's shopping trip, I made Youngest Son chuckle. You see, this young woman was so excited about the deals she was finding that she kept "high-fiving" me. As I am not really a high-five kind of person, Youngest Son found my story to be quite humorous. Can you believe he even asked me if I knew how to do it?
Anyway, this woman happened to be one of the most enthusiastic shoppers I have seen in some time. Her smiling face gave evidence of a heart filled with gratitude for books and other materials found that had been on her wish list for quite a while. She kept coming over to me and putting her hand up and I kept meeting it with mine and a smile.
The woman shared with me that her husband had given her a budget and had told her to not call her asking for more money. She had purposed that this time she would consider well his desire. As her items were added up and she found that she actually came under her gift budget by a dollar and some change, she was ecstatic. Needing to place a call to her husband about something else, she mentioned to him that she had stayed within the amount given. He was pleased and she was smiling and I really enjoyed tasting of their happiness as well.
Later thinking back to the afternoon shopping experience, I couldn't help but consider that along with the satisfaction of the deals received this young woman had demonstrated the blessing of having a budget. She derived great pleasure from accomplishing a goal set with her husband. Often I have seen commentary on the negative side of "budgeting." Some would even prefer the words "spending plan"as if limiting oneself in some way would be detrimental.
Setting budgets can be very much like setting goals. Budgets help us to determine priorities and give tangible ways to meet them. Certainly there are times when budgets need to be reviewed, reworked and even amended for unforseen circumstances, but that is just a part of the process. As I so enjoyed seeing the positive response from the young woman who was shopping and high-fiving me along her way, I also realized that budgetting through the years has helped me meet goals I would otherwise have missed.
Do you see the word budget as a postive or a negative?
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4 Responses to “High-Fives and Budgetting”
December 6th, 2011 at 7:24 am
I see this as a positive, of course. I’m assuming that this woman doesn’t work and have access to her own source of income. If that were the case then it’s up to her to set a budget and not her husband. If both are contributing to the family finances then both set the budget and allow for individual and unaccountable discretionary spending.
December 6th, 2011 at 10:14 am
i prefer the words budget or savings plan. “spending plan” sounds to me just like it spells out-which is spending. and spending is where folks get themselves into trouble. the lady in the story might have saved herself even more money if she was not trying to spend within her means but rather trying her best to save more or make even wiser purchases.
December 6th, 2011 at 10:54 am
I think the word budget has gotten a bad rap. I prever “monitor your spending.” You have the discretion to spend less in one category and more in another, you just need to make responsible decisions.
December 15th, 2011 at 2:52 pm
I see it as a definite positive especially around Christmas time when budgets help us keep things in perspective. I know how much I have allocated for each person and stick to that.
I take things one bit further by keeping in mind comparisons. If I have a $20 budget for a few people then I try to compare the gifts I picked out. Two books and a mug filled with candy seem like a nicer present for my co-worker than a single large box of chocolates. Budgets do more than just keep us in line; they help us keep things organized and even.
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