The Low Down on the Budget and Envelopes

So, I promised that I would update you guys on how it has been since we went on a stricter budget using envelopes. I know that was like 3 years ago.........so here goes!

And I will be honest.

I have a love/hate relationship with those little envelopes. I love what they stand for such as commitment, perserverence, money in our pockets, etc. But putting them into practice is way less romantic than all of these ideas. It can be downright annoying.

We are on month 5, I believe and we have had our ups and downs. Downs include getting to the 15th of the month and realizing that we are out of money in food! Try that on for size!! By the end of the month, I was serving bread and water for dinner like we were prisoners. (ahh....I can be so dramatic!) Wes and I have been able to put Houdini to shame by being able to make those envelopes and the food in our house stretch to the bare bone.

The envelopes can drive you crazy but then a magical thing happens. The end of the month comes. It's a beautiful time!! I feel like the richest person in the world when I get those bills out of the bank. So, look for me someday at the first of the month leaving my bank and I will be fanning myself with bills. These are the moments that keep me going strong; the knowledge that every month offers a new chance to succeed.

So is it worth it? Will we keep doing it?

We had to ask ourselves this question just last week when Wes said that I was getting angry about our money. Hmmm....talk about having to take a step back and look at yourself. He said that it wasn't worth it to reach our money goals if I was going to be stressed all the time. Alas, he is right! Life is too short to be a nazi about money.

But here's the catch. I can't just go crazy and not have any sort of structure. I know myself and I know that I don't like to tread water just staying in the same place. I have goals for our family that are going to require some sacrafice on our parts. And I think that it's something that we can do. I know I have talked about this before, but watching that series on the History Channel about how America was settled has had an impact on me. These people gave everything they had to make a new life for their families. Some paid for it with their lives. Why can't I just stick to a simple budget??

So, in the end, the envelopes are staying. And my attitude has had to be the thing that changes. It's only been a week since we had that fight...uh...I mean discussion....but I'm trying to not be so uptight. We'll see how it goes!!