Budgeting Is A Blessing!

by Susie Flemming
(Orlando, Florida)

I have to be really honest. Budgeting does not come naturally to me. My husband, on the other hand, is a natural born money manager.

Our finances has been the one source of conflict in our relationship. He cannot for the life of him understand how simple addition and subtraction can be so complicated for me to apply when managing my checkbook. Sometimes I wonder myself. I passed college calculus, so I am capable of addition and subtraction!

For me, the complicated part runs a little deeper.

When you finally reach the tipping point – that point in time where you just don’t want to go back – and you are ready to accept responsibility for your personal finances, you will be able to create a budget that you can live with. I’m living proof that a person can change, and improve.

The ‘American Way’ of immediate gratification sent me into personal financial chaos. That is where sticking to a budget has become a bit more complicated for me. Immediate gratification simply became a bad habit. And unfortunately living here in the United States, we are not only encouraged, but "enabled" to have whatever our heart’s desire, right now.

Recent events – this economic recession – demonstrates on a grand scale how the ‘American Way’ of immediate gratification leads to chaos and loss. I’m thankful to have reached my tipping point and to have changed my bad habits before becoming a statistic.

As a result, we have been fortunate enough to weather this financial storm. I’m not so sure that would have been the case if I had not made the commitment to my family and myself to work hard to become financially responsible vs. being the source of our financial drain.

I’ve realized that budgeting isn’t the hard part. It really does only require simple addition and subtraction. The hard part is breaking the habit of immediate gratification and building strong discipline to know what I can actually afford and how to save for what I want to buy - before I buy it.

It's been amazing to experience how making consistent and seemingly small choices eventually turn into good healthy habits that create a significant, positive impact.

Although I have fully embraced our monthly household budget (Special thanks to Richard Gorham for providing this wonderful tool!), from time to time I still have the urge to have whatever my heart desires, at that very moment.

I am motivated to check myself, however, by remembering how I no longer feel stressed about personal finances.

I can now see past the immediate "want to have it now" feelings. I can now imagine how great it will feel to be completely financially free!

I accept the fact that personal financial management is not my natural gift. But after reading the book, Talent Is Never Enough: Discover the Choices That Will Take You Beyond Your Talent by John C. Maxwell, I realized that natural talent does not equate success.

I can live with that….and my budget.