I am excited about today’s guest post, as it comes from my friend, Andrew Zahn. Andrew is an actor, writer, corporate sales trainer and candy lover. On his blog Creatives, he’s building a community of brave creatives who desire to live, work, and play with creative zest. He’d love to connect with you on Twitter and Google+.
When I was a wee lad, I’d wanted those ridiculously expensive Michael Jordan shoes: the coveted Air Jordans.
Photo credit: kevinv033 (Creative Commons)
While my parents weren’t willing to pay the $125 price tag, they came up with an idea…
A shoe allowance.
They gave me $15 per month to spend any way I desired, but if I didn’t have shoes for sports, sandals for summer or loafers for church, that was 100% my fault. And they promised not to bail me out.
I never got the Air Jordans but I do live debt free 25 years later. Thanks parents. Thanks Mike.
Enjoy the Budgeting Game
Budgeting doesn’t have to be a drag. It can be creative–it’s a choice.
Enjoy the game. Make it a challenge. Have fun doing it. Oh, and it’s pretty darn fun to not live under the thumb of debt, so why not make it pleasurable to budget?
A few ideas my wife and I have implemented:
+Fun Money. When we got married, I was against this concept. Now I love it. It’s this… Our joint account has two free accounts attached to it. Each Friday, X amount is deposited into our individual “fun money” accounts. This money is used for gifts, clothing, extras (like coffee, snacks and other budget drainers) and personal entertainment. It can be whatever amount you mutually agree upon based on your budget. This eliminates the need for us to have to ask one another “can I spend $89 on these slippers?”
+No Cable. Currently, we get about 4 decent channels. And although we could afford it, we don’t want the temptation. With our $8/month Netflix account and a few basic channels, we’re saving ourselves a ton a money. Since we aren’t lured by the wonders of cable, I’ve been able to write my blog, start an e-book and my wife has opened and grown her own business (Sugared Beauty). There’s better things to do. For reals.
+$20 Food Week. We once decided to limit our weekly food budget to $20. We cleaned out some old stuff in the cupboards and enjoyed some nice spicy rice and beans. Years later, we still have one or two meals of rice and beans a week. I love ‘em.
We can relish in not eating relish. We may loathe a fresh loaf and opt for day old. We laugh at the silliness of ordering two Diet Cokes in a “endless refill” restaurant.
Budgets are freedom. It’s a privilege to know your boundaries.
So thanks Michael Jordan and your (still) overpriced shoes. You’ve taught me discipline that carries on to this day.
Cool thing is, now I can afford the Jordans. Maybe I’ll go snag some…
How can you make your budgeting a game rather than a chore?
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