(Image via)Being the Type A that I am, I like being in control of all aspects of my life (or at least, feeling like I am in control, anyway).
Of course, it’s impossible to be in control of all aspects of my life. When things start to spiral out of control, and I get stressed out, I find that working on my budget and calculating my net worth is therapeutic. For instance, this month has been a bit of a roller coaster for me – both emotionally and mentally. I was unhappy at work, I was starting my job searching and interviewing, I wasn’t sure about where BF was going for his MBA and our future together, and I wasn’t sure where I was going in life.
But one of the things I can be in complete control of is my spending on variable expenses. It’s now second nature for me to make a purchase and then enter the expense right away in my expense tracker, then do a bi-monthly and monthly tally, followed by a net worth calculation.
It gives me a sense of triumph to budget $300 for eating out, and then come in at $301 at the end of the month – even with a special $200 dinner for BF and an unplanned treat out for my family. I feel a sense of pride as I tally up my net worth – being sooooo close to reaching a net worth of $90,000 I can almost taste it – and knowing that I can reach a six figure net worth before the end of the year.
And you know what I started working on next? BF’s budget for his 9 months of school, and figuring out how much money he needs to save in the next few months. BF said it was okay for me to share it with you all, and get some feedback from you. Stay tuned!
Do you find budgeting or being in control therapeutic? What do you do when your world is spinning out of control?
fabulously fru-girl 
I love budgeting. It helps when I’m trying to make plans because I can say “oh only blank amount of paychecks before this happens.” If I’m having a stressful day I pull up my budget and see if I can tweak it.
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Yes!!! My budget makes me feel awesome 🙂 I feel like I am in control and I know where my life and money is going
I have a very unstructured budget. I have my automatic savings plans in place and use the rest of my paycheque for bills (the first paycheque of the month goes to rent, insurance, and automatic savings). I’m totally Type A too, but find that having a set amount to spend in a bunch of categories that aren’t always the same from month to month was frustrating to maintain (I was using mint.com at the time though, which would miscategorize almost all my transactions which made it extra frustrating).
Whenever I feel out of control I always just go online and look at my savings totals, and plan out how I’m going to save/spend my next paycheque. I find it’s so much fun and relieves stress at the same time.
i have never read a blog before or even know how to start one myself. how do you do this.:)
ps i think you have a fantastic way of running your world, im 32 and now just trying to start to put it in order. i have spent all my 20’s working in what i call a bubble and now need to contact the real world . entertainment has been my life . thanks for your time 🙂
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