financial peace

about how we ended up on a budget

1.       I AM SO BAD AT BUDGETING.

2.       you see, in kelsey-world, there is little to zero moderation. it’s all or nothing. that’s why I’m really great at diets. it’s total deprivation of “bad” foods. but when the diet ends & I’m supposed to go back to real life & then moderate myself. well - to put it simply - ha! same thing with money. I’m really great at just not spending money on ANYTHING. don’t worry about me, I’ll just eat the office kitchen’s coffee grounds! I’m also really great at spending money on everything if it’s “on sale,” regardless of whether or not I need it. hellooooo, target/loft/h&m. I basically go back & forth between these two extremes on a bi-weekly basis.

3.       this is why we’ve neither gone into the red nor saved any green in the last 1.5 years of marriage.

4.       is this really depressing? I feel like it’s really depressing. things start picking up with #5, I promise.

5.       I stumbled upon this blog, & was quickly drawn in to Eric & Kelsey’s tale of pursuing financial peace. we inquired, & my dad (who is an elder at our church) was really proactive about getting a financial class set-up at our church. the class started in mid-february, & we hopped aboard the FPU train.

6.       in a surprising twist, jared ripped through his superhero spandex outfit to reveal his alter-ego – a guy with glasses, a calculator & a file of receipts, who is great with budgeting. & 401ks. & investments. &… I’ve run out of fancy money lingo. I get dry mouth & my ears start ringing when people start talking too in-depth about money, hence my limited vocabulary.

7.       so, we’re on a budget. & we’re new at it. & it’s been a little restrictive, but it’s mostly been freeing. the biggest change so far is knowing exactly how much money we have to spend on groceries/clothing/everything each month. it’s already improved my relationship with our bank statements. we’re making eye contact now, which is a huge step for us.

8.       is it perfect? of course not. in fact, being a little over a month in, we are babies, in the earliest stages of learning & tweaking & feeling our initial growing pains. & for ME, it’s super easy to just let jared go on with his bad self & not get involved. because, if you remember back at #1, I AM SO BAD AT BUDGETING.

9.       but we’re doing this together. prayerfully & with a whole lotta grace. it has been such an awesome reason to talk money as a couple. talking finances is usually scary & boring & puts at least one of us in a bad mood. but this has allowed us to break things down, get priorities/goals set, help us feel like we can be in a good place, & really, let us dream a little! I’m amazed at the discussions that have started with money management & ended with what type of bird feeders we’ll have at our first house, or how many pairs of shoes our first little baby will actually need.

10. in conclusion… well, there is no conclusion. we still have 6 weeks left of our class & then, you know, a lifetime of conscious budgeting decision ahead of us. but all of the life altering changes heading our way are a lot less scary now. it feels like we’re equipped. by God’s grace, we’re equipped with financial wisdom & spiritual peace, & it feels a little bit like the big life altering changes can bring. it on.

& that’s how we ended up on a budget. invigorating, right? ;) I'm telling you this because it is scary. & it is HARD. but we're doing it. & maybe just maybe, just like me stumbling upon the williams' blog, that's precisely what you needed to hear.

xo, kelsey