Howdy friend-os! It's been awhile! I hope you're all doing well, saving your money and enjoying a Lean with Green life, even if I'm not here to keep you company as often as I used to be. Sorry about that.
As I was tracking my weekly spending habits over on Mint.com (you should sign up for it - it might change your life), I noticed I had nearly blown through my shopping budget not even halfway through the month. "It's okay", I rationalized to myself. "I won't shop for the rest of the month, plus I got those shirts on sale and I needed them." Hmm. Okay. Need might be the operative word there. True, most of my shirts are either old maternity shirts (totally cute when you're NOT pregnant anymore) or don't fit quite the way they used to (oh, the joys of body after baby). I digress. But what troubled me was I started telling myself it was okay to spend everything I allocated within the first 10 days of the month...what happens if there's a better sale at the end of the month? Will I justify it then and completely go above and beyond my budget?
Usually, a monthly budget works fine for me, particularly on things like dinners out (delivery or take out these days) or grocery shopping. I have a weekly "target" if you will ($75 on groceries, for example) - if I spend over that one week, I'll scale back on groceries the next.
So, dear readers, I ask you - how do you budget? Do you set a weekly budget to keep a tighter grip on your money or are you more comfortable with a monthly budget for some wiggle room week to week?
Psst - if you're missing BudgetBabe in your life, check me out as Mama Mahvelous on my mom/life blog. I like it. You might, too.
