Budgeting

"Budgeting does not make one spend less, it only makes you feel guilty when you do."

So I love food, flowers, pizza, movies, new clothes, basically anything that costs money. I guess most people do. Now, I know we are really lucky and really we have so much to be thankful for. Our cupboards really aren't bare and if they were, we could afford to buy food, it just isn't in the budget. Both Tyson and I have been trying so hard to keep to the budget we have set, trying to save money because we really want to get a house, but we don't want to have thousands hanging over our head in debt. Thus, the budget. So we don't (well, we shouldn't) eat out, buy clothes if we don't absolutly have to, buy food unless it is something that is needed, drive unless we have to, stuff like that. Poor Tyson has to walk to work (that isn't so bad, but it is that he doesn't have great shoes, so his feet and back kill all the time unless he wears his tennis shoes with his work clothes, so humiliating for the poor darling). We are on tooth paste "rationing" as Tyson calls it, and I swear everything in this world is getting more expensive by the second. Chicken costs $10 for like 5 chicken breasts. What is that? And $3.50 a gallon and soaring for gas? How are we supposed to live?! I have to drive 15 min to my job and back, soon it won't even be worth what I am getting paid. Not to mention, I don't just need food, I am also a food source. I don't know if I can handle being rationed any lower. Hehe, no really, I just like to vent, we really are very blessed. But sometimes I wonder how we are going to keep paying for all the things we need when they just keep getting more expensive and we are getting paid the same amount we were before.

Money Changes

So this past week Tyson and I have really decided to start making changes with what we do with our money. Luckily, we don't have any debt, but we also don't have much to spend either. Tyson works so hard, but SVU doesn't have a lot of money to give and we love it here and feel that the Lord stills wants us to stay. So we heard about this Dave Ramsey guy a few months ago and we started listening to his stuff and I just finished reading his book "Total Money Makeover." It is really neat and both Tyson and I are way excited about it. We have realized we are going to have to move out of our awesome apartment and try to find something cheaper because it just is too expensive. Dave Ramsey is a Christian and his whole purpose is to help people change themselves by making good spending, saving and investing habits. He really preaches a lot about giving and how much better you feel when you do, but that by having more money, you can give so much more. At first I thought it was just some Get Rich Quick scheme that Tyson always seems attracted to, but it really isn't and I am so excited to work hard to save money so we will have enough money for emergencies and for vacations and for our kids when they need things. I used to think money was evil, but it isn't, it can do a lot of good. I just still want to not look rich if that makes sense. I want to be like the Beverly Hillbillies, hehe. :)

http://www.daveramsey.com/