While I certainly regret squandering my money, time, and energy over the years in favor of immediate gratification, it's reassuring to hope we can learn from our mistakes and change our behavior right now. Changing now beats continuing on a downward trajectory or wasting time bemoaning your mistakes, right?
While I think of myself as a smart person, I admit one of my shortcomings has been that I've mostly traveled the path of self-improvement alone without seeking or following the wisdom of others. I suspect this is a common enough character trait as are shame and the desire for privacy when you make careless mistakes. Inclusive today in my desire to change is a new found belief that humility and openness may be the keys to really changing and making it stick.
For two months now, I've made and followed a budget, something I've never seriously done, and I think it's going to change my life. At the start of the month when I'm paid, I budget every penny into categories based on my historical and expected needs. Then, as the month progresses, I track what I spend by date, amount, location, and category. At any point in the month, then, I know how much money I have left to spend on things like gas, groceries, and utilities.
While I appreciate the greater sense of control this give me, I mostly like that I'm looking at how much money I have left to spend in each category rather than at my checking account balance with worry as the month draws to a close. If I overspend in one category, it's simple to balance by reducing what I'd planned to spend in another category.
I haven't eliminated all my poor spending habits yet, but I'm paying down my bills and getting closer to the goal of being able to pay my monthly expenses a month ahead of time as I build up an emergency reserve. Also, as I better understand how much I need to live and pursue my financial goals each month, I find myself more thoughtfully considering what I can do to supplement my income.
To my way of thinking, I have a finite supply of money over which I can find ways to exercise greater responsibility than in the past. Sticking to a budget and working towards meaningful financial goals, which does not include acquiring worldly, temporal possessions, is a crucial skill I wish I'd learned and followed earlier in life. It leads me to wonder how I can budget all my resources, including time, energy, and calories, in pursuit of living a more honest, meaningful life.
