Corrin from Broke as a Spoke is guest posting for us today. She gives us an honest description of how she began following her budget. I have to agree – one of the hardest parts of budgeting is being truthful with yourself. Hope you enjoy it! -Shayna
For over two years, I’ve been blogging my daily spending habits for all to see. For the first year, I lied. I omitted expenditures. I misplaced receipts for purchases I should have never made. I conveniently forgot about online purchases and quick trips to the book store. Did this make me look more frugal than I really was? Absolutely. Did it do anything to help improve my spending habits? Absolutely not.
The first step to implementing a great budget is to log spending, and that was the whole point of blogging my daily expenditures, but by not being truthful with my spending, I set my budget up for failure. I had to charge some necessities I would have otherwise paid cash for and I had to forego other, smarter purchases. My white lies didn’t lead to financial ruin, I never missed a rent payment or bounced a check, but it became easy to understand how people justify their spending habits and get themselves into real financial trouble. I finally realized there was no shame in admitting defeat, it’s okay to have that Starbucks and it’s alright to buy that book, but you have to be truthful and work those purchases into your budget.
Since coming out with all of my spending habits, my budgeting has improved, my awareness of the true cost of a purchase has increased, and I feel relieved. Logging my spending has allowed me to own up to my purchases and think twice before buying something that I just don’t need. It’s allowed me to save money and enjoy those extra purchases that I used to feel guilty about!
My advice to anyone looking to become more frugal is to take that first step and log your spending habits. Be honest, don’t let any purchases slip through the cracks, and enjoy that Starbucks if that’s how you choose to spend your money.
Filed under: Frugal Tips, Guest Posts
