4 Reasons Why We Do NOT Budget

The word BUDGETING can stir up a whole slew of emotions (depending on who you are). Maybe the words “overwhelmed” or “impossible” come flying in, though for others, the word tugs at the very strings of your heart. The strings that love being organized and detailed. And you just can’t survive without it – literally.

When my husband and I were first married, I tried time and time again, to keep a budget. But I’m here to tell you that we are not perfect and we do not budget. Not sure if that is a mark in life that people try to accomplish, but we live our life in a way that doesn’t really require us to have one. And there has been much freedom in that! For someone who LOVES organizing, deciding to not budget, has been not only freeing, but helped us realize we need to think about every penny we spend because in reality, it’s not our money in the first place.

Here are a few reasons why we have chosen to NOT keep a budget:

We do not spend money like it’s going out of style.

Really, we are not big spenders. Trust me, if we allowed ourselves to be, we would be. When we first got married, we came out of college with a good amount of college debt. Though I suppose that is relative in this day and age – we came out with $50,000. It made us sick to think about how much we were spending on our school loans, so it sparked in us a desire to pay them off as soon as we could. That meant cutting spending or doing without, at times when we least wanted to. Yet we look back at that time and realize that it was that life experience that taught us we can live without some things. So how do we save?

• We do not go out to eat very often
• We do not have cable and try to keep our bills at a minimum
• We do not go shopping to just go shopping – I’m an online shopper so that I do not buy the unnecessary in a store. Though I do have dreams of being able to buy everything locally to support the small businesses in our area!
• We do not buy something unless we need it or have thought about it for a little while, to prevent instant gratification.

Budgets can take a lot of time.

When I was first trying to budget, I was always getting behind. Then I realized that as I was writing everything down, it would typically only be expenses that were needed, such as groceries and gas. Spending time writing down all the things we had to spend money on anyways, just wasn’t worth it to me. I know some financial advisors are just cringing, but if we are not buying lobster and saving on groceries where we can, it’s hard to budget. We knew in our hearts that we were doing the best we could with our money, while still trying to live. We also would rather spend our time trying to save money, than constantly trying to figure out where our money is going through budgeting.

We always know how much money we have.

We keep each other accountable. We basically do all online banking, which is great, though it’s easy to just pull out the card, right? But our accountability happens when that statement or withdrawal notice comes through. I also have quite a guilty conscience, so if I feel an ounce of guilt for buying something, I’m probably not going to buy it anyways.

In the end, I have to answer to God as to how I spend my money anyways.

I believe that the money God has given us, is truly a GIFT. I don’t want to use it frivolously or in a way that God would be displeased. Does he want us to enjoy life? ABSOLUTELY! If anything, remember that from this post. But I also know that we are stewards. My thought is with Dan – if I am worried about what he might think about my purchase, then I should question whether I should’ve bought it in the first place. Same with God – if I have guilt or am worried about what God would think, then I should think twice.

Do you budget? If so, what are some tips you have for budgeting?
If you do not budget, why not?

Do I think there is a right and wrong answer in this? Not at all. Each family knows their limits, their struggles, their desires, etc. All I know is that I am called to live in such a way that brings glory to God and to make His name known. And budgeting I don’t feel makes a difference – what does, is how we use what He has given us, to glorify him. And if you budget, I love it! Keep going! And if you don’t, I love it! Keep going! Enjoy what God has given you – God loves beauty – just look around! Go on that vacation. Go on that drive. Eat at that restaurant. Just know what God has given you to be a steward over and live within those means! My motto for life!