Gails Blog

You only have to look at the comments section of this website to see that living within your means is something you can do. I’m always getting messages from people about how well they are doing living on cash, keeping track of their budgets, taking control of their money. Sometimes the messages come from the darndest places.

This came from one of the directors of my show, Til Debt Do  Us Part. Seems I’m seeping into people consciousnesses.

 

I don’t know if I mentioned to you that for the past 3-4 months, [my wife] and I had put ourselves on the jars.  I had actually gone to the trouble of tracking our expenses and it had turned out we were spending more than we should.  (Even accounting for maternity leave…)Anyway, I hadn’t realized how well things had gone until the past few weeks.  Over the holidays, we stumbled and neglected to withdraw cash and account for things the way we were.  Now, I suspect that in many respects, our spending had declined.  With all the visiting we did (probably 14 out of the 18-day holiday period) we weren’t exactly hitting the malls.What struck me was the feeling I got in my gut, not seeing the money we were spending, and not accounting for those purchases.  Even putting gas on my credit card was making me nervous.  And although we weren’t at each other’s throats - we never are, not about money or anything else - I certainly was starting to get a little more chippy.Funny when the show you direct hits so close to home.Thought you’d appreciate hearing that.  (And yes, we’re back on the jars.)

 

I think what I like most about his note is the sense that he has forever changed how he and his wife will handle their money. They are awake, fully conscious of what they are doing.

So often we sleep-walk through our lives, completing tasks by routine, keeping on keeping on. We slip, drift, slide into bad habits, but because we’re just doing same-old, same-old, we don’t even notice. Expenses creep up, and we fall out of touch with our own financial realities.

It’s a good idea to review your budget with your family at least twice a year. Look back at what you’ve spent, where your money went, what you didn’t notice when it was happening to you (like bank charges that snuck up, up, up). Make conscious decisions about what you’re going to do differently, how you’re going to live differently, and what you want from your life.

Now I’m not talking about wanting a new couch. I’m talking about what you really want… what will bring you closer to that place we all seek, that sense of contentment and satisfaction.

What one thing have you always wanted to DO?

How will you change one thing in your life to move you closer to your goals?

Who will you help this year?

When will you give something back for all the good luck, good health, good wishes you’ve received?

If, like my director, you live on the jars, keep track of what you’re spending, and make a commitment to getting in control of your money, you will. It’s that easy. All it takes is knowing what you want and having the gumption — the backbone — to make it happen.

You can do it.

You can.

This entry was posted on Thursday, January 17th, 2008 at 10:30 am and is filed under Take Control. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.