my budget is my best friend
on developing a healthy relationship with your budgeting system
I remember when I used to dread logging onto my budgeting app of choice years ago. I think it was Mint at the time. It was because I knew I already went over-budget, and I didn’t want to see all the reds, the negatives, all amounting to me failing yet another month of budgeting.
Now, I check on my budget every day, regardless of whether I know I had impulsive or no spend past few couple days. I make sure she’s healthy, has a balanced life (money across all categories), but most importantly I care for her when a part of her is suffering (I go over my allotted budget category amount). The most critical part of being best friends with my budget is seeing her grow despite the small bumps in the road, because I know this is positively associated with my own financial growth. This is one of those cases where our friendship is dependent on each other. In a healthy way though — no codependency allowed here.
This post will go through how I transitioned from an unhealthy mindset to a healthy one, how I went from enemies to friends with my budget, and last but not least, some tips that helped me along the way.