Friday, August 28, 2009

Do I Really Need This?

For some reason staying within the limits of the budget lately has been really difficult. On paper it looks pretty. We should be able to put a large chunk towards savings each month. However at the end of the month the money is not always exactly where it should be. The categories that got me this month?

Groceries
Clothes
Entertainment
School Activities/Supplies

Ok, groceries. I did stock up a little. Although my pantry isn't looking very impressive. I really am not sure how I spent all $500 so quickly this month.

Clothes. I did get Will and myself some new clothes this month. He was needing some new work shirts and I was really wanting some new lounge pants. I did use some leftover Christmas money. Jake needed new football cleats at $50 a pop, Tony needed gym shoes and regular shoes because his were too small.

Entertainment. We splurged on eating out alot this month. Plus we took a trip to the Omaha Zoo.

School Activities. I had to buy supplies, pay fees, and buy Tony's band instrument. That pretty much killed my budget for the year!

{{{Sigh}}}So I am sitting here asking myself...did I really need all this? The answer. No, not all of it for sure. Probably not most of it. Staying within the limits of your budget can be very challenging sometimes. Sometimes all it takes is asking yourself "Do I really need this?" By asking yourself this question before making a purchase quite often the answer will probably be "no".

It's your money and your responsibility on how you spend it. No one can take that away from you. When you go to buy something stop and ask yourself "do I really need this?". If it is something you want and need and it fits in your budget then go for it. If not, then learn how to say "no".

1 comment:

  1. On the bright side, you did enjoy yourself. You may not have *needed* all of it, but studies show (Don't ask me where I read this, I don't remember) that we tend to "enjoy" purchasing things more for the experience more than just having some new clothes. Like eating out usually brings more satisfaction than a shopping spree for clothing. Usually.

    But on another bright side, that instrument should last awhile as long as he doesn't lose intrest. My parents bought me my flute in fifth grade and now I'm in college and it still works great.

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