Michael let me get these cute little Steve Madden booties from DSW earlier this month. I say that he "let me get them" because they weren't exactly in our budget, and I'm not exactly earning an income right now, being a stay-at-home mom.
We've also got Liam on our minds (of course), and our responsibility of providing for him, both now and in the future. So, shopping excursions come much less often these days. And both Michael and I are being transparent with each other about where our money goes.
Every night after dinner, we look at our budget. We ask each other if we've spent any money that day. Not a dollar spent goes unnoticed, for even the $1.27 we spent on a RedBox movie the other night got recorded and factored into our budget.
The categories of our budget include boring things like the mortgage and utilities, but they also include fun things like date money, frivolous purchases, and unexpected snacking (as in, "Please pull the car over right now and let me run into the gas station and get a bite to eat!" kinda thing).
Two things inspired us to start a budget. First was the need for it. But secondly and much more excitingly was this cool vintage ledger book that I found under a thick layer of dust on the back shelf of a local, mom-and-pop office supply store.
They sold it to me for $2, since we couldn't find a price tag on it and since it was the only one to be found.
In my mind, as I gripped the blue ledger book lovingly in my hands, I had visions of future generations valuing this glimpse into the past, and I saw our grown grandchildren gathered around the Christmas tree with their children and grandchildren in the year 2117, all vying for a peek into the crumbling old ledger book which captured what their ancestors spent in the year 2013.
All would be amazed at how cheap everything was 100 years ago. They would comment on the beautiful script of my penmanship. They would appreciate how their Great Great Grandfather gave so many donations to the church to offset what he spent on golfing. They'd laugh at what we considered frivolous, and they'd giggle at what we considered new technology. And, at last, they would wipe sentimental tears from their eyes as they parted with the beloved ledger book, agreeing to donate it to a national museum who had insisted that such a find be shared with all of humanity and not reserved merely for the family.
Yes, as I walked to the parking lot in my Steve Madden booties with that ledger book tucked under my arm, I knew I was doing something profound. We were starting The Budget. We were making Goddard Family History.
And yes, I am a cheese ball. :)
