On Tuesday, I sold some things out of my online store Turkey Bottom Haven, and received a huge $260 blessing! This of course was irregular income that we couldn't predict having with our cash flow plan (aka budget). Though it was planned for in our list of what we would do with extra income. You may remember that the first item on that list was a cow. We buy a whole cow every year. Our Turkeys eat a lot of beef. ;)
So after dropping off the items we sold we immediately came home and put the extra money into our "cow" envelope.
Or not.
Um, um...We may have gone out to eat. Whew! There I said it. Please don't hate me.
Of course it didn't cost the entire $260 to eat out. But, there are 7 of us so it was a costly event.
The last few days haven't been fun for me. I regret that decision. Big time. It was nice to have someone else cook. It was nice to have someone else clean up after us. But... what do we have to show for it now? Eating out is one of the reasons we find ourselves in this situation. It's mindless spending. Much like sitting down with a huge box of buttery popcorn and watching a movie and gorging yourself without even realize what you're doing. And suffering from that awful sick feeling when you're done. There's no excuse for it, but it's just what you do when you watch a movie.
That same thing happens to us when we get extra income in ... we go out to eat. And then for the next few days we suffer from that awful sick feeling of regret.
I hope to remember this feeling. To burn it into my memory so that when temptation strikes next time I will remember that a few hours of mindless spending results in regret and feelings of failure. I also hope that I will give myself a little grace. That instead of replaying it in my mind that I will admit my failure and use it as an opportunity to grow. We're still new at this and we will make mistakes a long the way.
So there. I dreaded admitting it. Really truly thought that it was no one else's business and that it could be our little secret. But, when things are brought to light, God begins working in us to make us a new creation. He's so good to us!
How are you doing with your budget? How do you react when you fall off the wagon? Any advice for a fallen Fiscal Misfit like myself?
So after dropping off the items we sold we immediately came home and put the extra money into our "cow" envelope.
Or not.
Um, um...We may have gone out to eat. Whew! There I said it. Please don't hate me.
Of course it didn't cost the entire $260 to eat out. But, there are 7 of us so it was a costly event.
The last few days haven't been fun for me. I regret that decision. Big time. It was nice to have someone else cook. It was nice to have someone else clean up after us. But... what do we have to show for it now? Eating out is one of the reasons we find ourselves in this situation. It's mindless spending. Much like sitting down with a huge box of buttery popcorn and watching a movie and gorging yourself without even realize what you're doing. And suffering from that awful sick feeling when you're done. There's no excuse for it, but it's just what you do when you watch a movie.
That same thing happens to us when we get extra income in ... we go out to eat. And then for the next few days we suffer from that awful sick feeling of regret.
I hope to remember this feeling. To burn it into my memory so that when temptation strikes next time I will remember that a few hours of mindless spending results in regret and feelings of failure. I also hope that I will give myself a little grace. That instead of replaying it in my mind that I will admit my failure and use it as an opportunity to grow. We're still new at this and we will make mistakes a long the way.
So there. I dreaded admitting it. Really truly thought that it was no one else's business and that it could be our little secret. But, when things are brought to light, God begins working in us to make us a new creation. He's so good to us!
How are you doing with your budget? How do you react when you fall off the wagon? Any advice for a fallen Fiscal Misfit like myself?
The most important part of falling is how you get back up. Do you get back up and just keep going as if nothing happened or do you try to learn from your mistake? Do you try to find ways to prevent the mistake from happening again? Do you hide your mistake or confess it? I could continue, but I think you get the point... I would say you've gotten up gracefully. As Melsie Glock would always say, "Keep on keeping' on!"
ReplyDeleteThanks for the encouragement! I think following a budget is a little bit like potty training. Sometimes there are accidents. Sometimes there is rebellion. Sometimes a little tinkle sprinkle gets you moving quickly in the direction you need to be going! So we shall chalk this up to tinkle sprinkle and get our "butts" moving in the right direction! ;)
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