We did so well with our finances in January. We saved some money and our efforts even resulted in some weight loss.
So how could we have gone so wrong in February?
In a word: Laziness. We ate out a lot more. I wasn’t as diligent about meal planning. We had a round of sickness in our house that made it easy to just sit on the couch all day.
So I gained back a couple pounds, and we spent more than I would have liked. I’m so very disappointed in myself after my big talk last month.
For those of you who have followed these little monthly reviews, I’m sure you’re starting to see a pattern. I know I am.
It seems like whenever I have a month of extreme discipline and success, it’s followed by a month of gluttony and excess. I suppose it’s probably just human nature to feel like you need to kick up your heels a little once in awhile – especially when you can afford to do it.
But I don’t like it. Perhaps the way to deal with this is to realize that in order to achieve your financial goals, you need to constantly keep your eyes on the prize. You must always be planning and striving toward those goals.
I think the key to avoiding this huge sways in our budget is to plan for periods of reward – to always keep the end in mind, but to allow for smaller celebrations of our successes along the way.
What do you think? Are you good at staying on budget every month or do you swing back and forth between good and bad months? How do you deal with it?
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