i feel a wussy wednesday coming on...

wednesday wussy, budget edition. please take the following post with a hunk of cheese, 'cause it's a whiner.

i do not like being on a budget. i do not like not being able to spend money without thinking about its very real impact on other areas of my life. oh, to be single again, and in a time not of economic recession, and saving all my dollahz for fun and frolic while living off daddy's charge accounts. all i'd have to do is not eat much for a while and save up and then purchase away, guilt-free, and worry about it later. the only reason i even got a job in college was for dating purposes. plane tickets to see the law student cost money, and i'm pretty sure the parents would not have footed that bill.

enter marriage (or heck, even just adulthood). budgeting is hard. it's hard for two people living on one paycheck, even with some familial assistance. it's hard to cancel travel plans because of rising gas prices, or choose to cook at home instead of going out for dinner. it's hard when you're having a wardrobe crisis and you can't really afford to revamp it, only mix pieces differently. thankfully, my weight has not drastically changed since college, or i'd really be in the hole! of course, even if i didn't have a budget, i probably still would be a bad shopper and just as indecisive to boot. but that's a separate problem.

but a budget is necessary. my paycheck only contains x amount of money, and we have to make it work, and we have to do it together. fighting about money is not an option in our marriage - we flat-out refuse to do it. we reached this decision before marriage, thankfully, and not after an issue arose. our personal budget is pretty simple. i bring home a paycheck (yes, ben adds whatever he makes too), the law student faithfully designs our budget, and i trust his judgment. even though i work for a CPA, i could not make or stick to a budget on my own. i can barely work my calculator, and have never balanced my checkbook! this way, we control our finances instead of them controlling us and plan for expenses ahead of time. we work to balance wants and needs, the fun things and the necessary ones, so that we're not crying at the end of every month and/or up to our ears in credit card debt. budgeting is a great discipline and though uncomfortable at times, it is good for us and keeps us making smart choices in how we use our money.

unfortunately, insurance, groceries and bills take precedence over fancy nights out, wardrobe updates and gifts. and that's about where i am right now. sigh.


in other news: i'm working out in the mornings (i'm as surprised as you are), the law student is semi-employed and in an office of his own, entertainment icon elizabeth taylor has died, and i found out roseanne barr lives on a nut farm.