Confessions of a Non-Cash Counter

First confession of the night: I must admit, I've never been one to watch my checkbook too closely. I've always been given a hard time about this from many people, claiming that my father probably has lost countless hours of sleep at night worrying that I haven't calculated my expenses and income to the nearest cent.

I've never overdrawn an account. I don't have loans or car payments. I own only 2 credit cards. I've never even had an outstanding debt to my name, unless you count my home mortgage. (Which I see as an investment, not as a debt.) I feel like I've done a pretty good job for myself. Because of these reasons, I could justify my oblivion. Life without a budget keeps me worry free, I am happier not knowing how much I have or don't have. I'm a teacher, how good could it really be?

This philosophy didn't fly for the ole' hubby. After 4 months of marriage he had had enough. Tonight we....(cue dramatic music) duh, duh duh....created a budget.


Second confession of the night: I totally liked it. Who knew that creating a budget could be so fun? Certainly not I! I know that finances can be an area of tension for a lot of married couples. I know that somewhere out there, there is a statistic about all the fights it causes between husbands and wives, yadda yadda. But after tonight, my optimist self can't help but think we won't be one of those couples!

I can honestly say that after 24 years of being on a non-budget, my one hour of being on a budget seems more enjoyable already. I feel secure that if I have an emergency or major expense, I know exactly where that money will come from. It thrills me to think we're establishing savings for things we enjoy like vacations and houses and computers.

So I'm thinking that my dad knew all along that all he could do was lead by example, teach me what he knew, and hope I caught on. I think he knew that eventually I'd catch on to the whole "budget" business and realize it was a good thing. I think he also knew me well enough that I needed to do it for myself, or it wouldn't mean a thing. You smarty pants, you.

So whether my sheer excitement over a budget makes me a total geek or not, I really don't care. Dad, you can rest easy tonight, I've finally seen the wisdom of your ways.