I am an expert contributor and section editor for the What to Buy section on Momtastic.com. Every week I post my Monday Markdowns as well as a featured article on Thursdays. Be sure to hop over and check them out (comments are very welcome!)! I so appreciate the support of my readers!
How long is your list right now? Sometimes gift buying can be so stressful! You want to get everyone the most fantastic gifts, but you have a budget. Is it possible to stretch your dollar AND buy awesome gifts? I think so!
I wrote an article for Momtastic about how to save money AND buy great gifts. Go check it out!
Are there any disadvantages to having a budget? Do you currently have a monthly budget? Budgeting has its advantages, but there are also many disadvantages, or are there?
Do you currently have a budget? Do you spend your money with care and purpose? Or do you throw caution (and quarters) to the wind and spend freely wherever and however you wish? Budgeting has its advantages, but there are also many disadvantages, or are there? Read the post to find out!
Here are five disadvantages of budgeting:
1. Delayed Gratification-sometimes you won’t have the money for what you want right now. There won’t be room in the budget for it. This means you have to wait for it! What if the price drops! Oh wait… (Did you know that the ability to delay gratification is actually an early marker for future success? Read the Marshmallow study!)
2. A Scrooge Reputation-when you pinch your pennies, your friends and family will laugh at how cheap you are. As opposed to them laughing at how broke you are?
3. Research-with a budget, you always need to make sure you are getting the best possible deal. This means you have to research. This can be time consuming and frustrating. Although the invention of the internet actually does make this incredibly easy…
4. Jealousy-a budget might cause you to feel jealous of those around you that spend with wild abandon. On the other hand, the generous padding in your bank account might make you the envy of your social circle
5. Entrapment-your budget might make you feel like you are trapped in a death grip of responsibility. Spontaneity and impulsiveness will cease to exist. Think about how many times some really awesome deal has come along and you couldn’t take advantage of it. If you had only had some money in the bank at that time…
Clearly, this is a tongue in cheek list. I can’t think of any actual disadvantages of budgeting that aren’t heavily outweighed by the positives.
Life can be so much more fulfilling when you handle your income responsibly and within the parameters of a budget.
A budget need not be overly restrictive. In fact, it can be incredibly freeing.
Factor in entertainment and shopping and you’ll never again feel guilty for spending on fun. If it’s budgeted for, you can rest easy that it is not going to put you in the poor house!
There really aren’t many disadvantages to budgeting!
Consider THIS before you become a stay at home mom!
Are you considering becoming a stay at home mom? Maybe you are currently pregnant and you are trying to decide if being a stay at home mom is right for you. Or maybe you are currently a working mom who desperately wants to spend more time with your children? Either way, here are 5 things you MUST consider before you make the decision to become a stay at home mom.
We made the decision for me to be a (mainly) stay at home mom pretty easily. Both of our mothers stayed home with us when we were younger and we really felt like we benefited from that. We were aware it would require some sacrifice, but the sacrifices were worth it to us.
Plus daycare is SO expensive.
Staying at home full time is not for everyone. Some people simply can’t afford it and others simply don’t want to. That’s fine. But if you feel in your heart that you would like to stay home and just aren’t sure if you can swing it, here are some points to ponder:
Like I said, daycare is expensive.
How much are you really taking home after you factor in daycare, gas to and from work, clothing for work, work lunches, etc? I had a friend one time sit down and calculate all of that and realized her take home pay PER MONTH was only $150.
They made the decision to cut out cable and just like that she was able to stay home with pretty much no impact on their income. The kicker is, that about 2 months in, they realized that there were so many more work related expenses they hadn’t factored in and they actually had more of an income with her staying home.
They didn’t even need to turn off their cable or sacrifice anything.
When you sit down and write down ALL of the costs related to working and having your children in childcare (include those $5 pitched in for birthday parties, baby showers, coworkers getting married etc), you might find that you really aren’t coming out that far ahead.
Maybe you calculate all of that and you realize that your income…no matter how much it is, is absolutely necessary with the way your current expenses stand.
Get creative. Do you need two cars?
Trust me, we prefer having 2 cars. We went several months last year as a one car family and there were times (specifically when I was needing to make dr appointments for the kids) that I thought I’d go crazy.
But maybe you live in a more walking friendly area than we do. Everyone has some fat in their budget. Maybe your food and household budget is what is eating at your income.
If so I encourage you to read my posting on how to shop smarter. I’ve cut our grocery and household bill in half and it’s still going down currently.
With some strategic shopping, you might just negate the use for your income in that area alone!
It doesn’t have to be all or nothing.
I work a part time job during the school year. To be quite honest, it doesn’t bring in much income, but I get to take the kids with me. I work at a local church Mother’s Day Out.
It’s two days a week, my kids get to go for half price and we all get out of the house for some socialization. Maybe you can work part time for your current employer, or freelance in your field.
Everyone has a marketable talent, even if you think you don’t.
If you sew or craft, set up an Etsy shop or an Ebay store. Maybe you are really computer savvy, make up some business cards and hand them out to friends and family so if they know someone having computer problems, you can help them out.
You get to stay home and make an income from the comfort of your own home. (be sure to check the laws for your state on how to set up an at home daycare) Plus you get to help other moms!
Finally…
Think long and hard before you quit your job to stay home. Depending on your field, you might set yourself back in your career a number of years if you leave.
Also, staying home is not for everyone. In fact, it’s not even for me! The Mother’s Day Out program I work at is a MUCH needed break for me. During the summer, I go a bit stir crazy!
I truly admire stay at home mom’s that do not have an outside job or who never get a break AND do it all with a smile on their face. I personally could not do that.
If you truly have the desire to stay home with your children, really sit down and evaluate these things. You don’t want to look back and realize you could have done it and you didn’t. You don’t get those early years with your kids back.
And remember, it’s all temporary. In the grand scheme of life, how long are our kids young?
You might have to give up something now, but it’s not forever.
