Author: Sarah Winfrey / Source: Wise Bread
Some people really struggle when it comes to building a budget. They feel it’s too much of a chore to make and stick to one. After all, budgeting just shows you how much money you don’t have to spend on the things you want, right?
I don’t know if budgeting will ever be fun for everyone, but there are certainly ways to make it easier.
Even if you hate budgeting, you might be able to talk yourself into making one based on the best money you ever spent. (See also: Stop Using These 5 Excuses Not to Budget)What is the best money you’ve ever spent?
What is the most rewarding thing you’ve ever spent money on? When were you surprised by how much value you received when you thought it would be much less? When did you spend money on experiences or goods that you deeply value to this day? This is the best money you’ve ever spent.
You may know the answers to this question immediately, or it may take you a while to think back. If you’re going to make this the basis for your budget, you need to take the time to have several meaningful answers.
What were you really buying?
Chances are, what you got out of your best purchases ever were beyond what people could see. Maybe some of the best money you ever spent was on a vacation with your family. But, as nice as Hawaii may have been, you weren’t really buying the trip. You were buying special, one-on-one time with your loved ones.
Figuring out what you were really buying will help you shape your budget. Maybe the best money you ever spent was on travel, but you were really buying adventure, or new relationships, or a newfound confidence in yourself.
This will help you pinpoint where you want to spend and where you want to save in your new budget. (See also: 4 Reasons You Should Splurge on Experiences, Not Things)Would you want to spend that way again?
Sometimes, the best money you ever spent was the best because it bought an experience you can’t have again. Maybe you don’t need to go back to Morocco, or you hope you never have…
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