“The way we talk to our children becomes their inner voice.” – Peggy O’Mara
I saw this quote today and was struck with just how true and inspiring it is. For the longest time, I had made SO many excuses for my dad. He lost the love of his life. He was doing the best he could. We were not easy kids. The list goes on and on. And while all of these things may have been true, it does not change the fact that a very strong sense of perfectionism, fear of failure, and unworthiness was ingrained in me, from the time I was a teen.
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Welcome to week 2 of our Envelope Budgeting System Series! If you missed week 1, you can go back and find it here. Look for links at the bottom of this page when future weeks are published! This system has been working for people for years, who have struggled to stick to a budget but want to find a way to reach their financial goals, or sometimes just get by. We have had this system in place for just two months, but it has already made a big difference in our lives. Over the past couple of months, we have found that there are a few things that have made this system most effective for us. Read on, and then share your own ideas with us!
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We have struggled with budgeting for over a year now. Before that, we didn’t even HAVE a budget! *Gasp!* I know, I know. In the past, people have tried to teach me the importance of a budget, but I just didn’t get it. But then I lost my job, thought I knew what the heck I was doing (I totally didn’t), worked on building an MLM business (I failed, hard), and sold off all the mutual funds that had been invested for me through my childhood to pay for our daily life + way too many Disney vacations (the call of the Disney annual pass is REAL, and very dangerous). But see, the thing is, I was living in a poverty mindset. The mindset that the money would eventually run out, so I wanted to use it all up while I still had it. Not very wise, is it?
While you may not have this exact scenario (hopefully you aren’t quite as unwise as me, but if you are, there is hope!), but maybe you can relate to even a little bit of that story. Maybe you are just struggling to stick with a budget. Maybe you just lost a job and are trying to reduce spending to get by until you find a new job. Maybe you are a new mom who desperately wants to stay home with her child. Maybe you are working on paying off your debt. Whatever the scenario, if you are looking to reduce spending, the envelope system is a great place to start (or start again).
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