Making a little room

{image from: coffeemate.com}

Being on a tight budget can be thrilling. When Trey and I are able to make extra payments toward our student loan debt, we give each other high fives, even though we're not high five people (it's the lack of coordination).  You have to be on guard, though, that you don't fall into parsimony.  There's a fine line between being frugal and being stingy.  If you avoid having a couple over for dinner because of the extra money it would cost to feed them, you're probably moving toward the miserly end of the spectrum.

In my mind, paring down your budget too dramatically is similar to going on a crash diet where you over-restrict your calorie consumption.  What happens on those diets?  Any weight you initially lost quickly comes back because the diet cannot be sustained.  Oftentimes you find yourself in worse shape then you began.  It may be better to ease into a budget reduction plan rather than implementing everything you can think of at once.

By way of example: when Trey and I first got serious about cutting back on our grocery bill, we gave up a lot of things.  The one thing I couldn't imagine parting with was my Coffee-Mate creamer.  To me, their Coconut Creme flavor was the nectar of the gods.  While it was a pricey $3 for 32oz, I simply couldn't seriously entertain the thought of substituting it for $1.29 Half & Half or some generic version. Bleh. 

So I didn't.  I just didn't.  We continued to buy my Coffee-mate creamer for months.  And it was delicious.  I didn't feel guilty when I sat down with my cup of coffee.  I enjoyed it.  And I think that's okay.  I'll tell you what, though.  A few weeks ago I told Trey he could pick up some Half & Half in place of my Coffee-mate creamer.  My morning cup no longer transports me to tropical beaches, but I really don't miss it very much.  If and when I do, I'll put it back on the shopping list.  So be it.

In our budget, Trey and I absolutely have to make room for generosity both to each other and to those outside our family (Smith Family Budget Reduction Strategy #8). If not, we'll crash and burn.  For the kids, that means we have an envelope for a family pass to the zoo.  We're okay with the $11 a month that goes into that envelope.  Trey and I have a $12.50 membership to the Crowley Rec Center.  Do you know how much it costs to run around your neighborhood?  Nothing.  It's free.  Because we wanted to prioritize being an active and involved part of our community (and since they will watch your kids for free as part of membership) we became members.  It's kind of like a date, really.  Us sweating next to each other on our ellipticals. We love to sign up to bring dinner to families in our church who have had a recent addition.  That's good for us, good for our kids, and good for our church body.  It does cost additional money, but we anticipate that and make room for it in our budget. 

Inevitably, when I'm on a diet that's too restrictive, I find myself cradling an empty ice cream tub and wondering where all the mint & chip went.  We can't afford to do that with our budget, literally.