I am not a spontaneous person. I like schedules. I like plans. I need predictability because when you’re living with major depression and anxiety, having a routine helps keep certain things in check. Knowing that I’m doing this on Saturday or that I have a work meeting on Monday allows me to create a schedule that attempts to thwart a little bit of the panic attacks and overwhelming anxiety that overtake my life whenever they have nothing else to do.
It works that way with my budget as well. As soon as I’m done paying bills for a month, I plan out the next month. I know exactly how much money I’m going to need every payday. This provides a certain comfort to me. Along the same lines, I make almost no unplanned purchases, even for frivolous items like nail polish and the occasional soda and peanut butter Twix at Wawa. Buying books from Amazon is an extra kind of special; I will keep a book in my cart for days before I actually pull the trigger and purchase it (because I’m insane and have to make sure that there is no way possible it will ever be in the library). I have to plan for spending the money in my head before I can actually make the purchase. I’m only slightly neurotic.
But sometimes I have to let up on my compulsive need to plan every single penny. This happened to me twice this week. The first time, I realized that FinCon is the same week that my daughter starts kindergarten. Fortunately, I won’t miss her first day (or dropping her off on her second) but I couldn’t bear the thought of missing any time the following week. I know that it won’t make a difference to her and my husband is fine with it, but for me, I couldn’t do it. So I spent $150 to change my return flight from Monday to Sunday. I figure the money is offset by the savings I’ll have for spending one less night at the hotel but it was still $150 I was totally unprepared to spend. It’s totally worth it though.
The second time I spent unplanned money was on Sunday. I’ve mentioned before that I was in a sorority in college. Even though I grew extremely disenchanted with the organization as a whole, I still maintained a level of love and respect for several of my chapter sisters. I lost track of most of them once I graduated but thanks to a little thing called blogging (and Facebook), I was able to reconnect with one of my favorite people from my chapter (you know who you are and I know you’re reading). She was actually my “adopted” little sister and is probably one the biggest reasons I don’t regret joining my sorority. I emailed her after she left a comment and, once we realized we live about 45 minutes away from each other, we decided to meet for brunch. It was the best 3 hours I spent all weekend and I would have gladly paid more than the $18 it cost for the food. And I didn’t twitch once when I took out the money.
It’s probably good for me to spend unplanned money every now and then. It’s a good reminder that there’s no possible way I can control every situation in my life. But it’s also a good reminder of why I save my money and don’t make too many unplanned frivolous purchases. Because when important, unexpected expenses arise, it’s nice to be able to afford them.
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[…] @ Daily Money Shot helps maintain a strong cash flow by Planning for the unexpected – Saving money means that when important, unplanned expenses arise, the money is there to […]
Sometimes, life gets in the way of all the plans we make. It’s great when it’s a positive thing, like lunch with an old friend!
Daisy recently posted…March Spending and Net Worth Update
That is why we save and make budgets, so that we can expect the unexpected and take it in stride. I know mine and my wife’s breathing room has been tight in recent days but it is getting better now that she just got a job back in Feb. It feels nice to have a second income, having one and 2 kids sometimes it was hectic, but I wouldn’t have traded it for the world. Those 2 little precious faces make all my worries about money go away, till they go asleep, then I am up balancing the books! 🙂
Christopher @ This That and The MBA recently posted…Tips that will make you flip! 5 Tips to a Good Credit Score
I’m like you – not a spontaneous person by nature. But sometimes, we have to remind ourselves that the money we save by budgeting can also be used to enjoy life – in moderation of course. I think both unexpected purchases you made sound totally worth it and completely fine.
Young Professional Finances recently posted…April Missions
I’m more of a “take life as it comes” type of guy myself, which is why having a budget – at least a rough one – and auto-invest is key for me to make sure I stay on the right path.
By the way, especially because you’re paying attention, both of those purchases are WELL worth it!
Nick recently posted…2012 Goals Update
One saying of mine that turned into a blog post a couple of months ago – “don’t budget out fun, but don’t plan it to death either”; meaning make room in your life to have some spontaneous fun or any planning or budget you make will seem forced and contrived. You will also be much more likely to break habits if there is no celebration for the success of having money saved.
Bill Swan recently posted…About Raising Self-Esteem in a Cramped Apartment With Little Money
This is why budgets have wiggle room.
Good for you! Connecting with an old friend is so great!
Jessica, The Debt Princess recently posted…Where’s the Debt – April 2012
Having some flex in my budget helps me stay on track… and I find that spending money on coffee dates or lunches with friends are some of the best ways to spend money. I’m glad you enjoyed your time. 🙂
Well Heeled Blog recently posted…Foodie Finances: The Monthly Food Costs of Folks Who Love to Eat
That $150 was definitely money well spent! It’s great to have a few surprises once in a while — it keeps the important things in life in perspective.
Christa recently posted…Investing in Family: More Time With the Kids – Dad Edition
I actually like planning in advance too. I attribute it my love of control. It does make life easier when you know what to expect. I am a person of habit and I love to establish a routine for myself. Keeps me at peace. 🙂
Aloysa @ My Broken Coin recently posted…Dealing with Wants: How I failed my No-Buy Challenge
It’s always great fun to meet and catch up with old friends that you haven’t seen in a while. And also the joy of finding that they live so close. I’ve had that happen a couple of times myself. Some of the money trade-offs are definitely worth it!
CultOfMoney recently posted…Yours truly is interviewed