I’ve never really been someone who subscribes to new year resolutions. The entire concept is engineered towards crushing defeat, something I try to avoid so early in the year.
I’d much rather save my failures for the cooler months when everyone is sick of self-improvement and cowering inside. You know, promise to quit drinking in June and spend July drowning my sorrows behind closed doors.
However, on the odd occasion when I set myself a goal at the start of the year, it’s always been something trivial and fun: complete a 100-day streak on Duolingo or learn to ride a unicycle.
After years of living beyond my means, my life is now dictated by a series of numbers in an Excel spreadsheet. Credit: Marija Ercegovac
Unfortunately, my wife takes it more seriously, and this year, one of her resolutions was to get on top of our finances, which is way more complex and far less fun than the one I chose (watch Nicolas Cage’s entire filmography in order).
And so it was, during a recent Friday night screening of Con Air, she strode into the loungeroom and said the six words I’ve spent a lifetime avoiding, “We need to do a budget.”
Scott Pape's The Barefoot Investor is a fixture on bestseller lists. Credit:
For as long as I can remember, I’ve kept a safe distance from budgets and the people who create them. This is not because I have the means to spend without worry; quite the opposite.
I am just someone who struggles to maintain focus when talk turns to incomings and outgoings.
To be fair, I have tried in the past. I was part of the great Millennial rush to buy The Barefoot Investor, convinced that this pleasant-looking man on the front cover, leaning casually on a fence, would be the answer to my financial woes. I even opened an ING account just like Barefoot told me to and tried splitting my income into different buckets.
How I learnt to love budgeting without hating myself
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03.02.2024
I’ve never really been someone who subscribes to new year resolutions. The entire concept is engineered towards crushing defeat, something I try to avoid so early in the year.
I’d much rather save my failures for the cooler months when everyone is sick of self-improvement and cowering inside. You know, promise to quit drinking in June and spend July drowning my sorrows behind closed doors.
However, on the odd occasion when I set myself a goal at the start of........
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