to budget?

Tim and I were discussing our financial status in the car today. It’s the only chance we get to really see each other and talk about anything (I know I need to prioritise our relationship more). In the last financial year, we earnt half of what we did in comparison to the year previous. We also did not have a budget for the first time since we got married.
And we survived!
Not only survived, but lived well. We did not feel poor, when we apparently were. We lived within our means.
A budget over the last fourteen months just would not have worked overly effectively. People recommend budgets to those who are tight on their money, but Tim said that he thinks budgets only work if there is a small amount of flexibility.
The way that it is now, if we need something, then we need it. We pay for it. If it isn’t a necessity, we know we can’t do it. That’s that. That would not change if we had a budget in place. We live off the simple rules of not aquiring loans (although my parents are great at the occasional small short term loan), not having debt and not “buying” what we cannot actually pay for.
Having a budget on very little seems to build our poverty mentality. The stress of not being able to spend ANYTHING because we are simply not able is overwhelming. Being aware of our current financial status, but not freaking out about every cent and every dollar has built our faith. We know that money will be there when we need it. (Accent on the NEED). And we know that we don’t have to live like paupers. We give generously without regret or apprehension.
We bless without limits. I love that.
I think however much we earn, we live within our means. Things have been tighter. When I needed a laptop, it was the cheapest quality one we could find. We have been house sharing for over six months now, and have renewed our lease. Things that are not our best wishes, but that are working for us, and are keeping prices down. Smart thinking, like making our own nappy wipes and using cloth nappies has brought us a long way too.
We get tax taken out of our centrelink even though we don’t need it to, and our family tax benefit B is withheld until tax time which means that at the end of financial year, we get quite a nice lump sum of money. It’s like a forced saving on top of our minimal fortnightly savings, that allows us to buy much needed items and pay for big things like car rego at that time. This year we got a lawn mower which is a HUGE blessing. We’ve been borrowing for years. Car service was done and the rest has been put aside for our up coming home birth.
The one downside has been that we have not prioritised entertainment or pocket money in the same way that we had previously. No money was set aside for movies or date nights. That, combined with the fact that we now need to arrange baby sitting and cannot just up and leave, means that Tim and I have barely gone out together this year. We’ve seen two movies I believe, and the last one was interrupted 2/3 of the way through by a labouring woman (Who bought me a Event Cinema gift card to compensate).
But over all, I am pleased by our decision not to budget. We have put a lot of thought into it, and what may seem like a reckless decision is one that is very much not so. My parents and Tim’s parents have done things very differently in our childhood, and it is just a matter of coming to some kind of happy medium.