Budgets - I Hates Them!

I hate working on budgets - numbers are not really my friend. But due to a minor financial crisis in my personal funds earlier this week, I need to figure out what I am really spending my money on and how much I really need each month. I did a rough look yesterday and will do more in-depth analysis today while continuing to assemble my income tax preparation numbers. It looks like it'll be a numbers day. Ick!!!

I'm trying to stretch a fixed amount of money just a little
farther. It isn't working very well *sigh*. 

I'm not talking about household income stuff here. Even though I build in monies for groceries, it's only the small weekly shopping that comes out of my personal budget. But there are inescapable expenses such as my monthly car payment that just have to be made. I'm not sure how well I can economize, but I'm going to have to try.

Sometimes the numbers just don't make a lot
of sense. I hate trying to stay on a budget, but
I guess it's time to grow up. SO not fun! 

People in the know suggest keeping track of all expenditures for a week to get a better idea of where your money is going and where you can truly cut down. I can do that, even though I have a pretty good idea of where I spend my money. I rarely carry or use cash, I live by plastic - my debit/credit card, so I can just track my monthly expenses that way.

I pushed money into my checking from my savings yesterday and
scheduled a payment to wipe out my credit card balance, bringing
it back to zero. That won't last long, but gives me the ability
to control and watch what I put on there. 

Since I need to print my bank statements out for my tax appointment in two weeks, perhaps I'll just see if I can flesh out my budget after I have the paperwork in front of me. I suspect I won't be housecleaning today, but maybe I can get my financial house in order.

This numbers picture was just too pretty not to share with my
readers today. It's always best to end with something pretty
 to help color your day. Happy Wednesday! 

Jumping to another subject - are you writing for B2MeM? I'm very tempted. The first thing that appealed to me was the 2013 challenge that I skipped because of other commitments. Maybe I'll throw a chapter or two of my Bilbo's Bingo Card(s) in the mix and one or two market stall prompts. It's nice to have choices this year in case my muses get stubborn once again. Have a great Wednesday - I'm off to the pool and breakfast.