My hubby and I have been taking this class called Financial Peace University at a local church. It is a 13-week course that goes over topics like developing a financial plan, setting up a budget, investing, real estate, and much more. Although I was somewhat--okay, a lot--dreading it at the beginning, I am starting to actually (dare I say it?) ENJOY IT! Tonight we talked about "cash flow planning," which I gather is supposed to be a more user-friendly term than budgeting. During the lesson, Dave Ramsey (the main guy) walked through about 5 or 6 different forms/worksheets to complete each month (at least at first) for your budget. This is something that I have been feeling like I wanted to try for quite some time but didn't really know how to begin. As he was going through the sheets, explaining what numbers to put in which line, and how to manage the whole darn thing, this giddy grin spread across my face. I even whispered to my hubby, "I'm so excited to fill these out!" Yep. I'm a nerd. I can't wait. I have only a loose grasp on how we will manage it once it is put into place, but we're taking baby steps. Even my budget-reluctant husband is starting to come around. We are going to work at finding a system that works for our personalities and marriage. We even have our first "Budget Committee" meeting (i.e. where we sit down and hammer out the details, doing our best to avoid a fight) set up for this Saturday. It's certainly going to be a long, bumpy process, but I am really excited about it!
