Most people budget based on fear. They budget so that, hopefully, there’s enough left at the end of the month to pay all the bills.
There’s a better way.
How about instead, you create a budget based on whatever-the-heck-you-want? How does that sound? I believe that if you aim to get whatever you want – you will. But if all you do is aim to pay your bills, well, that’s all you’ll do. Life is supposed to be fun.
Let’s start by letting me ask you, what do you want? What do you want to allocate money towards this month. It can be anything. Why anything? Because money is infinite. This means that if you spend money – you never need to be guilty about doing so. Because you can simply create more money. Just because you’ve spent some money doesn’t mean someone else hasn’t gotten any. Your happiness is paramount in helping others. You need to take care of yourself first.
What do you want?
Okay… now what do you want? Seriously. Anything. What is something you should include in next month’s budget? I’m content with my current level of spending. Now, I don’t real drive many miles per year. Now that I think about it, I haven’t even needed an oil change in my car all year long. But if I did drive a lot, you know what I’d want? You know what I’d get? A Tesla. I believe Tesla’s to be the greatest car manufacturer the world has even known. And I believe that buying one would not only bring me great joy – it would also help the research and development for future electric cars. See. By bringing ourselves joy – we can bring others joy as well. More electric cars means a cleaner planet. Someday I’ll probably own a Tesla. I’ll definitely add it to my budget when the time comes that I put on more miles each year. For now, I’m perfectly happy with my other little sports car.
Wants not Needs
This method of budgeting means you base the budget on wants not needs. Then you’ll grow into it. Yes, you need to make sure your needs are covered. But once you start thinking beyond your needs, those will be easy to cover. After all, do you think Donald Trump sweats about paying his internet bill each month? No. Because he focuses on bigger and better things. In fact, he’s probably never thought much about paying his internet bill. Not because he was born rich (there was a time in the 1990’s where you were richer than Trump). Rather, it was because he knows what I’m writing about already. He knows that when you focus on the big, enjoyable things, the rest just kind of flows into place.
Does this sound like hippy nonsense to you? No worries. In fact, if I would have read this post just two years ago I would’ve thought the same thing. After all, I grew up on a farm in middle America. ‘Getting by’ is unfortunately the mantra. But since then I’ve expanded my mind and been justly rewarded. And I’d like to spread a little of that reward to you.
When creating your next budget, I encourage you to budget in what you really want. And then focus on how you will get the funds. It sounds crazy but it’s a fantastic way of getting exactly what you want.
