Last month I went over budget in almost every category, mainly because I was upset and not paying much attention to my spending. It seemed more important to get back my equilibrium and be happy, and I don't regret parting with a little extra cash to do so. I am an emotional creator, and my emotions tend to get out of hand when things go toxic for me. I am easily frightened and I know that intellectually, but what I tell myself in my head seldom migrates to my heart. I have triggers and I imagine I always will. Everyone does. Mine just happen to take a lot of work to quiet down.
Anyway, I'm over the trauma, and I've taken steps to protect myself. It's time to get back on track.
I already know that I am not suited to having no-spend months, mainly because it's almost impossible to resist temptation when I try. Then there is non-negotiable necessary spending (medicines, reference materials and other things I need for the day job, etc.) which I'll discuss in another post. So instead of attempting another no-spend month I'm going to shoot for being aware of my spending over the next four weeks. I'll keep tabs on what I buy and also look for ways to spend less. I need to focus on what I have and what I'm doing, and meditate when someone upsets my peace and calm. I just tried this yesterday and while I'm a bit rusty at it, I can detach from unhappiness and find joy elsewhere.
I'll report back during the month on how I do, what works, what doesn't, and then do a wrap-up at the end of June.
Image credit: lady and piggy bank image by luxstorm from Pixabay.
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