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Home > My friend is asking for budgeting lessons!!

My friend is asking for budgeting lessons!!

October 5th, 2007 at 09:36 pm

Okay, so very happy. My friend who was near bankruptcy not too long ago and who we helped to move out here so she could find a job (which she did) has requested that I teach her how to budget!

Not that I am expert or anything. After all, it wasn't the imaginary fairy who ran up my credit cards, but its nice to know that she is going to make a real effort to get things straightened out. She has been doing pretty good so far but needs to understand what this magic "budget" thing is.

I think seeing how our finances work and how that let us afford to bring her out to Denver and support the entire moving experience really made her realize that a budget helps you afford the things you really care about. I set her up initially on a "if everything goes wrong budget, this is what you need." Being able to know her basic numbers like that really helped her not to freak out when initially starting her job.

Whenever her father said it was time for a budget, he meant that the entire family needed to buy nothing to pay for his financial mistakes. Needless to say, mine was the first budget she ever glimpsed that wasn't about deprivation, its about being in control.

So this weekend sometime I am going to teach my husband and my friend the basics of budgeting and where to find additional information. The reason I am also teaching my husband is because he doesn't have any experience with a budget and all he pays is the rent. Thats a big bill but if something happened to me, he would be in a little bit of trouble trying to figure out what to do.

Oh, and I am going to attempt to set both of them on goal savings because they both like to buy things for other people and that will be the only way they won't blow everything. Its weird and I don't get it. Why do people equate giving gifts with showing affection for people? You don't have to buy someone something for them to feel loved.

Posted in Musings | 5 Comments »

5 Responses to “My friend is asking for budgeting lessons!!”

  1. miclason Says:
    October 5th, 2007 at 10:33 pm 1191623617
    1191623617

    showing love through material things is something my Mom did...that's what really affected her the most when I took over the finances...that she couldn't shower my daughter with gifts...and, what my daughter remembers the most is that "Grandma used to play with me"...not any of the gifts!

  2. lattelal Says:
    October 5th, 2007 at 10:38 pm 1191623883
    1191623883

    I'm a gift person too. But there are free gifts that are just as nice - like a quick email to say hey, thinking of you, or even a phone message to say the same thing. You're doing great! Keep up the good work. Who knows, you might be the next Sophie Kinsella! (who is writing novels about the Shopaholic coming back from debt)

  3. JanH Says:
    October 6th, 2007 at 01:36 am 1191634583
    1191634583

    I think it would be easier for many people to learn from others who have made some of the same mistakes and is turning it around. Good for you for teaching her how to overcome!

  4. denisentexas Says:
    October 6th, 2007 at 04:20 am 1191644423
    1191644423

    I like to give gifts but not at christmas or birthdays, normally. Rather I give them at other times when the mood strikes me. Hey, you wanna help me set up a budget? lol Actually, my mom going to help me with that. Since I've now had a full month in my place we can get a good idea of how much money I need for a month's expenses. Oh yippeee! lol Keep up your great work, though, and I hope your lessons in budgeting help them!

  5. scfr Says:
    October 6th, 2007 at 03:56 pm 1191686190
    1191686190

    It is great that your friend is asking for help! It is a really big step to learn that "budget" does not mean deprivation but is about putting first things first, which leads to security and freedom.

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