Budgeting: The Other B-Word

Okay Booski,

Last post we dragged ourselves (lightly) because we’ve been doing a teensy bit much with our spending. In our Boquet, we don’t just talk problems, we brainstorm and create solutions. We need something that gives us a snapshot of our finances, tracks how much comes in and out, and helps us actually reach our money goals. I’m talking about a budget.

Now, before you roll your eyes or click to another post, hear me out. We groan about budgeting because it feels restrictive, limiting, and like one more thing getting between you and the new shoes, the bag, the plants, the yarn, whatever your heart (and cart) desires. But a budget is really just a plan: your income, your expenses, your money flow over a specific period of time.

Do you have goals? Probably. Do you have financial goals? How close are you to reaching them? And what keeps getting in the way?

For me, it’s snacking. When I first made a budget, I was embarrassed at the amount of money I was dropping on deli runs and supermarket “little treats.” I knew what it was doing to my jeans, but I didn’t realize what it was doing to my wallet too. What’s your financial blocker? If you don’t know yet, this is the perfect time to find out.

I uploaded a budget template to our drive, completely blank, simple, and designed for two pay periods so it works for bi-weekly or bi-monthly pay cycles. My favorite part? The columns for budgeted and actual amounts. That’s where you start to see the real you, not the “I swear I only spend $40 a week” version you created in your head.

And since I know some of you are already saying, “Bo, I tried budgeting and it doesn’t work for me…” let’s pause there.

Most budgets don’t fail solely because we’re bad with money.
They fail because of how we created them.

A lot of us built budgets that felt like jail, not guardrails.
We planned for the perfect version of ourselves, not the real woman who gets tired, stressed, snacky, or suddenly decides she’s earned a little “outside time” in somebody’s store.

We tracked the dollars but never stopped to actually make sense of what they were telling us.

You need a budget, not to punish yourself, but to understand you. Whether you use our template, a random one you found online, or you’re still riding for the checkbook era, you have to track your spending. When you see what’s coming in, what’s going out, where it’s going, and how often… that’s when you can start using your money in a way that actually supports you long-term.

Speaking of support, you know we’re in this together, right?

And honestly, that’s why having support matters. So here’s what I’m proposing: let’s stick to our budgets for the next 30 days. That’s two pay cycles, just enough time to see our real habits, build a little consistency, and start telling the truth to ourselves on paper.

Use the template, log any extra spending, and use those notes sections to talk to yourself. Be honest, be graceful, be reflective, whatever keeps you aware.

Comment under this post or email me if you want to share a win, a struggle, or something you learned about yourself. I’m doing this right along with you.

Let’s make our money make sense, together.

-Bo

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