A few years ago we got our financial act together. We were debt free, except for our mortgage, using cash for our daily expenses, and were able to put enough money away to send our kids to private schools.
A new house and a couple years of backsliding later, it was time to right the ship again. Back to a cash budget, could be back to zero debt other than mortgage debt in a matter of weeks, and we are starting to put money away again, and we have a plan to stash even more cash.
Before you even ask: Yes. We are bound by the Pirate's Code. (That is the subject of a different post)
We have a rule in our home, "He who does the laundry, keeps the money." However, there are certain guidelines that we must all follow for this to work without someone feeling robbed. At some point, when the amount of money is unusually large (say, $20), the money should be returned to its owner. If it belongs to the boys, perhaps that threshold is quite a bit lower.
The cash budget thing has really been a boon to the one who does the laundry. About a two weeks ago, I pocketed $15. The money could have only been mine or Sue's (I was absolutely certain it wasn't mine), so I pocketed it.
Not one to let my new found wealth go to waste, I offered to take my lovely bride to happy hour. We were near the end of our two-week budgeting period, so cash was becoming more scarce and my lovely bride asked, "Can you pay for both of us, because I'm almost out of cash?"
"Of course," I replied.
She queried, "How come you still have cash, but I'm almost out?"
"I just didn't spend as much as you did this week," I replied. "And besides, I held a little back so I could take you out."
We went out; she had a margarita, I had a beer, and we shared some beef fajitas. I spent about $10 more than the $15 I found in the laundry. So our date was essentially dutch.
In case you are counting, that is 3 "brownie points" in this little story.
And I accomplished all this while spending her cash, not mine.
Please don't tell Sue! I'll lose more brownie points than I gained.
A new house and a couple years of backsliding later, it was time to right the ship again. Back to a cash budget, could be back to zero debt other than mortgage debt in a matter of weeks, and we are starting to put money away again, and we have a plan to stash even more cash.
Living on cash is important to us. It is harder to spend cash. There is a built in hard stop to spending when you run out of cash. And it just makes our lives less stressful. We no longer wonder if we have the money to buy that new thing; if the money is not in our pocket or purse, then we don't have the money. One less thing to worry about in our anxiety filled lives.
We have a rule in our home, "He who does the laundry, keeps the money." However, there are certain guidelines that we must all follow for this to work without someone feeling robbed. At some point, when the amount of money is unusually large (say, $20), the money should be returned to its owner. If it belongs to the boys, perhaps that threshold is quite a bit lower.
The cash budget thing has really been a boon to the one who does the laundry. About a two weeks ago, I pocketed $15. The money could have only been mine or Sue's (I was absolutely certain it wasn't mine), so I pocketed it.
Not one to let my new found wealth go to waste, I offered to take my lovely bride to happy hour. We were near the end of our two-week budgeting period, so cash was becoming more scarce and my lovely bride asked, "Can you pay for both of us, because I'm almost out of cash?"
"Of course," I replied.
She queried, "How come you still have cash, but I'm almost out?"
"I just didn't spend as much as you did this week," I replied. "And besides, I held a little back so I could take you out."
We went out; she had a margarita, I had a beer, and we shared some beef fajitas. I spent about $10 more than the $15 I found in the laundry. So our date was essentially dutch.
In case you are counting, that is 3 "brownie points" in this little story.
- I did the laundry.
- I asked my wife out on a date.
- I made it look like I had taken the effort to plan the date.
And I accomplished all this while spending her cash, not mine.
Please don't tell Sue! I'll lose more brownie points than I gained.
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