It’s Budget season again (YAY)!!
While you work on Budgets for your communities, you may want to consider creating or re-evaluating your “personal budget”.
Many people have “Resolutions” which they do every year in January (I also wrote about what I call “Intentions” in my Feb 2023 blog).… Going into Fall is a good time to relook at these and see if you need a modification, recommitment, or a reset.
However, a “personal budget” is not really a Resolution or an Intention, but can be a component to help you achieve a Resolution or an Intention.
- Are you setting aside (budgeting) time each day, week, or month to focus on your self-care? This could be something like daily walks, exercise classes, yoga, listening to music, reading a book for enjoyment, dancing, weekend get-aways, vegging in front of the TV…anything to recharge your batteries and make life more enjoyable (aka “Me time”).
- Are you setting aside (budgeting) time to spend with family and friends? I cannot say enough about the support and love one gets from spending time with family (including extended family). They can lift you up, be a sounding board when you have a problem and help take some of the weight off your shoulders if you need help. Some people feel like their friends are their family. So make sure you’re there for them as much as they are for you. And make sure you set aside time to enjoy each other’s company.
- Are you setting aside (budgeting) time to give back or help others? Helping someone else out is one of the most rewarding experiences you will ever have.
- Have you created a financial budget? Are you reviewing it and modifying it on a regular basis? Does your budget include setting aside money (i.e. “savings”). When you get a bonus or a salary bump, are you modifying your budget?
Like all budgets, a personal budget needs to be modified and updated frequently as life is messy and unpredictable…but spending time on your personal budget will help you weather those curve balls life seems to throw at us.