Each month, Lesia and I have approximately 23 expense categories for our budget (preplanned spending). They range, in alphabetical order, from alarm to vacation (monthly contribution to the travel account). At the time of this writing (February 24, 2019), we are at goal (budgeted spend equals actual spend) on 19 of the 23 categories. Here's the summary for four categories that are not at goal:
To ensure we don't overspend for the rest of the month, my wife is cooking veggie spaghetti (I don't eat meat) and that's dinner for the next three days until the new month begins. Living according to our budget is a choice so we can fund the things that are important to us (e.g., saving/investing for retirement, travel, philanthropy). Life is a series of choices...some impact your money more than others.
