Tuesday, November 29, 2005
The Budget.

I mentioned a little while back that Yaakov - Baruch Hashem - had taken another job and was earning more money. This is something I am still getting used to.

I am not going out and spending extravagantly, but dinner time has been much more fun. Normally he would get paid, I would pay bills, and the remainder would be our food budget. I think the average amount I had weekly was between 75 and 100 dollars, including shabbos. Man, I would budget that money to the penny. Sometimes I would miscalculate while grocery shopping, and I had to tell the cashier to take things off in the end.

Once or twice I literally had NO money in the grocery budget, and I had to comb the cabinets for supper. Those weeks saw a lot of leftover cholent from shabbos, a lot of grains and beans. Sometimes I raided our pushkes, with nary a doubt. The money is to help feed poor Jewish families, why not ours? Somehow, we always managed.

Dinners were always good, but now I can buy things I never dreamed of. The other day I bought feta cheese to make Greek salad. I haven't had to warn Yaakov, "Don't use the bank card!" It's a little disconcerting to have so much. I can buy Rivky a 5 dollar present when she uses the potty all day. Before, that was unheard of! Take 5 dollars out of the grocery budget?
So it's an adjustment. I'm not used to being without strict financial parameters, and I miss them a little (strangely enough).

Thank you, G-d, for all your revealed blessings. And the good news is, we can give a lot more tzedoka now.


3 Comments:

  • At 8:43 AM, Anonymous Anonymous said…

    this too shall pass...

     
  • At 9:25 AM, Blogger shy_smiley said…

    nicely observed, anonymous. Maven, I know what you mean. A few years ago DH lost his job and we survived on my income for nearly a year. There's something comforting about knowing EXACTLY how much you can spend, and something rewarding about staying within those limits.

    I feel out of control, too, when the money's there.

     
  • At 9:39 AM, Anonymous Anonymous said…

    its said the challenges of wealth are harder than the challenges of poverty... yeah- tell that to some one who has nothing! Truth is that i actually sort of agree- I heard in a shiur yesterday something about how gevurah is (blah blah blah.can't really remeber how to say it blah blah blah...)"better"( blah blah blah.. that's not really it, but something something something) than tiferes- and its all about how we can so overdo it if we have too much (blah blah- attack of the fuz brain- not talking to any other adult besides my husband and blah blah blah.....) anyhow- we all know that having boundaries is the only way to freedom- well I can tell you right now- THE MORE MONEY YOU HAVE- THE MORE YOU ACCIDENTILLY WASTE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!SO ITS IMPORTANT TO BE FRUGAL AND BUDGETTED AND ALWAYS HUMBLE!AMEN!

     

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