Money, Money, Money ... Mo-ney!

"Some people got to have it.  Some people really need it."  -O'Jays

Being a stay-at-mom is incredibly rewarding in so many ways, however, money isn't one of those rewards.  Which means budgeting becomes way more necessary than it did back before marriage or kids.  And it's hard sometimes.  It's hard to watch your friends or other family members do things and buy things that you can't do or buy right now because you're a one-income family.  

Some people say, "Well, go get a job."  Well, I have a job.  Just because it doesn't earn a paycheck doesn't mean it's not a job.  And in our situation for me to get a job wouldn't really add to our income - it would just pay for someone else to be with my children instead of me getting to be with them.  Let me clarify:  I don't regret for one single second my decision to be at home.  I get to see every milestone, hear every silly story, and teach them the things I think are important as they grow.

That doesn't mean it isn't hard some days.

But I have found something to make it a little easier.  

Mvelopes.com.  It's a FREE website that helps you manage your finances and makes it easier to save for the things you want/need.  If you are struggling to make your finances work for you (whether you stay at home or not), I urge you to give this site a try.

Now, I'm not perfect, and there has been a time or two when I've spent money but I've already maxed out my mvelope budget for that particular category.  But the good thing is that after I do it, I see a big, ugly red number that says, "Hey - you overspent.  Tsk, tsk."  And the following month when I "fund" my mvelopes, instead of $100 in that budget, I'll only see $75 because I overspent last month.  After you see those big, ugly red numbers a time or two, you'll really strive to do without if you've already spend your budget.  Because it's amazing how those numbers can sound like your mom in your head. 

Using this site, we've come a little way from the days where we lived paycheck to paycheck, which is no fun.  And speaking of fun, don't forget to give yourself a little fun money or you'll never stick to your budget!  

*If decide to use Mvelopes.com, please leave me a comment here to let me know how you liked it!