“A budget is telling your money where to go instead of wondering where it went.”
― Dave Ramsey

As sensitive as it may be, personal finance is just as important to me as professional finance. I love helping my friends create budgets, do taxes and plan for their futures — just as I do for lilikoi. When I’m not checking my credit score or expensing out my next vacation, I’m most likely cooking, painting or shopping (within the budget of course). I enjoy coffee, iced or hot. I love museums and flea markets. I enjoy traveling and quality time. Most importantly, I value spending money as much as I love accounting for it.

It all starts with a budget. Dave Ramsey is without a doubt, my financial spirit animal. The quote above is what I remind myself of each time I am setting up a new month or building a new budget (personally or professionally). Budgeting is hard and it takes time to get the hang of. Sometimes in your personal life, budgets could feel “restricting”, but I really believe that may be the wrong way to look at it.

A budget gives you the power and opportunity to make decisions and plan for things. For example, when you plan “Trip to Hawaii” into your budget, you give yourself the freedom to take that vacation stress free. You don’t have to put the trip on a credit card and worry about how you’re going to come up with the money later. You are able to afford the fun excursions and all the yummy (but pricey) restaurants all because you planned for it.

Initially, the most important thing for me when I set my personal budget is being realistic. The more accurately I open my budget the easier it is for me to stick to in the month. I think during the month, the importance shifts to being disciplined and reminding myself why I have the budget in the first place. Honestly, I wasn’t joking when I said I love spending money or listed shopping as a hobby. I am working really hard to be intentional with my spending, so I have the freedom to do whatever, whenever.

Due to this, I have started to go through Dave Ramsey’s Financial Peace University. For those who don’t know, its a program to teach and train you how to get a handle on your personal finances. I am learning so much about my spending habits, the good and the “needs improvement”. I highly recommend checking Dave out if you feel like you could use some personal finance resources.

Working with numbers all day requires a level of patience and persistence. I have a lot of persistence and very little patience, but it still seems to work for me. Go give budgeting a try!

_{Design and Animation by Lucas Swindler}