What would Mr. Budget do? Part One

For three or four years now my friend, Kandra, & I have affectionately called our husbands Mr. Budget Sr. & Mr. Budget Jr. They received these names because they each have their own crazy money management skills. Plus each of them have magically been able to get Kandra & I abide by them - most of the time. Kandra & I both have wanted to pull our hair out at times because of the limitations these two men have put on our spending habits; however, I think I can speak for both of us when I say, we are happy to have money to use rather than going into debt when we make big purchases, go on vacation or decide to go out to dinner at an expensive restaurant.

I have posed the same five questions to both Mr. Budgets in hopes of helping my readers manage their own money. Below are the answers from Mr. Budget Jr.

What categories is your budget broken into?
budget categories: food, eat out, fun, household goods, gas, bills (rent, phone, elec, insurance, etc), school, baby, miscellaneous, business

How often do you review your budget?
every week, depending on time

How do you manage your debt?
the goal is to not amass any debt. some loans are necessary like school or home loans or medical bills but we strive to pay off loans as quickly as possible. we always pay extra on our loans if we have the money available. save your money and pay cash for as much as you can. the less that the banking systems own you, the better!

credit cards are the bane of our nation. my wife & i use them like debit cards so that we can collect "miles" to get rewards from the credit card companies. we subtract every credit card payment from our checkbook like a debit card. since we have been married we have resolved to pay off our credit cards every month. if we can't do this then we will discontinue using them. i feel there is no reason to pay 18% interest for anything.

patience is the key to getting the things that you want. Ecc. 5:10 "Those who love money will never have enough. How meaningless to think that wealth brings true happiness."

Do you have a favorite money website for my readers to check out?
no website's... trust any book by Larry Burkett. some of his ideas would be very difficult to accomplish, but i encourage you to take a look at them and apply what you feel you can use.

And finally, what budgeting technique do you think drives your wife crazy?
jessie fights any constraint i put on her. :) but in the end she realizes the advantages. she likes good food and it is expensive, so she likes to test the food budget when she can.