Sadly, it's that time of year where Larry and I haul our boat out of the water, take it home, and clean all the swampy good-time memories off of it, and store it for the winter. I truly wish my parents had mentioned all of the *hidden* costs of a boat, but then I kind of inherited the boat with my husband.
So let's evaluate those sneaky little extras that no one ever thinks about as they are slathering on the sunscreen and popping the top of their favorite brew while the wind blows through their hair as they are perched on the bow of the boat. Okay, maybe it's not quite so movie-of-the-week-esque, but you get the general idea right? And I realized recently it's not just the boat that's a money pit- LIFE is!
So recently I have learned to budget for this endless money spending because it's well worth the 4 months of enjoyment on the boat. Not only has that stuck, it started seeping into the rest of our financial life and I found this great tool on Spark People to budget our money, and track our spending as well. This way I have PROOF that my husband is overspending on his fishing trips! Heh, just kidding; kind of...
All joking aside, this Spark tracking is really awesome, and has allowed me to see where we might be overspending (groceries) and where I may need to budget for things that I didn't really ever think about (winterization for the boat). So far, this diligent (read: anal) tracking has helped me cut down on food-hoarding and other needless expenses. If nothing else, it makes us think twice before forking over the dough. It's nice knowing we have X amount of money left for the week.
Every once in a while, our diligence just needs to be tossed out the window with reckless abandon and we have to enjoy ourselves. That's why for Sweetest Day, we are going out for a Sushi lunch and then Larry is taking me shopping at the mall for some fall clothes. Hey, I said I was *working* on it, not that I had mastered it!
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