This is a short update of what I’m currently going through. I have been diligent with my budgeting for over a year and in the last two months it has become difficult for me to update my budget. My May spending was not out of hand as my credit card bill was directionally in line. That said I didn’t track my May spend at all and doing it for June is very tedious. I’m fully attributing this to budgeting fatigue.
Budgeting and tracking your spend are routine tasks. Routine tasks get monotonous and you naturally lose interest in doing it. This is where I am now and I need to get out it. I need to get out of it because budgeting works for me. It helps me stay committed to my goals and on track with my spending. When I don’t budget and track my spend, I easily spiral and overspend on what I don’t need or want.
A key contributor to how I’m feeling is my hectic work schedule. I am working more than I’m paid for, don’t we all, and I don’t like that as it impacts my family time. I have limited control over this for now as I’m not where I need to be financially to reduce my work hours or do F U to work. So until then I need to find a way to balance it all out.
So what am I doing to get out of my budgeting fatigue?
I will block some time over the weekend to update May outstanding spend. I’ve accepted this won’t be accurate as I will not remember all cash payments made. I will force myself to record spend on a daily basis starting with the €7.5 I spent on lunch today. I have to retrain myself on budgeting and that’s okay as it’s a tool I need to achieve my goal of becoming work optional.