My budget gives me freedom. It’s amazing.

Shopping is now fun.

OK, well, it’s still not that fun for me, but it’s at least not as stressful. Why?

I have a budget.

If you had asked me 16 months ago about people who make budgets…I probably would have made some snide comment. Now, today, I don’t know how I would shop without it. It’s so incredibly freeing. My business income is still very volatile, but at least for the next 2 months, I know exactly how much I can pay myself. It’s almost like I have a normal job!

So, I did a real basic expenses (this is all just on my personal side) spreadsheet in excel. And I’ve also been using a new web-startup called Geezeo. I tried using Mint, but to be honest, after my initial review, I don’t think I’ve signed on since. Geezeo has been a little different. You can text message your account to get balances, or even balances left on your budget. I did an interview with them over Christmastime, which they have now posted on their blog. It ended up being a good kathartic piece for me to write. The questions they asked really made me think and reflect on this past year.

Also, I have a post up today over at lendingclub about basic finance tips for lazy tech’s.

My employees are back from Winter break….and I couldn’t be more thankful. I always forget how much of a positive influence they are on me, and it’s nice to have the help back again.