Ugh. Like many of you out there I am sitting here writing this blog the Sunday after Thanksgiving feeling fat. I typically do not eat any flour, bread, or refined sugar (or very little of it). Normally, I eat fruit, veggies, meat, nuts and berries and I sure can feel a difference after falling off the wagon for about the past week. I know you are wondering what the heck this has to do with a blog about personal finance and bankruptcy.....but while I am sitting here feeling fat I also just took a glance at my bank account and realized that my husband and I have been on a spending spree that mimics the amount of carbs I have eaten in the past week.
However, the difference is that unlike my eating spree, the excess spending has been going on for a few months. Yes, even though personal finance and bankruptcy is what I do for a living as an attorney with Halcomb Singler.....I too can fall off the financial wagon just like everyone else. And we have fallen off in a more than just death by a hundred small debit transaction way. So I have been sitting here going back over why we have strayed from the budget that I spend so much time updating and analyzing. It is pretty easy to figure out. My husband and I decided to list our condo for sale. Yep....we are attempting to sell our condo in this terrible market. So, what we have been doing is dumping money into making the condo look its best with new paint, fixtures, door knobs, appliances, etc. I wish that I could say that this spending was in the hundreds, but in all truthfulness we have spent thousands over the past 2 months getting the condo listed.
But it is not really the condo expenses that I am overly concerned with......even though it does pain me to soak so much money into a place that we will likely not live in for much longer. The other thing I have noticed is that we have taken the opportunity to spend more money on our condo to spend money in other areas. We have been eating out more often because we have been sooo busy getting our condo up to par that we haven't been cooking anything. We have been spending money on gifts for Christmas without actually mapping out how much we would spend on each person ahead of time. We have been paying others to do things that we should and can do ourselves.
So, I have fallen off the wagon with my finances as well as with my eating. I tell you this because it is not so important that I fell off the wagon, but how myself and my husband are going to get back on track and to make sure that everyone understands that no one is really perfect when it comes to personal finance. Because now that damage has been done it is important that we not only confess that we have been playing hard and fast with our money but also how we can get back on track. To me, this seems similar to what people do when they have binged on junk food while dieting. Notice that I am not making excuses for what I have spent. I am simply acknowledging the problem that I have caused along with my husband and we will sit down together to go back over the budget and to make sure that we are spending within the budget before we do any more crazy spending. So, if you objectively look at your spending are you on track? If you are on track good for you. If you aren't on track don't spend your energy beating yourself up. Spend your time and energy assessing how to fix the problem. Whether it be to cut down on spending, to get a second job, to charge an adult child living in your house rent, etc.
As far as how to fix the eating, consult with a nutrition expert because I am certainly not one :) If you find yourself so off track with your budget that after getting extra work and cutting expenses you are still not able to keep up and are receiving collection calls and even lawsuits I may be able to help. I assist people with bankruptcy and debt settlement. I also try to be honest with people about their budgets without being judgmental. If you would like to meet with me because you are considering debt settlement or bankruptcy and live in Indianapolis or the surrounding areas click here or call my Carmel Indiana office at 317-575-8222. There is no fee for the initial consultation.
Halcomb Singler, LLP, is a debt relief agency. It helps people file for bankruptcy under the bankruptcy code. No attorney-client relationship with the firm of Halcomb Singler, LLP, is created through this blog. Also, please note that Erika Singler is an attorney licensed in Indiana and does not seek to practice law in any jurisdiction in which they are not properly authorized to do so. The information contained in this blog is general in nature and should not be relied upon for the circumstances of any individual(s) or businesses.
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