Budget Wednesday: When Time is Money

Some of you may have noticed the lack of updates recently. This is due to the fact that I will be graduating from college in a week and a half and thereby have been swept with busyness! On Sunday, my husband and I also ran our very first half-marathon (click here to read all about it), so we have been extra tired as well. So please bear with me as I try to update these next few weeks! Guest posts are always welcome- please send me an email if you are interested (sugarloaf10-at-gmail-dot-com). Ok, on to this week's post!

Many times couponing can take more time than it is worth. For example, this week has been extremely busy for me, so I decided not to travel to the 3 different stores I usually do for grocery shopping. Instead, I paid a little more and shopped in one place. Taking the extra time to go to the other stores would have saved me money, of course, but it wouldn't have saved me any time! And at this point in my life, time really is money.

I think it is important to realize that we can't always be the super couponer we aspire to emulate. Life takes over, family takes over, obligations take over. Sometimes, you have to make to decision to spend that extra 10 dollars in exchange for being with your family. After all, what is a dollar saved if a relationship/job/obligation/friendship crumbles? I guess it's all about setting your priorities straight and realizing that sometimes things just aren't going to work out the way you expected.

It's important to have this attitude towards your budget as well. Don't be so rigid that you have absolutely no elbow room. Allow for some leeway during times of stress, emergencies and special events. This can be particularly difficult if you have friends with a much larger budget than you, since saying 'no' to every dinner out is likely to put a strain on the relationship. Give your budget some slack so that once in a while you can 'yes'.

What times do you find it hardest to stick to your budget and/or couponing ambitions? How do you handle it?