Tuesday, February 12, 2008

When a list is more than a list

How much is enough? It always seems to be just a little bit more than we have, doesn't it?

That's been bugging me for awhile. At the beginning of each year, I make a list of things I want to do, things I want to make and things I want to buy or otherwise obtain during the year. It's meant to keep me on track, to remind me that a dollar or two here and there is that much less I'll have for the things I really want.


This year, as it has in the past, the list is growing instead of shrinking, although I'm plugging away at marking things off.

Why is that, do you suppose?

I think it's because I see a "can have" list instead of a "need" or "want this year" list. It's a peculiar twist of the human mind.

Once, long ago, I set up a budget for the first time. The only mistake I made was telling my husband and then teenage daughter. As soon as I mentioned that we had X amount of dollars in the clothing category, both immediately came up with things they "needed" that cost just about that much!

Lesson learned? Maybe not.

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