Kim Palmer

And I think that can go a long way.

That kind of advanced planning, sinking funds can go a long way towards just making sure you're actually enjoying that expenditure and not feeling guilty.

Well, first, I feel like I should say I'm not a financial therapist.

I have interviewed many financial therapists, though.

And the message that I've gotten is that that feeling of not having enough or being obsessed with savings, it often comes back to just having grown up with a sense of scarcity or not having enough.

And so it could be something worth exploring with a friend, with a therapist, just to see where that's coming from.

Exactly.

We want to have a system that is sustainable, that we can continue over long periods.

And if we are just constantly saying no to ourselves and denying ourselves, it's hard or impossible to really stick with that budget and make it last.

So that's why we want to just try to take a more balanced and sustainable approach.

We're building in some of that fun.

And that way, your budget plan can continue without getting interrupted where you suddenly just want to, you know,

drop it all aside and spend on something wild.

I sure have, and I think it goes back to what I mentioned before about just growing up with those constant messages of frugality.

What resonates for me is something Elizabeth said about just making sure you have the fundamental structure that makes you feel secure in place.

So if I know I have my emergency fund set,

I'm saving for specific goals.

Then that helps me feel not so guilty if I do want to splurge on something or plan a vacation that isn't absolutely necessary.

So for me, it's all about planning.

I'm a huge planner and that takes away some of the guilt and just makes me feel positive about the money decisions that I'm making.