Budgeting Is About Getting More of What You Want

I recently looked at my grocery budget and realized something strange. Compared with eating more meals at restaurants (or even grabbing a quick meal at Chipotle), I have a functionally unlimited grocery budget.

I can keep my fridge stocked with everything that makes cooking easier and more enjoyable, and still spend far less than I would eating out more often.

So the problem got reframed from, “I need to spend less money eating out,” to “I need to keep more veggies in my fridge.” That new problem is a lot more fun to solve, and it leads to me eating healthier and feeling better.

This led to a small change in my budget. I shifted some of my restaurant budget to my grocery budget. Even if I spend the same amount overall, my life is way better now.

When I have money left in the grocery budget, I can splurge and pick up a couple of steaks. Or I can throw a pork shoulder on the smoker and have some friends over. And all month long I can stop by the grocery store to buy some produce without worrying about the time or cost of it. The alternative is always much more expensive.

This reminded me of something important about budgeting.

The goal is not necessarily to spend as little money as possible. The goal is efficiency: to create the best life you can and get as much of what matters to you as possible from the resources available.

It is much more fun to say: “I’m spending more on groceries so I can eat better and spend less at restaurants," than it is to say, "I need to stop eating at restaurants."

You have limited money, limited time, and limited energy. But your life can still be excellent. The purpose of a budget is to direct more of all three toward the life you actually want.