{"id":13746,"date":"2012-01-06T12:08:13","date_gmt":"2012-01-06T08:08:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/mideastposts.com\/?p=13746"},"modified":"2012-01-06T12:08:13","modified_gmt":"2012-01-06T08:08:13","slug":"2012-balancing-budgets-and-your-life","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mideastposts.com\/middle-east-society\/middle-east-life\/2012-balancing-budgets-and-your-life\/","title":{"rendered":"2012: Balancing Budgets, And Your Life"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a>\u00a0As the year comes to a close, one of my perennial resolutions rears its head and commands me: take better control of the household budget. The talk at a global scale of bankruptcy, poor credit and downgrading has made the resolution ever more urgent. Where are my slippery and elusive pennies going?<\/p>\n

\n

Don\u2019t tell my Dad about this confession, he will give me a stern look and tell me that he taught me better, that money doesn\u2019t grow on trees, that a man one penny in the red is a poor man, and a penny in the black is rich. I know I ought to know all this, but before you make me blush, are you able to account for your expenditure down to the last penny, cent or fils?<\/p>\n

The pessimism I feel about my financial management is exacerbated by the fact that it seems ever more important to get a grip on it. Somehow, the fact that the world\u2019s leading economists, and in particular the European leaders, found themselves in difficulty this year while trying to manage a successful budget for their countries, suggests that I should try to do a better job in my own little domain.<\/p>\n

But if all those clever people overlooked the flaws in their financial systems, how am I supposed to manage any better?<\/p>\n

I\u2019ve done what all aspirational budget managers have done: I\u2019ve created an extensive and detailed spreadsheet to list out all the outgoings. And there are a lot of them.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s easy to spot where I can get better deals on regular household expenses \u2013 although it will take some time to work through the changes. But the main struggle is in adjusting lifestyle: do I want to give up the enjoyable holidays? I love buying pretty clothes for my baby. And what harm is there in a pleasurable if slightly overpriced cup of coffee a couple of times each week?<\/p>\n

Therein lies the crux of my challenge: getting the best deals is a straightforward if tedious task. My bigger challenge is deciding what kind of life I\u2019d like to live: frugal to the point of asceticism? Cautious and sacrificing some pleasures of daily life? Sensible but enjoyable? Carefree, tomorrow will take care of itself?<\/p>\n

To me, these questions raise the issue of identifying a deeper truth about who I am and who I aspire to be.<\/p>\n

I often think that we could easily live in a much smaller abode, with fewer things and less obligations. Isn\u2019t that the right approach for someone who wants to spend time nurturing their spirit rather than their bank balance?<\/p>\n

On the other hand, our home offers sanctuary for the family, a place of exploration for our child and an enjoyment of the good things in life.<\/p>\n

There\u2019s no profligacy or extravagance. A car, a good school for baby, smart clothes (but not designer) to be well presented, the education of seeing the world on our travels: I see these as blessings we are able to afford. I see these as to be balanced with work for the community, charitable giving and constant thankfulness for all that we have.<\/p>\n

My spreadsheet may help me to balance the books. A spreadsheet can never help me to build a balanced life: for that I need constant reflection, a generous helping of wisdom and a selfless love of those around me.<\/p>\n

Most of all what I need is an appreciation of the value of all that I have, and I am fortunate to have a great deal. What a wonderful way to start 2012.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

SHELINA ZAHRA JANMOHAMED: It\u2019s easy to spot where I can get better deals on household expenses. But the main struggle is in adjusting lifestyle<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":8,"featured_media":13749,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[90],"tags":[18295,5105],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/mideastposts.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13746"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/mideastposts.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/mideastposts.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mideastposts.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/8"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mideastposts.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=13746"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/mideastposts.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13746\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mideastposts.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/13749"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/mideastposts.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=13746"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mideastposts.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=13746"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mideastposts.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=13746"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}