If Dave Ramsey ever reads my financial history, he’s going to sigh heavily, close the folder, and whisper, “Bless his heart.”
I’d love to tell you that I operate on a color-coded spreadsheet with quarterly projections and a fully funded emergency account labeled “Unexpected Appliance Apocalypse.” I’d love to tell you that every dollar has a job and that my money marches in disciplined little rows like Marines.
But the truth?
My budgeting style has historically been more… improvisational jazz.
Now, I’m not reckless. I pay my bills. I don’t gamble the mortgage. I’m not financing jet skis I don’t need. But I’ve never quite mastered that calm, almost smug confidence of the people who can say, “Oh yes, we booked Ireland for next spring. We just shifted some funds around.”
Shifted. Some. Funds.
I see those photos — cliffs in Ireland, cafés in France, bullet trains in Japan — and I think, “Huh. I once strategically moved money from savings to checking so the electric bill wouldn’t bounce. Does that count as international finance?”
Part of my issue is optimism. I am deeply optimistic about Future Doug.
Future Doug will be disciplined.
Future Doug will cook at home.
Future Doug will not buy another bottle of bourbon because it was “on sale.”
Future Doug is incredibly responsible.
Present Doug, however, occasionally believes that Amazon is a utility.
The older I get, though, the more I realize budgeting isn’t really about deprivation. It’s about intention. It’s saying, “This matters more than that.” It’s deciding whether I want another spontaneous purchase… or the ability to say yes to something bigger later.
Travel. Experiences. Margin. Peace.
I may never be the second coming of Dave Ramsey. I’m probably more like his distant cousin who read half the book and highlighted the funny parts. But I am trying to get better. Not because I want to be rich, but because I want to be steady. I want to live generously without anxiety.
So my approach to budgeting right now?
Honest.
Improving.
Occasionally humbled by the credit card statement.
But moving in the right direction.
And if anyone has a system that allows for responsible saving and the occasional bourbon purchase, I’m all ears.
Copyright © 2026 Doug DeBolt.
