← The Practice of Financial Living
The Practice of Financial Living · Card 3
Priorities & Budgeting
A budget shows values or habits.Most become habits.
- Stated priority
- The budget shows
- Growth matters most
- Big eating-out, tiny learning
A budget is either a description of what someone actually values, or just a record of what they're used to spending; and most budgets, left unexamined, quietly become the second one.
In Practice
A budget with a large "eating out" line and a tiny "learning/growth" line, for someone who says growth matters most, isn't really a budget of their priorities; it's a budget of their habits.
Generic Example
A weekly schedule with hours for scrolling and none for the hobby someone claims to love isn't a schedule of their priorities; it's a schedule of their defaults.
Ask yourself
Does my budget actually reflect what I say I value, or just what I've gotten used to spending?
Ties back to Every Rupee Should Have a Purpose
Shows up in Budgeting Without Feeling Restricted