The More You Budget, The Luckier You Become

Apparently, in the years since my own childhood, the leprechaun has started making home visits.

I tried to tell my first-grade son that I didn’t think the leprechaun came to our neighborhood—but he had compelling proof in Dylan and Stella down the street.

I tried telling him that the leprechaun didn’t visit houses with working moms, and he didn’t get the joke: “I don’t even know what you are talking about, mom!”

So, I left a trail of jelly beans through the house, put some green food coloring in the toilets and called it a day. (Parents! Am I the only one feeling like the number of fictional characters who visit in the middle of the night is getting out of hand?!!?!)

Anyhoo, St. Patrick’s Day got me thinking. First, that Pinterest is ruining us one holiday at a time. Then, about luck—which quickly morphed into how budgeting makes you feel “lucky.”

Not Having To Stress About Money Doesn’t Just Happen

There was the time that I accidentally backed out of the garage with both passenger doors wide open. After the uncanny sound of metal scraping/twisting/bending, I realized that both doors had nearly ripped off entirely. Not my finest moment, but when I went to the Body Shop and could write a check from a very well-funded Car Repair category, I felt so lucky. “We have the money to pay for this! Phew! What luck!”

Except it wasn’t luck. It was faithful saving, every month, toward a category that has required much of me since the day I turned 16.

Spontaneity Is A Privilege That Requires Planning

There was the time that the dining room table of my dreams, was on a sample sale at Pottery Barn. We just happened to walk by on a random Sunday afternoon and there it was (angels were probably singing in the background), in all its one-day clearance sale glory.

Now don’t get me wrong, it was still an “investment piece,” but we had money in our Home category and with a little rolling of the punches we could act fast on the deal of the century! So lucky!

Except that it wasn’t luck. It was faithful budgeting, consistently living well below our means and funding toward the future. Because we have money set aside for all the things, we have the freedom to take advantage of more opportunities.

Decide What Luxuries Are Worth Saving For

Last week, a friend of mine stopped by the house while I had a house cleaner at the house. She was like, “You have a housecleaner? You are so lucky!?”

She only comes every so often, but I do feel very lucky every time she does. It is such a luxury—hands down the best day of my life—is any day Cynthia has been on the premises.

Except that it wasn’t luck. When my work schedule started getting more crazy, my husband and I sat down with our calendars and our budget and had to rethink our priorities. The house being all put together is super important to me. In fact, the more chaotic our lives get, the more I need the house to be clean and tidy and organized, in order to remain sane. Mom not losing her mind? Top priority!

As we talked through my general state of mind, the limited hours in the day, and the season we were in the thick of, we agreed that the occasional housecleaning was a priority. We budgeted accordingly, which means other things had to go, but as it turns out, in this season of life, less important things. Oh, lucky day!

Budget Your Own Luck

So, make your own luck. Decide what you really want—and examine what you could do to make that work. Fund every which way for the future, so that when you stumble across a four-leaf clover, you can snatch it up! 🙂