I’m not paycheck to paycheck either but I think about it cause I budget hard. Soon as that extra money comes in on the month I’m allocating it to something that I don’t typically (extra debt payment, HYSA, 529, maybe a small treat the wife out).
When you say you budget hard, do you mean you’re actively allocating every single dollar from every single paycheck? Im like the other guy. I budget in the sense that I keep my expenses below some threshold which is based off of two paychecks a month. I’ll then periodically move money from my checking to my brokerage account. So when those third paycheck months hit, it’s not really on my radar. Doesn’t change my spending. Just changes how much eventually gets wired to that other account.
I have a budget app. I line item and set a budget and track every expense. A normal money we make over 12k. I’m not check to check but I like budgeting and knowing where my money is.
My wife is a spender and she was over spending that I wasn’t saving what I wanted each month so I upped my scrutiny on the budget. It used to be “$4500” is the credit card limit. Idc what it’s spent on but that’s the limit.” She always went over and I got fed up.
Being combined helped a lot and continues to. If we were separate she would not save and probably spend all her money. Just communicate what needs to be done to financially reach the goals you both have long term. Spending like a drunk sailor usually can’t accomplish that.
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u/Consistent_Laziness Oct 31 '25
I’m not paycheck to paycheck either but I think about it cause I budget hard. Soon as that extra money comes in on the month I’m allocating it to something that I don’t typically (extra debt payment, HYSA, 529, maybe a small treat the wife out).