• Can You Plan Spontaneity - This is a recent post, but it’s a good one, and it’s one of our trademark tips for a successful lifestyle .  The post outlines how we have built spontaneity into our budget (which works quite well, I assure you), achieving both spontaneity (to have a little mystery about special outings, gifts etc.) and budget restraint (so you have so money to retire on one day).
• YOU are an emotional piggy bank -   This post has generated a lotof talk of the last few weeks.   You are an emotional piggy bank, taking in deposits and doling out payments from other people.  Just like a bank account or a piggy bank, you need to have more deposits coming in than payments going out for the system (i.e. you) to function.  People that drain too much from you, drain you, and you should spend time with them sparingly, if at all.  This, of course, is opposed to emotional boosts, who make lotsof deposits into your piggy bank.  You should spend as much time as possible around these special people.
• Never forget where you started… - This post is a reminder of why you got married or into a relationship with your spouse/significant other, and some tips on how to make it work better or keep it working wonderfully!
• Why your friends are costing you money, and what you can do to stop it! - This post is all about being friends with people who have a larger income than you and ways to avoid the pressure of spending too much money, or spending money that you don’t have when you hang out/spend time with them!
•   So, going to the gym is like budgeting my finances? - This post draws parallels between going to the gym and budgeting your finances.  Not only are there insights into better ways to budget your money, but there are also a few tips on going to the gym!  You can’t beat that!

So, those are the blog posts that we’d like for you to go back and take a second look at!  Hopefully, you will find some information that helps you along in your life, or reaffirms what you already have in practice!

“clips episode” of previous posts that are “must reads”

We figured it out though, or, at least we figured out one possible solution. We now have 2 “his and hers” Spontaneity envelopes built into the budget. Now, I know that doesn’t sound spontaneous, but keep reading. We have set up a “her spontaneous envelope” and a “his spontaneous envelope” that will be funded from our respective “mad money” envelopes. This money will build up over time, and when the other person decides to do something spontaneous, they will have the funds to do it, and the recipient of the spontaneous gesture will not know when it’s happening! This might sound confusing, so I’ll give you an example.

Say I’m receiving an extra $10 a week in my “mad money” envelope (the money I can spend on whatever I want) that I can either spend or put into the “spontaneous for her” envelope. I start putting that extra $10 in the new envelope every week, and all the while, Jerrill is watching this money build up. After a month, he decides to take that $40 and buy me a big bunch of flowers, or a dinner out, or some nice chocolates etc. I’m surprised (there’s the spontaneity) because I didn’t know when it was going to happen, but it’s not going to hurt the budget because it was planned!

I don’t know if it will work, but we’ve started the process, and hopefully it will put a little spontaneity back into our (and possibly your) lives!