Let Your Budget Get Realistic

Photo by: wwworks

I saw the movie Titanic for the first time last year.

I made it through the whole thing with the help of a Rifftrax.

Back when the film first came out I remember reading somewhere that James Cameron had an interesting problem. He had tons of extras, and he had tons of “panic” scenes. The problem emerged when he’d direct everyone to “panic” and once they said “action!” all the extras would run around screaming and wildly waving their arms.

Needless to say, it wasn’t very realistic.

Eventually they came up with a numbering system. They defined what a level 1 panic scene is (mildly concerned) up to level 5 (the previously mentioned screaming and arm waving).

Over Christmas break, someone asked me “How much am I supposed to budget for groceries?” I couldn’t give her a solid number, or even a percentage of her income. Everyone’s situation is too different, and I’m no James Cameron. Giving her an amount wouldn’t be very realistic either.

Everyone should match their budgets to their own situations.You need to find your own “level.”

Sometimes this takes a few months of budgeting to really feel out how much your comfortable with, how much you can afford, and how much makes you happiest in each category. Your first month of budgeting might not be very realistic. Fortunately, you don’t have a release date and your budget can take all the time it needs to find it’s sweet spot.

Unfortunately, few of us can enjoy a budget like Titanic’s.

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