To me, a budget is a story. Taking a look at a budget in any given moment is like looking at an image of someone in motion. At times it is clear where the person is headed or where they came from, but all it definitively shows is that single moment.

Looking at reports or patterns of income and spending are like looking at several of these snapshots at different intervals. More data over time shows this character’s backstory more clearly. We see the movement along the story arc.

I see budgets as stories, illustrations of an individual’s actions and values. My dad taught me that a budget is simply a plan. In a sense, I agree. When we look at the knowledge and skills we have amassed and use our self-awareness to prepare for upcoming events, we are planning — and we are setting out on a journey.

 

— Excerpt from the upcoming mini-series Lessons for Life: Artist’s Budget Coaching*

 

 

 

 

*Learn more about LfL: ABC and support its production via GoFundMe.