This post could also be called “How To Have Nice Things On A Strict Budget.”

So a couple of weeks ago, I was looking for a gold watch to wear with a certain dress. I got one. But while I was talking to the lady at the Macy’s counter, I saw something incredible.

It was $250 and my budget was not that big. I actually felt sad leaving the mall without this baby, but I knew I had to. So I went home and talked to Bob about it. And talked, and talked, and talked some more. I found out we had some extra money in another budgeting category (see our budget here) and asked if I could have the money.

Is this selfish? I decided it wasn’t. Ha ha!

And guess what. Bob agreed with me and let me get it. 🙂 And I ended up getting a really good deal on it! Wanna know how?

Well, I waited a week and a half until Macy’s had a 25% off sale. Then, I opened up a credit card with them and saved an extra 20%! I walked out of there paying $100 less than the full retail price. I felt pretty good about it. And you know what, I’m going to wear this watch everyday forever. OK, that may be an exaggeration, but I will definitely get my money’s worth.

But, that’s not it. What goes along with this is all the times when I wanted things so bad that I cried, but I still stuck to my guns and didn’t overspend. This watch is no longer on that Macy’s card. It was paid off with cash before I left the store.

Moral of the story? Most of the time you’ve got to stick to the budget. But sometimes, you’ve got to stick it to the budget.