Budgets Are Sexy

I started this post in November of 2009, but for whatever reason it seemed I didn’t want to finish it (not one of the things I feel bad about, btw ;)).  I think it had to do with not thinking these were all that exciting, mixed with really feeling guilty. And probably more so on the latter. (Who likes admitting to thousands of people they aren’t perfect?)

Lately though, I’ve been having some flashbacks and figured it was about time to bare my soul. Not that they’re really all that horrible, just pretty annoying to think about. And something tells me I’m not the only one who does these ;)

5 Things I feel bad about doing:

1. Never tipping my tattoo artist 10 years ago. To this day I cringe at the very thought of this – I’m a huge believer in tipping!  Always at least 20%, and usually even more for extreme service.  I was just a wee lad trying to survive New York City at the time though (off $8 an hour too, if you can believe that) and the thought never even occurred to me.  From what my friends have told me, I’m lucky the artist didn’t mess up on purpose! (You usually pay and tip first. Although that could be NYC rules, not sure)
2. Throwing away our tithing envelopes. As a Catholic, we’re supposed to be giving 10% of our income back to the church.  Truth be told I’ve never been able to get on board with this.  I donate a few bucks at every mass, but I have yet to own up and fulfill this tithing requirement.  I think part of me doesn’t understand why we should be doing this in the first place, and the other part of me doesn’t want to do the research and find out ;)  I’m a bad boy, I know.
3. Keeping all those “free” St. Jude’s stickers. You know, the ones with your address pre-printed on them so you never have to write another return addy again because you have 500+ of them?  That will last you 150 years? Unless you move? And every time you peel one off your heart leaps for joy, yet at the same time saddens you because you never even donated even a dollar? Those ones.   But I swear it’s kind of evil marketing that puts you on the spot ;)  It’s a good thing they’re doing it for a good cause.
4. Taking all those nickels from The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. My thoughts are pretty much the same as above, only I give them extra points for the personal finance lesson they throw in w/ their request: “You and I both know a single nickel won’t go far in the fight against blood cancers. But even nickels can quickly add up!…” This is true!
5. Never writing thank you cards this past Christmas & Birthday (they’re back to back) :( My mother would KILL me if she knew this! College aside, I’ve written them every single year of my life. And I really have no excuse for this other than the fact I don’t really like getting them myself (I always get excited someone is writing me a honest to goodness letter, and then get my hopes dashed when it’s just a boring thank you.  I know people are thankful to get it because they told me in person or over the phone already.  And then I feel bad that they had to sit down for an hour or two to pump these all out when they could be using their time elsewhere enjoying themselves.)

I feel bad about a lot of other things too over the years, but these are the ones most tied to money. And here’s what I’ve learned from it all:

• Tipping: I’m not going to forget this next time!  And there will most certainly be a next time!
• Tithing: I need to find a way to get better about this. And it starts with researching, even though I don’t want to.
• Stickers & Nickels: I’m not going to start donating to them, but it has reminded me every time I see these in the mail that I need to donate more.  But I am getting better! I just donate directly to causes and people that affect me more.  And I’ve come to terms with the fact you can’t give your money to every single charity out there, so I stick to the ones closest to me. (Getting on board w/ Kiva will also help with this!)
• Thank You’s – My guilt is too much, so next time I’m writing them the very next day. I’d write them all up now – 9 months later – if I knew I wouldn’t come across as cRaZy, but I’m pretty sure everyone’s forgotten anyways ;)

How about you all? Do you steal stickers and nickels and not tip your tattoo artists too? Or are you perfect little angels? (Hah!)

Originally published at budgetsaresexy.com.