I used to think that budgeting was for pansies. Why meticulously keep track of every cent when you can haphazardly navigate through your finances and hoping for the best when you check out your bank account? Since that lobotomy my feelings on budgeting have swung like a pendulum from one end of the spectrum to the other and now I have spreadsheets and I plan. The sky is suddenly brighter and I also have my sense of smell back now that I don’t feel like I’m being slowly suffocated by dollar bills.

It's that time of year again; peace on earth, good will toward man, and shopping as a marathon sport. Right? Not necessarily.