Humans are the sum of our experiences. Our culture, family, and personal values directly affect our worldview. This includes the way we view and handle financial matters. And for many of us who have been socially conditioned, this means that budgeting is often seen as a negative thing. That’s why many financial advisors are telling people you shouldn’t have a budget and should create a spending plan instead.
The Difference Between a Budget and a Spending Plan
In reality, there are many similarities between a budget and a spending plan. Essentially, they serve the same functions.
However, the differences all come down to psychology and the feelings people associate with certain words and concepts. For many people, the term budget has a negative connotation. It is perceived to be more restrictive in nature whereas spending plans offer more flexibility with your financial planning.
Therefore, for the purposes of this content, we will view a spending plan as “reverse budgeting” to conjure more positive responses about finances.
7 Reasons Why You Shouldn’t Have a Budget
When it comes to financial planning, you want to set yourself up for success. In an effort to change momentum, here are 7 reasons why you shouldn’t have a budget and should consider a spending plan.
1. The term “budget” evokes strong emotional responses.
As mentioned above, the term “budget” is an emotionally charged word. It is a tool that is often used to correct negative behaviors and poor financial habits. And for many people, it evokes a strong emotional response that automatically makes them feel defensive or as if they are failing financially.
When you have such a strong emotional response to something, it’s hard to separate facts and feelings. Even though a spending plan shares many of the same functions as a budget, it is an emotionally-neutral term. Therefore, many people find greater success in creating a personal spending plan instead of a budget.
2. Negative attitudes towards budgeting make it harder to reach your financial goals.
Many people already struggle with their finances. If you have a preexisting, negative opinion about budgeting, it will make the task even more difficult since you must overcome additional emotional obstacles as well.
Frequently, these negative views make people want to give up before they have even begun. It can make you feel as if you’re fighting a losing battle. And, it becomes less likely that you will continue with your financial plan. If you are already pessimistic about budgeting, you will have to force yourself to adhere to it. So if you aren’t optimistic about the end result, it reduces the chances of success in reaching your financial goals. However, finding an effective strategy suited to your personality will help you overcome these intrinsic, negative attitudes.
3. Many people associate budgeting with deprivation.
Although many financial planners know that budgeting is crucial for financial security, it brings up a lot of complicated feelings. For example, it is often associated with sacrifice, scarcity, suffering, and deprivation rather than fiscal responsibility. These feelings become even more intense for those with a history of poverty or a lack of resources to meet their basic needs.
If you have ever had to trim your budget, then you can easily understand why people view it as a restrictive measure. In many cases, it is used to reign in poor spending habits or adjust to a reduced income. With that in mind, you can also see how it could bring up feelings of shame and guilt. Many financial psychologists suggest that by changing the terminology, you can change the way you view money.
4. It causes people to equate financial failures with personal ones.
Although financial irresponsibility has led many people into debt, there are several factors that can make it difficult to live within your means. And despite what people say, they are not all within your control.
Therefore, you need to identify which factors you can and cannot control. And more importantly, you must be able to disassociate past failures with future goals. Even if you are struggling to stick to a budget, it doesn’t mean you are a failure or a bad person. It just means that you have to make adjustments in your spending plan to get you closer to your goals.
5. Budgets tend to be more restrictive than spending plans.
Creating a budget puts you in the mindset that you need to find ways to cut back. Furthermore, it usually means eliminating unnecessary expenses and sacrificing things that make you happy.
Then, there is added pressure when there is no learning curve or room for mistakes. Unfortunately, this outlook all too frequently leads to feelings of shame and guilt since your budget is too restrictive. The truth is that you are setting yourself up for failure when you have unrealistic and inflexible goals.
6. Many people avoid budgeting altogether.
Without a doubt, many people have deep-seated anxiety when it comes to money. Rather than addressing it, they choose to avoid their problems because they are scared to face the truth of their finances.
It’s easy to get worked up and convince yourself that the problem is worse than you originally thought. In the end, you may feel it’s easier to ignore the problem than deal with it when these emotions surface. However, avoiding your problems will only compound them and make them even worse down the line.
If you fall into this trap, remember that your problems usually aren’t as bad as we make them out to be. Any financial struggles you have can be addressed with a solid financial plan.
7. People convince themselves they don’t know how to make a budget.
The sad truth is that most of us never receive financial education during our adolescent years. These life lessons are overlooked within school curricula and many parents don’t discuss financial matters with their children. Unfortunately, it leads to a lack of financial literacy and feeling overwhelmed when discussing related topics.
This isn’t to say that you are incompetent or incapable of learning, only that you didn’t receive a proper education. Those without proper training tell themselves that they don’t know where to start, so a budget won’t work for their situation.
This is precisely why you shouldn’t have a budget. It’s possible to overcome this defeatist attitude by taking a proactive approach in creating a spending plan instead.
Food for Thought
Although the practice of budgeting may not change, perception is everything. By becoming more self-aware and recognizing the negative attitudes you have towards financial matters, you are taking the first step in correcting them. Recognizing your own feelings and understanding why you shouldn’t have a budget, can help you make a better spending plan and take positive steps in the right direction.
Read More
- Striking a Balance Between Over-Spending and Over-Budgeting
- How Many Accounts Does It Take To Manage Your Finances?
- 4 Reasons You Should Have A Financial Advisor
Jenny Smedra is an avid world traveler, ESL teacher, former archaeologist, and freelance writer. Choosing a life abroad had strengthened her commitment to finding ways to bring people together across language and cultural barriers. While most of her time is dedicated to either working with children, she also enjoys good friends, good food, and new adventures.