You need a Budget

A budget stops all of us from being broke or impulsive, from buyer's remorse or “having to work 12 hour days” to pay for those impulse items.  Our jobs are too physically demanding to simply work for our basic living expenses.  Groomer's bodies are machines that will eventually burn out.

I'll just put this emergency on my credit card...

Living off debt or spending a paycheck as it comes in is like a dog chasing it's tail... Or a cat chasing a laser pointer. It's futile. We all know how insane a groomer's lifestyle is, we have all crawled home and right into bed because we were exhausted. There is this tugging feeling that we can “always make more” or “will catch up during the busy season”. We can't, we need a better plan.

As groomers we often are too tired to cook after a long day, we find items we "deserve" because fluffy bit us or we got anal glands in our hair.  The problem with this approach it is can spiral out of control very quickly.  Having a zero based budget stops you from "blowing" your money on things that you wouldn't have otherwise bought on impulse.  Being on a budget does not have to mean you are not enjoying life.  

Budget what is important to you!

You can make your coffee budget $5 or $200, God knows mine is in the $200 range BUT it's in the budget and I know that if I buy that extra Cinnamon Dolce Latte today at Starbucks I may not have enough to treat myself to a Bacon Gouda Sandwich next week.