In the Dicken’s novel, Great Expectations, young Pip never pays his mounting bills. Instead, he organizes them neatly into categories, stacks, and tallies. Once that is done, he feels he has fulfilled his responsibilities, and he is off to the haberdasher for another hat.
That is where my husband and I came up with the idea of “Pipping the Bills.” We may not be able to pay them this week, but, by golly we can organize them. It seriously makes me feel better.
Pip’s method catches up with him, of course. Fortunately, so does his secret benefactor, so all turns out well in the end. (Well, mostly. Some things never get happy in a Dicken’s book.)
This week, the money budget at our house is in amazingly decent shape. We even paid for new tires! (I’m refusing to look at December. It will need Pipping for sure.)
But, I’ve been reading about becoming the CEO of my life. About taking charge, setting goals, and about designing a budget for my time. The writers sugest one should budget everything one wants to do, not just things one must do.
So, I did. The results would have made Pip proud. And, here is what I discovered: I have time! Time to sleep. Time to eat. Time to read. Time to write. Time to love. Even time to work.
Of course, I often spend my money outside the parameters of my budget. I do the same with my time. But putting it down on paper really did something for me. Maybe, instead of Pipping my writing projects this week, I’ll actually do them!