Make Friends with your Finances | Volume 14
May 26, 2025
Spring into Budgeting
By Kate Vaillancourt, Certified Credit Union Financial Counselor (CCUFC)
It’s hard to believe that May is almost in the rearview mirror. The days are longer, summer is knocking on the door and the school year is wrapping up. Spring cleaning is something I both look forward to and dread. On one hand, it feels good to pack away the winter gear and get ready for summer. On the other hand, it’s just so much cleaning. Ugh.
Growing up, my mom would have me take everything out of the cabinets and closets, dust everything off and then (hopefully) put everything back organized and tidy. I try to do that still today, but some years I do better than others. Has it really been that long since I cleaned the pantry? Well… the expiration dates speak for themselves!
One thing I can’t put off until later is figuring out what I spent to heat my house this past winter. Heating oil, pellets, and higher electricity usage are all winter expenses for me, and I want to make sure I’m setting enough aside throughout the summer so I won’t have to worry about staying warm—or about frozen pipes—when the cold returns. I know things will be more expensive (they always are), but I can at least make an educated guess and start setting money aside each month specifically for this purpose. If this sounds like an extremely boring task, you’re absolutely right! Sitting down to go over my spending is never fun, but creating a spring budget brings me peace of mind.
The part I hate most about putting my budget together is analyzing my spending habits. Sometimes, it’s hard to face the truth about where my money goes. I had previously written about how changing my lunch routine helped, and if you’re looking for an update, here it is: I did well for a while, fell off the wagon, got back on, fell off again… and, well, my current status can best be described as “hanging onto the wagon, but my feet are dragging.”
Some days I bring lunch from home; other days, I realize halfway to work that I left it sitting on the kitchen counter. I’m a work in progress, and I’m okay with that. I’m doing better than before—even if I slip up now and then. I’ve also come to terms with the fact that it’s unrealistic to bring lunch every day, but if I budget for the occasional meal out, I’ll be just fine.
Analyzing our own spending habits is the best way to see if we can make changes that help us work toward our goals, but it’s not always an easy task. If you would like help creating a budget or planning for something special, help is available. Please reach out to me by sending an email to kvaillancourt@acadiafcu.org or by calling 207-992-1060. Financial counseling services are free to members of Acadia Federal Credit Union.
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May 26, 2025
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