What does it take to learn?

It's been a pretty tight January, which is normal for this time of year, but this is the first time we're in an actual office - one with a large rent to pay every month.

Marie and I are using this time to learn as much as we can about planning and budgeting, and it's a very liberating experience. Having a plan, a limit and a goal actually sets us free from worry. We've planned capacity and expenditure in advance, almost for the entire month, so we don't have to think so much abou each purchase.

Which makes me reflect, why don't we do this when things are going really well? Sure, we get all the bills paid when there's plenty of money, but we haven't been too specific on annual, quarterly and monthly goals. 

Sometimes it takes a hardship or a limitation to really teach us something. I think the systems that we're learning are going to stick, even as our income picks up (and it already is). They'll stick because they're fun! And because they work.