Sometimes having a budget feels limiting. Everything gets delegated to categories and those little left overs end up in our pockets for personal spending money.

We notice the little budget primarily when we hang out with friends. Coffee dates and dinners out add up quickly. Sure, we consider doing things that don’t cost money or inviting people over to our home as a cheaper option, but sometimes you just gotta get out of the house.

All that being said, it’s easy to spend and harder to save.

Yet it’s this budget that has made me so appreciative of anything extra. When I babysat, I could splurge on that chai latte one morning on my way to work. It broke the routine and helped me cherish it more.

When things become habitual, we grow unaware of our own privilege. Instead of gifts, they become expectations. That’s why this March has become my season to decrease my wants; all of the energy I put into wanting blinds me to the blessings I have here and now.

Cheers to the simple reminders of a chai latte!