Tonight I had the opportunity to teach the JARS budgeting system to my mom. I was taught it at the Millionaire Mind Intensive a little over a year ago. It’s worked out great for me so far, and my mom had gone with me once to one of the evening seminars.

I don’t think I did a great job of teaching the system, but she seemed to understand it and catch the vision of it. She asked if it was similar to Dave Ramsey’s envelope system, but I was not familiar enough with it to answer. But she was ready to work out her own budget and use the system by the end of my quick lesson.

The thing I appreciate the most about the system is how it gives us permission to spend money without guilt. Each dollar now has a (general) purpose, and some of those dollars are allocated specifically to having fun and enjoying life. I don’t know that we would have bought the expensive tickets to take our daughters to the symphony a few months ago if we’d not been on this budget system.  I was always fretting that money spent on something “frivolous” was money not invested or put towards something “more important.” The more important stuff is already being taken care of!