A few weeks ago, I went out to dinner with friends of mine that recently got married.  A little background, I met them at a place that I worked.  He and I worked together for about a year, and I later hired his future wife.  She actually introduced me to my fiance.  Kind of a fun side note.  OK, back to the story.  When we were out to dinner, they were talking about how much money his wife pays to work downtown.  She takes the train, which is $150 a month.  She then takes a cab to and from the train station to her work.  I was giving her a hard time that she should walk to save money.  At that point her husband chimed in about how the cab money is part of her budget. 

These friends have always been the type to spend money, and you could tell.  They always had stylish clothes, and they always seemed to have the newest electronics.  I knew that they had debt from their past through conversations over the years.  I feel that having credit card debt is pretty common these days, so I never thought anything about it.  I despise credit card debt, but I don’t like to mix my financial thoughts with friends unless they ask.  The reason I share this with you is because I never really considered them financially smart.  They, like most, were just an average couple with debt. 

When my friend began explaining their budget, they instantly seemed smarter to me.  I know this sounds dumb, but It’s the truth.  I always had respect for my friends, but hearing him talk about their budget and their plan to get out of debt just made them sound smarter.  The simple fact of not foolishly spending money and restricting their spending to get ahead generated a feeling of pride for my friends. 

Why I Think Budgets Increase Brain Matter

The simple fact that I think budgets make you seem smarter is because you have to understand financial responsibility and then devote yourself to making it happen. 

Financial Responsibility - the knowledge that debt, especially credit card debt is not smart.  Sometimes an unexpected medical bill or family issue can cause this, so don’t think I am not sympathetic to those situations.  I am talking about the type of debt my friends are in.…