Balancing the Body Budget. A little fun thing I came up wit

To manage your home successfully you have to manage your budget very carefully, some more carefully than others. No matter who you are, you have to pay attention to what’s going in and out in order to have a comfortable living space.

Now, think of your body as your home. Okay, good, now imagine your calories range for each day as your spending budget allowed to maintain your property. In my case my budget is 1250-1500 calories a day. That’s my budget in order to improve my “home” and work my way into a better one. Once I get that better one my budget will increase slightly, but that’s for another day. For right now, let’s just look at now.

It would be great if all I needed to do is spend my calories on no matter what as long as I didn’t spend too many. Unfortunately, that is not the case. Within the maintenance of keeping a decent place to live are those pesky things called Bills. I know! I hate them, too!! I’d much rather go on a spending spree and blow my calories like a kid in a candy store, but ~sigh~ I’m in my 30s and know the trouble that causes in the long run. So instead, I pay my bills each and every day., trying to manage to pay enough to each one without going over budget!

For the most part, they are Utility bills... gas, electric, and waste management. Within our calorie budget, we have to spend enough on each of our utilities in order for the home we have, the only one we’ll ever have, to be maintained.

The gas bill is your total carbs for the day. Without enough of them, your home doesn’t have the fuel it needs to keep itself warm and ready for action. But be careful, with too many your house will hoard the extra carbs as insulation to use later...just in case. Trust me...you don’t need extra insulation!

There is a daily maintenance bill that pays for your protein, the building block for a strong home with sturdy floors and walls. Skip a few too many protein payments and your trusses will sag and your floor joists will creak with every step...Oh the horror!

Ahhh this brings us to Waste Management...you’ll find this referred to as Fiber on your nutritional tracker. WM is a delicate balance that needs to be maintained with a gentle hand. If you’re paying on time and the right amount(!!) WM becomes something you spare no thought on. But too much in either direction, trust me...You notice!! Pay too much and you’ll start throwing EVERYTHING away (or at least it’ll seem like it), but pay too little and *kitten* really starts to stack up! All of a sudden your comfy home feels 2x too small, cramped and all around unpleasant!

Of course, that leaves us with one last bill...the credit card bills. These frivolous, fun bills are the easiest to let our grip slip on. It’s those pesky fats! They break down to two basic columns for me. WANTS and NEEDS. Because, our house does need frivolous and fun in order to feel like our own. Our own customized flair, the purple shutters you love but neighbors wonder about...the things that make you feel alive! WANT and NEED...are hard to separate at times. Instead of depriving yourself, opt for the better choice.

I WANT a snickers, but I NEED antioxidants. So I buy a Dark Chocolate square (just one serving!) and indulge.

If you can manage to juggle all of this, the nutritional tracker is a great tool, then you can and will succeed in turning any neglected house into a stunning home!