Budgets

Okay, I love my budgets I must say. My personal budget involves an excel spreadsheet with 10 tabs. It is somewhat intense.

I will be looking for a new place to live soon and I keep going back to the budget to see what I can really afford. Two things are important to me when looking for a place to live. 1) Living Alone. 2) Living in DC. Unfortunately my budget tells me I can not afford both and that I have to choose which one is more important. I could lie to myself and just get an apartment in DC by myself but then I would reach a point where I couldn’t pay the rent.

Why am I talking about my apartment hunting you might ask? Theatres do the same thing. We are getting close to the fiscal year of most theatres and it is time to make decisions. Sure I could tell my boss that I can reach the goals he wants but the truth is that I can’t. Your leader could tell the board of directors sure we will make those goals but if they can’t then things or people will have to be cut. I think it is better to make the tough decisions sooner rather than later.

Which way do you budget? I always put expenses high and pray that I stay within them and put income low hoping to do better. Some people do the opposite and neither one are right or wrong but the tough choices have to come sometime.