Sometimes my life gets filled with too much work, my to-do lists get crazy, I have too many chores and family obligations that I crash and realize my life is out of balance.  Don’t get me wrong, these episodes don’t occur too often and I do OK for the most part.  But when it does happen I re-evaluate and see where I could use some improvement.

Last time I checked, I found that some things I do better than others: I do fine with exercise but am bad with my food choices (I have a really active sweet tooth), I’ve gained some unwanted pounds and so am working on a healthier diet.  Also, I still take a lot of time for me (My precious alone time, yey!), but found that sometimes I don’t do great with nurturing my friendships.  I decided that this needs to change too! I haven’t been seeing much of my old friends for a while and I have missed them.  How did we get so out of touch?

Around a year ago, I was so focused on saving money for a new business and getting out of debt (my student loans which I’ve had for nine years now) that cash was really tight.  I revised my budget for groceries, rent, loan repayment, education, networking, marketing, entertainment, etc.  But I forgot to allocate time and set aside some money to see friends.  I started declining lunch and dinner invites, drinks and going dancing because of how much it would cost to go out.  That was a big mistake.  All work and very little play made me a dull and stressed-out girl.

I have a loving family that I am very grateful for and I have many nice new acquaintances from the classes I’m constantly taking but I needed more.  I needed to hang out with old friends.  Maybe because my old friends keep me grounded and sane because they help me relax and I can act like a dorky goofball when I’m with them?  It was harder to cope with all the stress of my life without them.

So, lesson learned, I have budgeted time into my schedule to see friends at least once per week (even the ones I have to commute an hour and a half to get to).  Mind you, I will not be going on crazy shopping sprees with my more extravagant friends but I have allocated funds to have lunch or drinks with them even if that means keeping my loans a little bit longer.  I think these people are a treasure and a good investment (cheaper than a psychiatrist) and I’ll hold on to them and nurture our relationships for as long as possible.

Want more ideas on what to spend your hard-earned cash on?  See the Alternative Investments section.  Or how about reading on how money affects our relationships?  Read the Money and Relationships section.