Entertainment Budget

Luke and I are newly weds, and with every pair of newly weds comes a new budget and a lot of new expenses and not a lot to work with. It is funny to see what our projected budget was, and then to see the difference in the actual. For example, the Food Czar (see below post) always goes over the allotted money for the grocery store; however, I am OK with that because unlike Luke I need more to eat than easymac and sweet 16 doughunts. There are several areas in our budget we well over...but nothing beats our entertainment. Every month we go far beyond our dictated amount (thank you David Ramsey) of only $100 per month.

What David Ramsey, who does financial planning classes at a lot of churches, does not know is that my husband and I happen to be the most social, extroverted, and chatty people you may ever meet (note the # of our bridal party). Therefore, more money is needed in our entertainment budget than the "average" couple. We need our happy hours, wedding weekends, friend reunions, girls' trips, family vacations, etc. This is a need for us, not a want. We say "no" to cable, fast internet, and even Luke's dental insurance (and health insurance until 2 weeks ago) to help provide for our needs.

So, when the opportunity arose to go to the Avett Brothers concert in Charlottesville last weekend...we jumped at the chance to go over our entertainment budget once again! And, as always, it was well worth it!

I have been a fan of the Avett Brothers for about 4 years now, and Luke recently started enjoying their tunes. This was our second time actually seeing the Avett Brothers, only the first time was under different circumstances. Luke's neighbor growing up, Jerry, has a son in law, Pete, who is the tour manager for the band. Sadly, Luke's neighbor passed away last year so we went home for the funeral. During the funeral they had special music as most do, but when they started playing I immediately recognized the voices and to my surprise I realized it was the Avett Brothers themselves. They sang a beautiful rendition of "I'll Fly Away" and everyone around me was in tears. This is terrible, but all I think about was the fact that the Avett Brothers were playing!! Matt, Luke's brother, kindly suggested I not try to get an autograph, although I was tempted. Jerry, you are loved and really missed by Luke.


Anyway, the concert this past weekend was beyond incredible! Luke and I had a great time and he even packed me the sweetest picnic ever to enjoy before the show (flowers, hot chocolate, tuna fish sandwiches, the whole nine yards). I highly recommend you spending the cash to see them in concert, even if it does go over your entertainment allotment for the month. Here's to cheap spending in November hopefully!