Opposites attract.

Here's a fun marital fact you might not know about the VeeDubs: we have separate checking accounts.

And we have no intention of ever changing that.

I realize for some couples, this would mean the beginning of the end. But for us, it works. I spend my money. He spends his. We split home and other expenses. He pays the mortgage and insurance and I pay TV/Internet, water, gas, electric & phone. We take turns on daycare, gas, Fran, groceries, dinner out, etc. Credit cards? Those are separate, too.

I'm not sure if it's something I'm proud to admit, but we've never really done a budget. Like, we both have a ballpark number in our heads about what we save vs. spend, but it's never been nerd-official in a spreadsheet or anything.

That's the part that is changing.

We met with a Realtor on Friday and are structuring the next year of our life around saving, saving, saving. And not just on handsoap. Even in this shit-for-housing market, we're taking the steps necessary to sell our house smartly and move into something with a little more room to grow. We want to be there in 12 months, so it's an agressive, but do-able, plan. But it must be budgeted to ensure success.

In my mind, a budget is as follows: How much do I make? How much do I spend? What's left over?

In Joey's mind, this is a budget:

This is a REAL screenshot in Excel from Joey's "2011 VW budget planner." Honestly, you could line item this shit to the point of knowing when I bought my last tube of MAC lipglass and maybe even what shade it was. Also, there is actual brain matter splattered on my desk from looking at this thing.

I am sure that somewhere in the middle of both of our ideas is probably a healthy place to be in budgetland. What I'm not sure of, however, is how we'll get there.