I went skydiving.

Skydiving was life changing for several reasons.

1. I jumped out of a plane.
2. I jumped out of a plane with my sister.
3. I accepted death as part of life.
4. I realized why I care about budgeting.

I know the last lesson doesn’t sound like the most exciting, but hear me out.

It started last Christmas when I bought my sister Lauren a Groupon for skydiving. After building up 5 months of excitement, we finally made it to quaint Monroe, Ga.

I did not plan to join her in the jump, partially due to the cost of the ticket, partially due to the fact that it entailed diving out of a plane attached to someone with a parachute.

After we arrived, we watched a man with a long beard explain the waivers, complete with ambulance imagery.

Then we waited for about 2 hours. To pass the time, I took lots of pictures.

I also watched divers gracefully land and emerge with adrenaline glows.

Ten minutes before the plane took off, this man approached me. I’ll call him Ted. Ted asked if I wanted to jump out of the plane, too. I said yes, and then explained that I had just started a blog about a savings challenge and couldn’t afford the ticket.

Ted said the title must be the idonthavealife blog. Then he told me that this was the only chance I had to share a first tandem jump experience with my sister. A few minutes and a coupon rate later, I was signing the waivers. Then this happened:

 

I have few words to describe the experience. It is awe-inspiring and terrifying. I felt petrified and elated and confused and philosophical and dead and alive at the same time. The wind pressed my face and dried my mouth as I smiled for the camera. I was thankful to touch ground.

(So, why does budgeting matter?) Budgeting empowers me to pursue what I want in the realms of what I can afford so that I don’t get stuck in debt. Budgeting isn’t restriction; rather, it’s Freedom. And what better way to express that freedom than through jumping out of a plane?

When we landed, Ted asked me if the money I paid was worth it. At the same time, Lauren ran toward me with this smile:

That was worth it.