Budget off the rails

This month I have a credit card balance that I cannot pay with my paycheck. My car needs its 30,000 mile servicing and I am going to have to charge it, adding to the balance. The charges on my card were a convergence of my decision to spend a couple hundred on new clothes (so that no one would mistake me for a bum) and some rare expenses, such as new toner for my laser printer (hasn't needed any for 2 1/2 years) and signing up for a class I take three times a year, among other things. I will be able to pay my current balance with my next paycheck provided I stop spending.

This whole situation points out to me how close to the margin I really live. I give myself a discretionary spending allowance which generally meets my needs so I don't usually feel like money is tight, but it is. Every dollar I make is already earmarked for bills or savings and only a teeny bit left over for extra expenses. Of course, in a real emergency spending situation I have plenty of resources - my emergency fund, the money I keep in stocks, the money I pay towards my loan principal each month. But that money is for emergencies, not new clothes or a lawn chair. I miss the days before I owned a home when I could go off the rails with my budget and it was no problem because I was bringing in way more than I needed to live on.

This is not the end of the world; I'll rein in my spending, go back to my usual thrifty ways, pick up an extra call shift, and everything will be fine. Then I'll be back in my pretend world where I have plenty of money for everything I need because I don't need much. I just have to remember that all this tightness now will pay big dividends when my second mortgage is paid off, then first mortgage is paid off, then retire early or only work part time by my late 50s. And I do have a wonderful (already saved up the money so no worries) vacation coming up in a few weeks.