For most of my adult life, I thought budgeting meant cutting out everything fun — like saying goodbye to dinners out, weekend trips, or small indulgences that made me happy. It felt like a punishment for being bad with money. But over time, I realized the problem wasn’t my spending; it was my lack of intention. I was buying things on impulse, chasing temporary satisfaction, and then wondering where my paycheck went. Everything changed when I discovered the idea of intentional spending. Instead of focusing on restrictions, I started focusing on alignment — making sure my money reflected the kind…