The Ratface Financial Plan

I should have been an accountant. Or something else that has to do with organizing money. I spent every evening for 2 1/2 months entering each day expenses on an Excel worksheet so my New York City living stint would be perfectly budgeted. I love knowing exactly what's in my bank accounts and having my checkbooks perfectly balanced at all times. So it's hard for me to understand why people would want it any other way. I get so many calls for people with bankruptcy from credit cards. My friends never come see me because they don't have the money. It especially frustrates me when i'm dating someone who's a complete spendthrift and doesn't realize that it makes me unhappy when he doesn't have gas money to come see me, can't buy me a Christmas present, or go out to dinner on our anniversary. (This is sounding very selfish, but believe me-i make up for it and buy presents, dinner, and gas plenty of times in return!)
I'm not a tight wad, i just spend/dont spend and save wisely. I've been reading a good many articles on the msn money page. And i feel strongly about 2 areas: Just start budgeting! I tell my friends: write down your expenses, write down how much you need a month-do the calculations! It seems so easy to me, but they don't seem to care; they'd rather complain 2 weeks out of the month how much life sucks because they're broke.
The other area is really the root of people's problems: America's need for material items. Bankruptcy laws were changed this year so it's harder to file now-there were so many filed last year that the government realized how much of a problem it is. We live in a society where everyone feels they need to catch up to everyone else. I do it too, i want the new fashions! I want more cds! Marketing campaigns make it seem like our lives would be so incomplete if we didn't go out and buy the useless bunch of crap they're selling us. If people would just realize how rediculous that is and be happy without keeping up with the jonez's, maybe i won't hear as many i don't have any money right nows.