Update

OK...yes...I am still among the living. Quite boring, but among the living nonetheless. Didn't realize it had been nearly a month since my last post; things here have been pretty much status quo for the past month. We closed on our land up in the mountains last week. Getting ready to wind down the school year; only 10 more student days, 14 more work days. This time next month I will be lying on the beach with no worries in the world.

Staying strong in FPU; very difficult, but very worth it. I have never been much of a "bill" person. I like creating the bills, but not paying them once they arrive in the mail. I like using "plastic money" because it's not "real" money. Sitting down with Dear Husband to pay bills has been enough to cause more than one full-fledged panic attack. When I heard President Bush was going to give me $1,800 just for living, breathing and taking up space (and, of course, filing my tax return) I immediately went to work deciding how I could spend "my" money. See, with our last rebate check way back when, DH bought a trailer. One we could put dirt bikes or lawn mowers or stuff on and pull it behind the truck. So it was only fair that I should get to spend this one. I decided to buy wood blinds for my whole house. I had them picked out and priced, knew exactly which ones I wanted. Then, the more I got into FPU, the guiltier I felt. Then, when I actually saw the money sitting in my bank account, I couldn't do it. I could either buy the blinds or pay three bills off. So as of Monday, we will have paid off four credit cards since February; started the envelope system for buying groceries and fun monies (ask Oldest Child how much she likes Dave Ramsey...she'll be happy to tell you..NOT!) Plus we thought long and hard about whether to buy the land up in the mountains before we actually signed the papers. But it's hard to go wrong with something that appreciates in value as soon as the ink dries. So we had to say yes. Now saving money has turned into a game for me. Like paying cash for groceries and getting $7 in change back. Or taking a "thingy" back to Home Depot and getting a store credit worth more than the Mother's Day present I want from there costs. And our teacher gives chocolate to those who bring credit cards to cut up each week. I haven't been able to do that yet, because way back when, DH and I cut up our credit cards; all I have now are the gas cards and my emergency Mastercard and my American Express card. But Wednesday night I get to take a credit card to cut up because as I was going through the bill book this morning, I found a Kohl's card. I will proudly be walking up, cutting that sucker into itsy, bitsy, teensy, tiny pieces and enjoying every bit of chocolate in that candy bar (who cares if my beach vacation is less than a month away and I will look like a beached whale...)