I realized my last post was a little whiny and I have so much to be thankful for. Here's some of the positives lately:

Loan paid off: I had taken a small ($2000) 401K loan late last year. Today marks the last payment. Since I was paying it back in addition to my normal contribution, I should see a $250 increase (minus taxes) in pay per month.

Credit Cards: We'll have both of our joint cards just under 30% utilization by the time the statements close. Hopefully, this helps DF get the lowest rate when he gets his car next month.

Frugal eating: We've been doing a good job of eating at home. We've also been incorporating more veggies (health win!).

Supportive fiance: This really should be the first one. I can't even express how grateful I am for the man who keeps me sane, holds me when I'm stressed, and tells me I'm beautiful each and every day.

Getting creative: I decided to look into more frugal alternatives to some of my wedding budget. One of the more creative options we're considering is AirBNB for travel. We'll be there about a week. If we could find a nice place with plenty of room and open owners, we could use that for us and even have one of us get ready there which would save a ton on lodging costs, save one of the hotel rooms we booked as a getting ready place, and help cut meal costs as we could buy some groceries and cook. Plus, it'd feel like our own little home during the week.

Getting creative 2: DF and I have a splurgy date booked next month - we're seeing the new Star Wars in 3d at a movie theater that serves dinner and such. We want to watch all the other movies beforehand. This would normally mean me buying them or the whole set. But this time...I went to freecycle to ask. No offers yet, but someone was kind enough to suggest the library. My county does not have very many DVDs, but the adjacent one has them and I can get a membership with a library card from my county! So yay

I feel a lot less stressed and happier going into the weekend.