Debt-free By 33's Personal Finance Blog

Our Account:
Rent: 1532.02(1535)
Electric: 68.89(70)
Gas: 98.64 (60)
Verizon: 93.15 (95)
Groceries: 510.01 (300)
Entertainment 115.48 (75)
Misc: 545 (0)
Couch: 50 (200)
Pets: 375.75 (400)

Meh...I could have done better. The miscellaneous expense was a new living room table. DD2 destroyed our glass one, so we went with a much sturdier, wooden one with drawer storage since DC is so fond of knocking anything and everything off of the entertainment stand, side tables, etc. We plan for things like the couch and this table to last us a very long time, so while it's costly, I'm hoping it lasts close to a decade. Now that we have a wedding to plan for, we'll have to be much more focused on the budget to really put aside as much savings as we can in these coming months.

Thanks so much for the well wishes everyone! I couldn't be more thrilled I definitely think this will end up pushing my goal back considerably, but I think that when life throws you lemonade, sometimes you just have to sit back, sip, and enjoy it!!

Now's time to get back to regularly scheduled programming. Here's how June ended up:

My Account *Budgeted numbers in parentheses
BOA Savings: 0 (25)
Capital One Savings: 25 (30)
Netflix: 8 (9)
Insurance: 83 (83)
BOA CC: 33 (33)
Navient Loans: 45 (45)
ACS Loan: 169.7 (170)
Phone: 182.48 (170)
Wells Fargo: 50 (50)
Target: 83 (83)
Food/Gas: 428.28 (90)
Misc: 40.96 (50)
Mariner: 100 (100)
Chase Freedom CC: 1850 (656)
Chase Slate CC: 25 (25)
NFL Points CC: 57 (60)
Apartment*: 1400 (1400)

My BOA savings and CC will be removed starting next month. I closed both accounts in an effort to simplify things. My numbers will now start including cents as I no longer am enrolled in keep the change.

It pains me to look at the amount I'm paying to the CCs and still not be getting ahead. I'm still trying to find some way to kick them. I am owed over a grand from our joint account as I've put some joint expenses on the cc from time to time. I'm hoping now that the traveling is done for a bit, SO will really be able to focus and make some good money, so we can build our buffer back up and start paying some of that money back.

My raise was about $50/paycheck. Not much, but it's something.

For those who want the abridged version...I'm engaged!

Read on for the full story...There's also some financial stuff at the very end.

SO (who we shall now call DF for Dear Fiance) had led me to believe it wouldn't happen for awhile, so I was completely caught off guard. On the last day, we went to Magic Kingdom. DF led our group up to the castle. I kept asking to take a picture, and he kept saying to wait until we got closer. So, we get up close to it, and he said I should take a picture first. I move forward and pose in front of the castle. DF says 'We should all take pictures of Jasmine.' And his whole family starts taking out their phones. I thought it was really weird, but I was enjoying the park, so much that I just went with it. DF asked me if I wanted to see the pictures and came over to me. When he showed me the phone, there was a picture of a ring!! My mouth just dropped open. He then turned me to the castle, said something really sweet, got down on one knee, and proposed. I was so shocked that I took the phone and just shouted 'Of course!' and hugged him. I forgot to accept the ring. He had to give it to me again, and I was surprised all over again. Everyone was chanting 'She said yes!' And then...music started playing and a show called 'Dreams come true' started right then. It couldn't have been more perfect!! So now we add wedding planning to my crazy amazing life

For the trip spending, we did pretty well. We did cover some of our own meals as well as a characature (sp?) for his parents and souvenirs. All of that spending came from gift cards we had lying around. Financial updates as well as a wedding plan of attack coming soon!!

We're on our way to Fl! I just wanted to check in quickly with some good news. The cleanse did its job and I successfully weighed out this morning at just over 10% lost for my dietbet! Hoping to keep it in check while in vacation. Still no real idea of spending but SO got an awesome discount on 4 day hopper passes to Disney at less than 200/each. Our share ended up being 320 but hopefully that will be our most costly expense.

Just checking in. Things have been busy over here. SO and I had a blast on our mini getaway (2 days at a local BnB). There was a bit of confusion which resulted in us getting an extra night sometime in the future, so we'll definitely be going back there. The restaurant had the best toast I've ever had, and it turns out, it's just from Costco, so I'll definitely have to check into getting some.

We leave for Fl on Wednesday afternoon. I still have no idea about costs to us, but I guess we'll find out. My brother is going to be staying at our place to take care of the animals, so that will save us quite a bit in boarding fees. I plan to cover his food costs (I'll leave a frozen casserole or two for him to heat and eat, plus we have a pretty stocked fridge) and pay him a small flat rate - probably $75 or $100.

SO and I spontaneously decided to do a 3-day detox cleanse. The scale hasn't been moving for my dietbet, Fl is coming up, and it's just generally a good idea to hit reset on our bodies. The total cost for all ingredients for both of us was about $160. While I definitely could have done better on this (buying frozen or from Aldi), it comes out to about $80/person or about $26/day. The average cost is supposed to be about $16. I will also note that some of the cost was for supplements which will obviously be more expensive. As for the cleanse itself, we made it through day 1 (although we're both a bit crabby about not getting food). The breakfast drink isn't too bad; lunch is just brutal; and dinner is manageable. We're hoping that even though we'll be off of it by the time we leave for Fl, it'll help us keep our gluttony in check. I will also add a huge shout out to SO who's basically only doing it to support me. There's no way I'd stick to this by myself, but having him there makes it easier.

Animals are all good. DD2 is finally starting to get the hang of going outside. She's been going on the patio consistenly for awhile now, but in the past few days, she's finally started going number 2 actually outdoors. We're also transitioning to taking her all the way outside whenever she goes to the patio door. DD1 got the hang of potty training so much quicker, but there is light at the end of the tunnel.

After the fiasco last week, things have been slightly better. DD2 is back on the prescription food, so her droppings are more solid again. She's getting the hang of potty training. We went to visit my mom this weekend and she had no accidents. She went to the door each time she had to go to be let outside.

However, we have plenty of spending coming up. DD2 actually broke our living room table, so we had to replace that: $540. We got a very sturdy wooden one that is not likely to move when 2 80-lb. dogs slam into it. We also have the BnB trip later this week and then the Fl trip next week. I'm very excited for a little bit of a break, but am dreading what the spending will look like. DD1 also has his yearly shots coming up next month.

I'm not sure, but I think we came in well under our pet spending this month. I'm going to roll that to next month to covers his shots. Other than that, I think July is also going to be pretty lean. Luckily, we have 2 free Papa John's pizzas from rewards points. Those are my fallbacks in case I hit a down point again.

I also completely forgot to mention this, but I was rear-ended the other day. I was so angry that I didn't do anything I was supposed to (take pictures, exchange info, etc.) other than snap a picture of his auto insurance card. The more I thought about it, the angrier I got, so I decided to file. His company told me they may not accept liability given that I had so little information. While I understood that, I was still peeved about it. Fortunately, they were able to confirm the accident with the guy and have accepted liability. It's a good thing as there was more damage than I thought totaling just under a grand. So I'll have to get my bumper replaced in the next week or so.

We got Five Guys for dinner. In full disclosure, I still feel it was worth it overall. There's just some guilt that I ultimately could have done without it.

***DISCLAIMER: The next part of this story gets a little gross if you're squeamish like me...***

I fully intended to make lemon pepper chicken with potatoes au gratin and veggies yesterday. However, when I got home somewhere between 630 and 7, I was greeted by a crate full of crap...literally. DD2 had gone in her crate. She's been having lots of diarrhea lately, so it was mostly liquid and she'd smeared it everywhere. As I was going to get her out, she did what she normally does which is sit and wait for me to open the door. However, her tail was swishing right in the pile of you-know-what. So she comes out of her crate, guns blazing, and despite my best efforts to get her out of the apartment as fast as possible, she still managed to smear poop on my purse, SO's travel bags, and several walls. After I walked them, I immediately put her into the bathtub and got her cleaned up. And then I had to address everything else. Basically, by the time everything was clean (including me since I definitely needed a shower afterwards), it was almost 8 and SO still wasn't even home yet (he was supposed to get off at 5).

All of that made me really upset and the last thing I wanted to do was make dinner. I even tried to talk myself into it. I reminded myself of my goals - both financial and weight-related. Nothing worked. I was convinced nothing would make me feel better than a huge burger and a bag of greasy fries. And actually, I did feel a lot better and while my wallet is definitely lighter, my weight didn't really increase.

Tonight, I will be cooking the chicken, potatoes, and veggies as SO's friend will be spending the night.

There was finally some spending. SO came home Saturday!! I spent $65 on groceries, $7 on gas station fare (2 energy drinks and a bag of chips) on the way to the airport, $60 on a Sunday afternoon movie date (Jurassic World in IMAX 3D - so expensive, but worth it to us). We went to SO's parents' house last night for a cookout. I've mapped out a meal plan for the rest of June using chicken and tuna as the bases for most meals. I plan to hit BJ's and the grocery store tonight with a budget of $150. Then I will need to make one more stop next week to fill in the gaps (right now, there's only two items I foresee needing).

DD2 went to the vet last week to get her boosters and rabies. It's kind of nice not having to pay anything since it's all spread out under the $60 monthly care club payments.

SO and I have the bed and breakfast next week and then the FL trip around July 4th. We haven't really budgeted for either of these (one was unexpected, but the other, there isn't really an excuse), but I'm reasonably sure we can cash flow them.

I just sent in another $150 Chase Freedom payment. That puts the card at $305. I still need to move that $100 from Navy Federal which will put it at $205. If I can find the paperwork for Aflac, that will be $150 more leaving me $55. I have $35 budgeted from next paycheck which means I will just need to find a lousy $20 bucks. I may cancel my monthly $25 savings transfer to my BOA account and use that.

On that note, I've been trying to simplify all the cards/accounts I have going on. I recently closed my pet and vacation funds from Capital One 360 leaving me with Car and Emergency funds. I also have a checking account with them that I will look into closing once I verify the period has passed on their promotional offer. I'm going to close the BOA CC and my savings account with them. I had it to prevent overdrafts, but since I now keep a buffer in the account, it's no longer necessary. I really don't want to close the BOA credit card as I've had it the longest, but it has an annual fee and I no longer use it, so I'm going to take the hit to my credit score now while I don't necessarily need it. Once I finish up the Slate and Marlo Furniture cards, I'll have to decide what to do with those. I had originally planned to close them, but I may just stick them in a drawer somewhere, so the available credit still helps me. I also want to simplify the loans (I have 3), but since 1 will be paid in December, one is my mom's responsibility, and the third is on auto-pay, that may not happpen for awhile.

I'm really late on this, but here's the June budgets:

My Account
BOA Savings: 25
Capital One Savings: 30
Netflix: 9
Insurance: 83
BOA CC: 33
Navient Loans: 45
ACS Loan: 170
Phone: 170
Wells Fargo: 50
Target: 83
Food/Gas: 90
Misc: 50
Mariner: 100
Chase Freedom CC: 656
Chase Slate CC: 25
NFL Points CC: 60
Apartment*: 1400

Our Account:
Rent: 1535
Electric: 70
Gas: 60
Verizon: 95
Groceries: 300
Entertainment 75
Misc: 0
Couch: 200
Pets: 400

The apartment under my account is my contribution to our account. For my account, I added in a miscellaneous fund for those random things that keep popping up.

I have yet to charge anything new to the Chase card, and that budgeted amount is the full balance, so if all goes well, then it will be paid off fully. I made a meal plan for the rest of the month and this may be the first time we come in under budget in the groceries category. I already know we're going to be over our entertainment budget, but I didn't want to fudge it, so I put what I had budgeted.

We really bombed this...

Item: Spent (Budgeted)
Rent: 1555.84 (1560)
Electric: 89.09 (140)
Gas: 58.35 (60)
Verizon: 93.15 (95)
Couch: 50 (100)
Groceries: 105.60 (200)
Entertainment: 682.03 (300)
Misc: 144.93 (0)
Pets: 1083.91 (200)
Total: 3862.90 (2651)

The last three categories really killed me...especially pets. I'll post June budgets tomorrow, but I upped the June budget to $400 as a result of this egregious failure of pet expenses.

Below is my April recap. Apparently, I missed May budgets, but I'll put in the numbers from my personal spreadsheet:

Item: Spent (Budgeted)
BOA Savings: 25 (25)
Capital One Savings: 30 (30)
Netflix: 8 (9)
Insurance: 84 (84)
BOA CC: 67.67 (0)
Navient Loans: 34 (0)
ACS Loan: 170 (170)
Phone: 178 (178)
Wells Fargo: 50 (50)
Target: 0 (0)
Food: 66 (40)
Gas: 138 (50)
Clothing: 40 (0)
Pets: 0 (0)
Miscellaneous: 261.39 (50)
Entertainment: 192.64 (0)
Taxes: 0 (0)
Chase Freedom CC: 1396.52 (460)
Chase Slate CC: 25 (25)
NFL Points CC: 57 (57)
Mariner: 100 (100)
Car: 353.48 (0)
Apartment*: 1400 (1400)

I've thought of some more...most importantly:

Oldest CC: My BOA card is coming up on its annual fee of $59. It's my oldest card. I don't charge anything to it other than to my auto-fill EZ Pass and a recurring payment for SO's Christmas gift that wouldn't be too difficult to pay off. I'm going to call and see if the fee could be waived, but they've never been willing to work with me in the past. My question is, do I close it if they won't work with me on the annual fee? I'm guessing they won't waive it every year and there's not much difference between closing it this year or next, so I'm tempted to just take the hit to my score now while I don't particularly need it. What do you think?

Food: Other than the whole pizza debacle earlier this week, I've been doing well. I am out of milk, but I'm trying to hold out until this weekend when SO gets back.

To-Do List: I made a huge to-do list of things I want to do before SO gets home. My goal is at least 5 things each do. Last night, I finished 5, but started at least 5 others.

SO comes back Saturday. Until then, I'm mostly just trying to survive. These past few days in particular have been rough. I did cave and order pizza, but managed to stop the slide when I was trying to justify fast food the very next day (and the next). Lots going on, so I'll give a brief update on the things I can think of:

Spending: Other than the pizza ($20) and an unexpected winery trip ($40), I've been pretty good. I still owe a June budget, but it's pretty tight.

Mom Loan: She is fully responsible for this but asked me to move the due date. Navy Fed wouldn't move, but I am going to pay it ahead one month, so she can set it to auto-pay when she wants. She will be paying me back through...

Vegas Trip: (I fully expect heat for this, so feel free to fuss...) My mom got a birthday offer for 5 nights at MC with $150 slot play. Considering my mom can go 3 days on $50, this would be nice for her. We're doing it as a mother-daughter trip. Her sisters may also come in from Denver just for the weekend. With our play on MyVegas (a rewards game) we'll have 7 rewards between us which we'll use for 2 more nights, probably another slot play, and then a couple of buffet passes (aiming for 3 2-person passes). She also has Southwest rewards which we will probably use for flights. She is covering my flight, so basically we'll just need spending money for the week. I have to work out the budget and start saving for it, but I'm thinking 2k will be more than enough for just the two of us.

Found money!!: This is a biggie. I completely didn't realize that Aflac (I have 3 policies) pays a wellness benefit for two of my policies. My coworker mentioned they can be filed at anytime, so I confirmed with my rep. If I can find documentation for all of them, that will be $420 ($60*7). I submitted 4 so far. Any of this money will go to...

Chase Freedom: Made another $200 payment. I'm down to 456. I have another $100 to put towards it from NavyFed bonus. Technically, $160 of this is actually joint spending, so I could pull that from our account to pay it, but since our account is so tight and I think I can cashflow it from the Aflac payments, I'm going to try and handle it.

Vacations: I know it's ridiculous to be going on vacations, but I also really don't want to give up experiences during my debt pay-off. (Conflicting priorities, I know...) Since SO and I have been apart for almost a month (the longest since moving in together), we decided to go away to a BnB when he gets back. I bought the Living Social for 2 nights (the $160 on the Chase Freedom card) and booked it. My little brother will be staying at the apartment, so no pet care needed. SO will not have to take off work as it's planned midweek around his work schedule. I have extra work hours saved up to cover my time off. The other vacation was one I alluded to at the beginning of the year: Fl with SO's family. I had meant to be saving for this, but his family is very loose with planning, so I have no idea what we'll need. We'll have to see what that spending comes to. I'm trying to convince SO to get the Chase Freedom card ($200 reward for $500 spending) to help cover it since I failed to properly plan it. We do still have the $400 Verizon card too, so that's a start.

I'm breaking even (may even slightly be failing) in the goals arena...

Financial
- Build emergency fund back to $1000 (Failing - It's at about $100. I plan to focus on this in parallel with the NFL Points card which comes after the Slate CC. Until then, it's $15 each month.)
- Reduce credit cards (Passing - I'm down to 5 - 2 of which aren't in use and have no balances.)
- Add savings categories (Major fail! Although I'm adjusting this. Part of the problem is that I'm spread so thin, so I'm actually consolidating all of my various savings accounts. More on this later as I have to nail down exactly what I need.)
- Increase retirement savings to 10% (Passing? Raises become effective during the second pay period this month. At the point, my contribution will go up to 10%, but I'm also hoping that my take home pay is at least what it currently is.)
- Build $200 buffer in checking account (Done - 2/6)
- Build $1500 buffer in joint account (In Progress. This was completed, but with May being such a terrible month, it's been depleted. It's currently at about $400)

Personal
- Lose 10% of my weight (In Progress - I've been stuck at 6%. Part of the lack of motivation is that the weight I'm at is where I want to be, but I've worked out the past two days and plan to kick it into gear...)
- Win at least 4 months of my dietbet (Major fail! If I manage to hit the 10% this month, then I will have done the reverse of this goal which would be winning 2 months and losing 4. Since this month alone will probably get me my money back, I'm hoping to be able to knock off these last 5 lbs.)
- Adopt a puppy with SO (Major pass!! DD2, aka Riley, is so spunky and full of life and we adore her!!!)
- Get dogs outside for more than an hour 4 times a week (Pass! I'm actually surprised I am doing so well with this one. It's mostly because on Saturdays and Sundays, we do the dog park plus walks to the nearby town center.)
- Cook more from scratch (Pass. I am still buying processed/convenience foods occasionally, but I'm definitely becoming more comfortable in the kitchen and probably about 90% of the time, we eat at home. Yesterday, I made some pretty awesome popcorn shrimp!)

Blogging
- Blog at least twice per week (Pass. I haven't actually checked, but I definitely feel like I'm being pretty consistent in blogging.)
- Post monthly budget and month in review entries (Pass. Sometimes, it's more like mid-month before I get around to the recaps, but I am doing them!)
- Participate in one 'challenge' quarterly (Eh...I'm inclined to say pass in the sense that I am currently doing the 5 things and pantry 'challenges'. My goal for this was to try new tactics, so in that sense, this is definitely a pass.)

I also want to add one to the blogging: Comment more! I read the blogs, but don't particularly do a good job in participating. I'd like to change that, so I'm adding that in.

The past week, I've made 3 different payments to the Chase Freedom card bringing it down to 445.44 (at it's highest, it was $1500). My goal is to have it completely paid off by the end of June as I believe interest starts accruing with the period ending 6/10 (already paid that statement balance). After that, I'm going to put it away and concentrate on paying off the Slate card and getting a handle on my spending before I attempt to start using it for rewards.

I owe several posts - a May recap (terrible!), a June budget (will be bare bones due to the May terribleness), and a goals update. I'll try to get to these throughout the week.

Today, we're having a potluck lunch for Asian-American Heritage Month. I made lumpia (Filipino egg rolls). I only had to buy wontons, so it costs $3 to participate. I've also still been doing the 5 things, but more in the sense that before I go to bed, I try to find 5 things from that day that made me feel accomplished.

For instance, yesterday included taking the pups on a long walk in the morning, unloading the dishwasher, making lumpia, training session with DD2, and cleaning kitchen post-cooking.

I was just updating my budget spreadsheet and noticed some key points:

- Less than 30k on Navient student loans
- Almost half of the ACS loan paid (7k of 16k)
- Car paid off
- Less than 2k on WF loan

That's the positives...the negatives - still working on 3 CCs. I can't seem to get rid of them. I'll make progress and then undo it - a 500 payment with a 350 car repair, a 300 payment with a 200 pet visit. It feels like I'm swimming nowhere. I need to put the card back away, but a part of me wants the cash back rewards. I have $288 left to pay to cover last month's balance at which time I'll have about $700 on the Freedom card and $675 on the Slate. I think if I really buckle down, I can pay them both by the end of the summer (August), so that is what I'll do. I'm going to hold off the additional car repairs until after the Freedom card, but start them in parallel with the Slate card. After that, I'll have to assess. Part of me wants to aim for WF since it would only take 3-4 months, but that interest rate is only 5.25 compared to some of the other stuff.

At some point, I also need to start saving for a wedding. It's not official by any means, but we've certainly discussed it and I know it's coming within the next year or two, so I want to be at least somewhat prepared. Part of me wants to start setting aside something now, but I feel like part of the problem is stretching myself too thin which is why I don't really make headway on any one thing...

Riley is teething and decided DC's toy was comforting to her sore gums. Unfortunately, the bell inside was nowhere to be found. X-rays didn't turn up anything either, although I'm still glad I did them because now I don't have to worry that it's stuck somewhere inside her, but I have no clue what happened to it...

Vet visit was $215 - much better than the grand I paid when DD1 was a puppy and walking funny, so I had x-rays done on his back legs...I'm kind of overprotective...but I also feel like the one time I don't do it will be the time permanent damage occurs.

DD2 is actually doing really well. Her potty training has improved significantly. Now, I'm working on getting her used to other dogs - she still barks at every dog that crosses her path. It's the protective GSD in her, but seeing that she's probably going to be huge and already has a frightening bark, I'm trying to minimize the barking. I actually don't mind a heads up bark, but after that, I turn her attention to me and make her sit.

I have to stop at the grocery store for eggs, bread, and milk, but otherwise, I have enough food to last me until SO returns. I'll have to be really careful with spending as SO doesn't actually get paid until he gets back from training - as it is, we'll have to tap our buffer, but I'm hoping to minimize that damage.

I'm a little ticked that my vet didn't tell me about this plan sooner. They apparently have a plan that comes out to about $700 dollar (split into monthly payments of about $50) that includes 5 visits (each normally $60), all vaccines, spay, deworming, and 2 or 3 fecal exams.

Had I known this existed, I most definitely would have gotten this plan, as DD2's first visit was $160 and her second was $240ish including a fecal exam and deworming treatment. The spay alone is going to be around $500, and she still has another round of vaccines (happening today). As it is, I think we may still get it since the spay and 3 more visits alone would cover the cost, but it's really frustrating that no one ever explained to me that this existed. I'm going to speak to their billing department at the vet and also reach out to the hospital chain's billing department to see about possibly applying the previous visits retroactively (even if as just a credit since with 3 animals, we have vet visits several times a year), but it doesn't seem likely.

I took my car in yesterday. 60k maintenance = $353. Ouch...

As if that isn't bad enough, they called me with another 1200 in recommended repairs. All my fluids (transmission, power steering, and brake) need to be flushed in addition to some other stuff (including my rear brakes and a burnt license plate light bulb). SO can do the rear brake pads, but they also suggested machining the rotors (something to do with the brake pads). Does anyone happen to know if it would hurt anything for SO to do the brake pads and then I could just have them machine the rotors (each service was $200+, so if I could knock one off, that'd be great). I got a recommended order on the fluids, so I'll be addressing one/month over the next 3 months. I also plan to look into doing this work with someone other than the dealer. All of this unfortunately means the CCs will take longer than I want. I put the repair on the CC for the rewards and then immediately put a $500 payment to it. I have about a grand on the Freedom card and I hope to pay down another 400-500 by the end of the month. I was hoping to having it paid off, but that's looking unlikely unless I draw some of the money I'm still 'owed' from our joint account. (I probably won't do this as this was a lean month for us since SO has training, but I am tracking it. As we get surpluses, I have $750 that needs to be repaid to my cards.)

On the plus side, I'm $2 away from the 10k mark on my 401k. Seeing as my family has never been good with money, I think this is a huge start for me. I want to eventually get my savings up to 10% (which will happen automatically in June to coincide with raises). It's probably small change to most people, but to have 10k aside in retirement is a pretty big deal for my family.

I had a very low-key, but productive weekend. I did end up spending a bit - took $40 to a garage sale - I bought several items of clothing (4 tops, 3 dresses, 3 polos for SO), a pull-up bar and yoga mat, a bag of stuffed toys (for DDs to rip apart) and some kitchen utensils.

I also found another low-cost way to keeps DD2 busy. She's already a chewer and goes through the expensive pet store stuffed animals in a day or two...she loves bottles! Water bottles are too flimsy (she breaks through them in less than 5 minutes), but gatorade bottles keep her occupied for an hour or so. Since we drink Gatorade anyway (big packs from BJ's), we'll just store them for whenever she's teething.

Other than the yard sale, I took DD1 to the dog park and both DDs to the local town center for some socializing. DD2 is about 90% husky in personality and 10% german shepherd. Unfortunately, that 10% manifests itself as barking at certain strangers and all other dogs. While she's still pretty small, she already has a pretty big bark. People kept thinking it was DD1 that was barking. As soon as she knows you're not a threat, the husky in her takes over and she plops on her back for a belly rub I will continue to socialize her and work with her on the barking. She especially goes crazy towards other dogs, so I'm trying to anticipate that and focus her attention on me/the treat before she notices the dog.

The rest of the weekend was a mix of relaxing and house stuff - I got 4 loads of laundry folded, 2 loads of dishes taken care of, ate through the remainder of the barbecue leftovers (I've been eating potato salad sandwiches pretty much every meal), and did some general cleaning/organizing.

SO leaves this weekend for 3 weeks. That's the longest we've ever been apart. These past 4 days without him were tough, so 3 weeks will be really hard. I have a few projects I'd like to focus on that will hopefully keep me busy (dog training/socializing; entry closet decluttering/organizing; magazine decluttering; weight loss; 5k training) and are low-cost.

One unanticipated side effect of being able to sleep when I wanted to - I couldn't actually sleep comfortably without SO. I actually slept on the couch and woke up every 2-3 hours. Since I went to bed at 10 pm, it's still more sleep than I've had since getting Riley, but it was definitely a restless sleep.

I woke up at 5, but managed to stay (mostly) in bed (on the couch) until 645. At that point, I more than accomplished my five things for today:

- Gave Riley her last dose of dewormer and treated her lesions
- Loaded laundry
- Emptied all trash (including bathroom and laundry room)
- Cleaned litter box
- Packed breakfast so I wouldn't be tempted by office bagels
- Put away leftover disposable utensils
- Took care of all animals and shut DD1 and DC in bedroom (Apt is being treated today and they won't come in if they see DD1.)


I have two more things that I want to cross off along with possible housekeeping if I feel up to it: 1) Take last of loan money out of joint account and put into my account to pay credit card and 2) Pick up small bag of sensitive stomach dry food for Riley

Riley girl is back to her normal happy-go-lucky self. The lesions are still hanging around, but I'm just going to keep applying the topical and let them look at it again next week when she gets her vaccines since they don't seem to bother her and she can't reach them to lick them.

Packed SO coffee and bagel (at 5 AM...)
Fixed VPN client for work (reinstall didn't work, but sorted it out today)
Got stuff from pet smart
Loaded dishwasher
Administered Riley's meds
Repurposed potato salad into potato pancakes

SO left this morning. He'll be back Sunday evening until early Thursday morning and then he'll be gone 3 weeks. I woke up at 5 am after going to bed at 1, so I'm looking forward to turning in early tonight.

DD2 has two lesions on her back. We took her to the vet yesterday to have them looked at and while there, she was really lethargic and had vomited/had diarrhea that morning. I was really worried the parvo was back, but she seemed to perk up a bit in the afternoon. The visit was just over $200 which puts pet spending at double what I had budgeted for the month and doesn't even account for her next round of shots which will be next week. My goal is to not spend on anything for the remainder of the month except for gas and a trip to PetSmart (DC needs food and DD2 needs training pads). I was going to throw one eat-out/order-in day in there too, but I think I'll save that as my reward for making my DietBet goal.

I've been feeling really off lately, so I'm going to try the whole 5 things I've seen by another blogger (I think househopeful...). Maybe it'll help me to see I actually am accomplishing things...

1) Reinstalled my work VPN client on my computer.
2) Took Riley to the vet (she had a couple of lesions and generally wasn't feeling well).
3) Emptied dishwasher.
4) Got rid of the ceviche and more BBQ leftovers (sent SO to work with leftover ceviche, steak and a pork chop for his lunch)
5) Weighed in for my dietbet (was shocked to find out I'm still in the 120s considering how off focus I've been)
6) Moved remaining cooler items into fridge
7) Took out recycling (this was actually SO but it counts because I asked him too )

I noticed we suddenly had 50 bucks in our joint savings. I think it was for actually opening the savings.

I forgot to mention that I ended up getting the loan. While I'm not thrilled about it, I'm hoping this will either work out and she'll change or backfire and I'll be let off the hook once and for all. She did immediately pay at least the pawn shop because she brought me the necklace on Sunday. I'll track the other loan and I'll have to rely on her word for the payday loan.

SO leaves Thursday. I'll miss him like crazy, but I'm kind of looking forward to the quiet. No going out, simple meals, eating at a reasonable hour. My focus will be dog training and getting to my dietbet goal.

I am exhausted. Like, going home at 3 pm and napping/doing nothing tonight, exhausted.

Friday night, SO and I cleaned until about 1 am. My friend was coming in early Saturday and the barbecue was Sunday, and we hadn't really cleaned since getting DD2.

Saturday, I was up at 6 am. Took care of the animals, SO's breakfast and lunch, and then headed to the airport to get my friend. She'd also had a long night, so we decided to nap prior to doing anything. We got up about noon and decided to take DD1 hiking after having lunch in the apartment. DD2 is still too young to really be out for extended periods of time, and I wasn't about to be lugging around a 20 lb. puppy during the hike. We went to Great Falls park, and it was beautiful. We hiked about 5 miles. We had wanted to nap prior to going out in the evening, but by the time we made it home, it was 6 pm and we had to be ready by 730. We met another college friend in DC for dinner and then a night out. Spending was much less than I had anticipated - about $40 for drinks and $27 for dinner.

Sunday, I spent the day prepping for the barbecue. My friend and our college buddy went to the zoo, but SO and I skipped it to prepare the apartment. We ended up grilling on the grill outside our patio. I made chocolate covered strawberries and attempted merengue cookies. Apparently, there was oil or yolk still in it because it never whipped up properly Our families got on great though. We played a rousing game of TV pictionary (everyone downloads the app and you draw/guess on your phone). It was wonderful family time. We now have leftovers for the next several days which means I get to relax since dinner/lunch will be a breeze.

Last Thursday, SO was on base, and there's this great dress kiosk there that's very cheap ($20 for the first dress, $15 for each after that). I subtly hinted that he should pick one out for me. The overachiever came home with 2 beautiful dresses - I wore one each day this weekend!


I was up at 540 this morning to take care of puppy. SO isn't a morning person, and I had to leave about 615 to drop my friend at the airport, so I wanted to make sure she was all settled before leaving.

Now things should quiet down, especially once SO leaves for training on Thursday.

This may not be the most popular decision, but I'll do my best to explain what has just happened. I added a 7k consolidation loan to my list of debts. Anyone who's been following my story should be aware of the money suck that is my mother and the constant struggle between setting myself up for success and bailing her out for her failures. Apparently, she opened one of those solicitations with a ridiculous front-loaded interest rate. She asked me to apply for it, so that she could be rid of the payday and pawn shop loans. Now, she's done this before, so my immediate reaction was no. However, she seems slightly different now. So I decided to use this as final ultimatum to her. I went with Navy Federal since they seem to be pretty fair with their loans and the interest isn't front loaded, so if she pays more/quicker, she'll pay less interest. The stipulations are that she pays the loan back with set-up autopay of her account and she signs a written agreement that IF she ever takes another payday loan or pawns anything else, I have ZERO future finanacial obligations to her despite all her 'we're family/I'm trying to clean up my credit for a new job' guilt trips. I also get the jewelry she takes out since it's technically supposed to go to me. I realize that if she messes up yet again, I'll be on the hook for it, but I'm also okay with that giving this will be the last time I ever feel obligated to her.

Happy Mother's Day to her, I guess...

Our numbers:

Item: Spent (Budgeted)
Rent: 1572 (1650)
Electric: 75.61 (140)
Gas: 90.05 (80)
Verizon: 93.03 (96)
Couch: 220 (1020)
Groceries: 478.38 (400)
Entertainment: 161.77 (75)
Misc: 56.27 (0)
Pets: 866.76 (900)
Total: 3613.87 (4361)

We did okay...I have no clue why I budgeted 1020 to the couch. That's the total left that we owe. I only actually meant to budget $220 to it which is what I paid towards it. We had a lot of unexpected entertainment for eating out during the first week with new puppy. The miscellaneous category was grilling supplies. It could conceivably be 'entertainment', but since the grill is right outside and it'll help us with eating at home, I was thinking of it more as an apartment expense.