August's house payment is made!
We still have $3400 in savings.
All the bills are being paid the minute that they hit the door, so no worries there.
We do have one unexpected expense that seems to be ongoing though.. books! With all this free time, we're reading A LOT, which is good, but we've run through our credit at the local used book store. And even worse, we've read most of the stuff we wanted to read from the library.. one disastrous trip to Barnes and Noble (and $75 later), we have books again. For maybe the next week.... next time we'll have to make better plans for this part, maybe stock up all that store credit, but it's only good for so long so I'm not sure that will help.
We finished putting up a decorative fence in the back yard, another one of our "when we have time" projects bites the dust! We bought the fence panels earlier and stored them, so that part was free, but we spent another $112 on treated 4X4s and concrete and brackets. Still, the fence looks nice, and now I can NOT watch my neighbors sunbathing. (priceless!)
I cleared out the downstairs closet and took a bunch of stuff off to the local consignment store. (There comes a day when you realize that you really probably don't need a few silk opera gowns, and matching wraps, shoes, and bag). So far I've built up over $50 in trade credit (can be withdrawn as cash if I want to) which will most likely be used for the kid's school shopping.
I'm having trouble focusing the way I usually do on frugality. I think the whole concept of "vacation" may be the nemesis of frugality.
Vacationing seems to mean not dealing with stress, not sweating the details, just plain letting it all go floating off downstream somewhere.
Which as it turns out is the best way I've ever seen to spend WAAAY too much money on absolutely nothing.
I'll have to figure out a way to keep the stress free environment (which we're enjoying immensely), but still keep tabs on the finances and all the little stuff like impulsively eating out, grabbing a latte', picking up a book, etc.(which we're also enjoying, but which is just plain unsustainable in the long haul)
Just thought I'd check in, and let you guys know that the reason I'm not on as much is that I'm busy getting a tan! Hiking is also relatively free!
Love you guys! :chug: