I think I spoke too soon. The mail just came and in it another medical bill. I was sure I was done paying for all the surgery stuff. Guess not. Though this seems to list every date of service I had except the time in the hospital and the surgery itself (which is paid for already). Well, it's $978. So I guess that $1700 that I was going to save up for the other surgery that it turns out I don't need after all, is going to have to go to medical anyway. I'll put the extra $700 into the HSA when I get it and leave it there. I just don't want to take the chance something else might pop up. Anyway, so I'll pay this bill on the 23rd.

I had just sat down and figured out what to do with all of the paycheck coming in on the 16th. This bill won't affect that at all and the nice thing is I'll be able to put $2000 on the VISA this payday. About $1000 of that goes to cover the plane tickets and the hotel overnight that is part of DH's expenses to get to work and back. About $300 goes to interest and only about $700 to principal. I will be able to send another thousand on the 23rd that will all go to principal. I will also start repaying my mom $1000 a month on the 23rd.

I think I will have DH put the next ticket on the MC because of the lower interest rate. Actually, he should stop using the VISA altogether for a while. That will give us a chance to get the VISA with the higher interest rate down. We won't get the miles for it, but we will get cash back rewards. I just want to get the VISA down to $10,000 by the end of the year. It makes me disappointed when I thought we'd have it paid off by the end of the year and I know that's impossible now. But I do think when we get our tax return in March we will be able to finish paying everything off and be out of credit card debt.

I'm going back on a no eating out challenge for the rest of the month and maybe for all of October, too. I can then squirrel away that money for debt repayment. When I don't focus on not eating out, it happens way too often. I've probably spent $300 on eating out in the past month. I need to stop. I have plenty of time to prepare for meals with the kids in school. Not doing it right now is just being lazy. Plus eating out is not conducive to my diet.

I would really like to go one week without getting knocked on my butt. I know we are much further ahead than we were at the start of the year and I know that medical bills can't be helped, but sometimes it just seems like it never ends. I am grateful for the EF I have of over $2000, because we didn't really have that before.

I think I need to go listen to my theme song (Tubthumping by Chumbawamba, at least the chorus) and adjust my mental attitude again. It can often help me get my head on straight.

I get knocked down, but I get up again, you're never gonna keep me down. I get knocked down, but I get up again, you're never gonna keep me down...