I had my pre-op appointment this morning and everything went well. I still have to get a fasting blood lab done (maybe tomorrow morning, maybe Tuesday) and an EKG preformed Wednesday, which no one told me about and my doctor only happened to notice on the form he had to fill out. *sighs*

I went ahead and added the $15 I had left in my wallet to the coin jar. Payday is tomorrow and I have $16 left in checking which is enough to cover the milk and lemons I need to buy at the store today. That way I won't be tempted to buy more than I've determined I need to get. I wouldn't even get the lemons but DS is begging me for lemonade and because of his allergies it has to be made from scratch. Since he can't have apple or grape juice, lemonade is one of the few drinks he can have that isn't milk or OJ.

I am back on track with the no restaurant eating. The kids really want pizza this weekend so I said I would make one on Saturday. I'll have to buy cheese and pepperoni, but that still comes out far cheaper than the same amount of pizza from anywhere (except maybe Little Caesar's Hot 'N Ready) and it tastes better, too. I have some leftover onions, tomatoes, peppers, ham and chicken sausage I can put on it, as well. We like our pizzas loaded.

I put $1.27 in the coin jar today. I've got $15 left in cash until Friday and if I don't spend it between now and then it goes into the coin jar, too. I can't forsee spending it at the moment. I've still got $16 in the checkbook which is enough to buy milk, which is the only thing we are low on.

The payment I made yesterday to BoA credit card posted. After I make the next payments on Friday I will officially have the credit card debt under $20,000. Even though it seems like I've made little progress the last two months, we have made some and that is a good thing.

Just when I thought I'd have a breather another medical bill and another dental bill have come in. Darn it. $106.93 for a visit and strep test back in April for my son and $193.20 to the dentist for me, DS and DD. That should seriously be it. I can't think of any other medical/dental that should come in now. I guess that's $300 less to credit card debt this month.

Since the BoA website was still being stupid today--I could get in a bit further but I still couldn't make a payment--I went down to the actual brick and mortar bank and made a payment of $900. That makes a total of $1500 so far this month and I will have another $1900 at least to put on debt next week. Not all of it goes on the VISA. We did use the MC to pay for our stay at the Inn at Virginia Mason because it gets extra points for hotels, so that one is getting paid off in full. Amex is also getting paid off in full as it is each month, around $500. Also $500 will be set aside for our trip back to Virginia Mason for the surgery to pay for the hotel.

Then the following week I should be able to set aside $1000 as temporary holding money for the end of the paycycle when DH makes no money for two weeks, and put $2000 aside for medical, using the remainder for the few bills left for this month, including the car payment. The paycheck after that will go in with the temporary holding money. Anything left over after all payments are made in that two week cycle will be put in the Emergency Fund, with the idea that if I need it for medical I can use it. I am hoping $2000 will cover the cost of my portion of the surgery, but it's possible August money will have to be set aside as well.

It is complicated but I forsee us getting back on track with debt repayment by September.

DS went out to the house today with my mother and they collected all the aluminum cans. Between what was there and what was here they had 87 pounds, so DS got $28.50. He has enough now to pay for the 3DS except for sales tax, which will add an additional $24 that he still needs. He says he will work extra jobs to try to earn it before we leave for our trip, and I've agreed to let him try, but he really will have to work for it.

I can't believe I forgot to post yesterday. I am like Posty McPosterson of the Clan McPostsalot and I totally spaced. Anyway, yesterday was day eight of no eating out challenge. Unfortunately today was not day nine. I don't actually feel bad about it though. I got the manager's special from KFC, which was seven pieces of dark meat chicken, 2 large sides, 3 biscuits, and a mini chocolate chip cake for $15.85 (that's the with tax price).

That was actually enough food for two meals so we had it for lunch and for supper. I added a can of green beans to dinner for veg. The biscuits we are saving for breakfast tomorrow and half the cake for another day. I don't feel too bad about this as breakfast was free today. So $15.85 for the day plus food leftover seemed like a good choice when I woke up with a head full of congestion. I am so sick of allergies right now.

I am going to try to finish out the next week without anymore eating out though. Just because I gave in one day does not mean I need to give in every day.

Meanwhile, I balanced the checkbook on Friday and then sent out the bills.

$522.90 Anesthesiologist
$172.37 to ENT Doctor
$144.00 Water/Sewer Old House
$100.00 6 weeks allowances (plus extra jobs money)
$100.00 propane holding tank (ING)
$100.00 property tax holding tank (ING)
$_17.00 HOA dues holding tank (ING)
$100.00 Emergency Fund (ING)
$250.00 Groceries
+_90.00 Fringe
-----------------
1596.27

I have $986 left. I was planning to put $900 onto the credit card, but the stupid BoA website has not been working all day. I just keep getting Out of Memory at line 612, which is usually code for update your fricking flash player, but since I just updated my flash player I doubt very much that that is it. I will try again tomorrow and if it isn't working than I will go down to BoA in person. Nothing is due before the 4th and this was just an extra payment anyway, but I really wanted to make it and I'm bummed.

As for allowances, DD got her $60. That's $10 a week for her and she has to make it last for the next six weeks. DS got his allowance of $36 or $6 per week, plus $2 in tooth fairy money and $2 in extra jobs money. He picked up 200 pinecones and he gets a penny a pinecone, so a total of $40 for him which we promplty went and deposited into his bank account. He's now got $220 saved up for the 3DS he wants to buy.

My allowance was buying seasons one and two of Fringe (which was $90). DH will get his the payday after he comes home. He gets $100 for six weeks.

I got back four ones and 15 cents in change from KFC so that is going into the coin jar for the EF. I am hoping to go out to the house tomorrow and mow the lawn and weedeat. Hopefully DS will gather up all of the aluminum cans and bag them up. We had a bin in the shed that was full of them but something or someone got into it and now they're all over the floor. I told him if he does it he can have the money for recycling them.

And of course anymore pinecones he picks up at a penny a pinecone. He really wants to buy the 3DS before we go on vacation on the 11th but he doesn't quite have enough without doing extra jobs. And I've already told him we won't loan him money again. It's not that he doesn't pay it back, because he does. But we are trying to teach him that sometimes you just don't qualify for a loan, not even from Bank of Mom and Dad. Sometimes you just have to save up the whole amount on your own.

He seems to really get it. DD, not so much. She's already spent $15 on makeup and is planning out the rest of her purchases. I suggested, like I do every payday, that she at least put $10 into her savings account. I may have to make it more than a suggestion. She's almost 15 and resistant to saving in a big way. But she also thinks that credit card debt is stupid, so at least she's got that going for her.

I made my deposit of coin jar money today at CU#2. I added $3 before I made the deposit, bringing the amount deposited to $31.50. I also added .96 to the coin jar tonight. I also sent $100 to ING.

$828.06 ING EF
+100.00 deposit
--------
$928.06 Total ING EF

$285.91 CU#2 EF
+_31.50 deposit
---------
$317.41 total CU#2 EF

$928.06 ING
+317.41 CU#2
---------
1245.47 Total EF

Well, I've made it a week without going to a restaurant or ordering takeaway food. One more week to go. I very well may extend it until we go on vacation in July as we are doing so well and not feeling at all deprived.

Breakfast:
Scrambled eggs (free from chickens)
Homemade beef sausage ($1.50)
Strawberries ($1)
Milk ($1.50)

Total: $4

Lunch:
Leftover spaghetti (free, used up last of sauce and noodles)
Cucumber slices (.79)
Chicken quesadillas
--leftover Cornish game hens (free)
--spelt tortillas (.50)

Total: $1.29

Dinner:
DS and Me
Steak ($8)
Corn on the cob ($1)
Can of green beans ($1)
Milk ($1.50)
DD
Mashed potatoes and gravy leftovers (free)

Total: $11.50

Grand total for day: $16.79

DD felt good enough to eat a bit more challenging foods today. She wanted me to get mashed potatoes and gravy from KFC, but I told her we had some potatoes and gravy left from meals earlier in the week and she agreed to that. Crisis averted.

Breakfast:
Scrambled Eggs (free from chickens)
Pancakes (.50)
Real Maple syrup ($1)
Milk ($1.50)

Total: $3

Lunch:
DS and Me
Cornbread (.50)
Chili ($2)
Milk ($1)

DD
Leftover mashed potatoes and gravy (free)
Scrambled egg (free from chickens)
water

Total: $3.50

Dinner:
Fresh Udon Noodles ($1.69)
Chicken ($3)
Can of green beans ($1)
Fresh strawberries ($2)
Milk (1.50)

Total: $9.19

Grand Total for the day: $15.69

So I emptied out my purse of all the money that was left and added $13.26 (over $3 of it was coins) to my coin jar. Then I rolled dimes and pennies. With my ones and a five I'll have a deposit of $28.50 to go into the local part of the EF (my safety net) at CU#2 tomorrow.

I received the bill from the dietician yesterday so that will be 3 medical bills to pay tomorrow. Not bad. We may have one more bill coming from them (less than $25), and one bill from the local walk in clinic (I forgot to ask DH if he paid up front when he took DD there for her ear infection, but it would only be 10%). Feels like we're getting our heads above water now in the medical game again. So, yay.

I balanced the checkbook. I was supposed to do that last weekend, but I procrastinated a lot. I have nothing left in the attached savings account (which isn't part of the EF) of the money I set aside for medical, but I used it for the oral surgery Wednesday, so that is okay. That was what it was put there for. So I'm right where I am supposed to be, on budget. I just wish I could eek out a little more to go to the EF. Oh, I know I'll send $100 sometime this pay cycle. Just not sure when.

Sometimes I skate the line pretty closely, but this time I had $300 left in checking. Of course, it's earmarked for debt repayment or medical, but the point is it's there.

Today was kind of off target because of DD's surgery. Neither of us ate breakfast and DS had it with his grandmother so that was free.

Lunch:
DS and Me
chicken noodle soup (1.49)
grilled ham and cheese sandwiches ($2)
Milk ($1)

DD
Homemade vanilla milkshake ($2)

Total: $6.49

Dinner:
Leftover spaghetti sauce (free)
Freshly made spaghetti (.50)
Homemade garlic bread (just crushed garlic and butter brushed on homemade buns) (.50)
Milk ($1)

Total: $2

Grand total for day: $8.49