I've been ready and waiting for you, and am glad that you've arrived.

Goals for the remainder of the year:

July: Pay as much as possible toward M tuition, waiting for final bill after grants and scholarship funds are applied.

August: Pay 2nd installment of property tax on rental property due on 9/4

I will have an estimated $5,000 in funds for saving and tackling short-term goals for Sept-Dec, my plans for those include

* At least $1,000 to tuition for SJS
* At least $1,250 toward 2012 property taxes payable in 2013
* At least $1,250 toward savings (long-term)
* At least $1,000 toward debt (presently at $6,000)

In my exercises in reality, I've concluded a few things:

* Every decision that I make about money does have a good or ill effect on my overall picture. I need to be better at tracking how much I'm actually saving to continue to make wiser decisions.

* It is OK to say "sorry, we can't". The new rage here for summer parties appears to be the wave pool several burbs over at $30 per person. Had to tell oldest son, "Sorry, you can have a party at the pool we belong to and have six friends for $100". As far as vacations go, "Sorry, you're vacationing big next year, this is an off year." This is to the girls who have friends going to South Carolina for golfing and the Dominican Republic for sun and surf. I suppose that I'll need to elect "California, here we come" for Trip 2013/June to rally the troops when they're disappointed.

* I've implemented a new coupon scheme for organizing, simple envelopes for each category clipped together with a binder clip. Much easier than the coupon organizers (rather pleated plastic envelopes with 13 categories), though I'll admit not as cute.

Spending Recap:

7/1 NSD
7/2 $70.55 YMCA, $20.00 Gas (DH)