It’s been awhile since I last blogged. I’ve started a few posts, but never finished putting it up due do being busy, distracted, or downright exhausted. Since I blogged last, for the first paycheck of the month, I was able to put the extra $31 plus the auto savings towards the car fund completing it, and $150 towards DH Student Loan 2.

This paycheck (today), I was able to put another $200 towards the student loan. I also took the large-ish cash surplus I was growing in the checking account and put it in savings towards growing the EF to $5000. Doing it that way, I was able to put $500 in the EF fund.

It felt good to do that. I was debating on putting it towards the student loan, but I just couldn’t do it. Things are tight as my work is going through some pretty nice/evil growing pains along with the normal January tightness. Come March, though, things should be brightening. At least that’s what I’m telling myself.

The extra $100 towards Car Loan 2 is in the mail, but won’t clear until the very end of the month. That bank is so slow. I don’t know why we let ourselves get the car loan through them. Live and learn, I guess.

I’ve started to play with the tax stuff as it came in. I’m just going to have to add it to the stack of work taxes and parents’ taxes to give to the accountant. It’s too complicated for me this year. I typically love doing taxes (it’s a puzzle game to me), but this daughter of the shareholder thing gets a little tricky. I’ll pay the fee to get them done right.

I have managed to have no soda all month long so far! Only 10 more days to go, and then I will be able to get my chocolate fondue as a reward. I almost caved this week as my stress level hit the roof, but I didn’t. I’m so proud of me. :-D

I did read one of the three books, but I don’t know if I’ll be able to read the other two. The first book was good and had an interesting idea for “magic”, but I don’t know if I’ll like the sequels. I’ll start reading the second this weekend and see if it catches my interest. Otherwise, I won’t worry about it.

Other than that, I went to a family business seminar this week. My dad should have been the one to go, but he couldn’t. It was neat, but I was the youngest there by 15 years, which made it a little awkward when you add that to my dislike of mornings and my reserved-ness/shyness. I went to an estate planning lecture, and my head is still spinning. It’s like the business cannot be handed down to me without being taxed out the wazoo or taking several (like 10) years in the process and betting against the IRS/profit of the company. If I do want to take the business over someday, I better start saving to either a) buy it or b) be able to pay the taxes. Ugh. Yet another thing to think about.

Oh, and I finally got new tires the day before snow was dumped on the city. That was quite lucky, or I probably wouldn’t have made it home that night.

I'm looking forward to a simple weekend, of doing nothing. It'll be nice.