Looking towards 2009

I know it may be a little too soon for anticipating what next year will hold, especially in the economy the way it is now. Truth is, I'm a planner. Even if the plans change, at least there was a plan.

My goals for 2009 are:

1. STAY EMPLOYED!
2. Continue to use CASH!
3. Stay on Budget.
4. Continue the stockpile and build an area to better organize the stash.
5. To have the two lowest debts paid off.

December's Budget

As noted previously, the overtime has ceased at my husband's job. In fact a scattering of layoffs has hit the plant as of last week. We have decided to hold off on the snowball and do mins for a little bit, just to make sure we have some extra money for the holiday and any impending problems we may face.

Debts: 675.00 -- this includes the car and card payments.
Food: 370.00 -- this includes school lunches, groceries and a dining out experience.
Housing: 1465.20 -- this includes mortgage, taxes, insurance, and membership to the heating/cooling repair place.
Medical: 35.00 -- we have a surplus in this envelope to cover medical co-pays and scripts, I just added what I could this month.
Personal: 250.00 -- this includes blow money, life insurance, misc household needs, Netflix subscription, and the hair cut envelope.
Transportation: 452.05 -- this includes insurance, gas, tags and repair sinking fund. (my son pays into this for his car)

Utilities: 530.29 -- this includes phones, cable, electric, gas, and water sinking fund. (my son pays into this for his phone)

My Blizzard Boy's Birthday

December 2nd will mark my son's seventeenth birthday. And of course, as history continues to repeat itself, the first measurable snowfall is predicted to start today - in a blizzard type fashion. We are expected to get up to 10 inches (thankfully we bought a snow blower- CASH!) Keeping his birthday low key this year. I budgeted a birthday dinner out so we are going out for steak and shrimp at the restaurant where we both work!

Looking back over the past 17 years, I can't believe how fast it went and how much he's grown - physically and emotionally. He's truly amazing and my greatest joy.

Overtime Cut, but Surgery Postponed.

A little bit of this -- a little bit of that

The economy has caught up with my husband's workplace. At least temporarily. All over time has been cut - which isn't a bad thing considering his knee problem has gotten so much worse. They are on 40 hours a week and not a minute more. Thankfully, we've done so much to get ahead and the stockpile is to a point, that I don't think it will effect us in the least. The snowball just gets stuck on the hill for a little while.

We got the results of the dh's MRI and while the doctor didn't have much to say either optimistically or pessimistically, but we don't have any new answers - however we will have a new doctor. He's transferring us to the University Hospital in Madison. What this ultimately means we bought a little more time before surgery. The nest egg can grow a little more while we wait.

The roller coaster of work is going great for me lately. I've been able to pick up a few extra hours here and there and I'm able to fill my workdays with things that keep me busy. There is nothing worse than not having enough to do to fill your day! It drives me buggy. So while my dh slows down, I'm picking up. It's a good yin and yang that we always seem to have going on.

ChaCha has been going through some growing pains this weekend (which is spreading into the week), but all is good. I'm thankful that I have enough in my ChaCha account to go Christmas shopping without cringing. It's still worth it to me and it's not like I'm not already sitting at my computer anyway, right?