My finances have been a bit in an uproar in June. My ex husband is retiring and his finances are all out of whack, so child support has been a problem since May. I have faith that he will have all of the kinks worked out soon. He's never had an issue with child support in the last 5 years. It's tough to adjust from 20 years in the Armed Forces to civilian life, especially if you didn't plan very well!

Fortunately I can cover things with the family and home on my own, I just won't be saving very much. Thank goodness this is temporary, though I have no idea what the new child support amount will be, if it changes.

I started my new part-time job this week and met my first client. I think that it can be interesting work and I have no problem working 12 hours a week in the summer. I'm just concerned about the time commitment when the school year starts back up. However, I've got to keep my eyes on the prize: Invaluable experience in the field, that will set me apart from other educators. The extra cash won't hurt, either. I have my paycheck set up to automatically be deposited into my ING account, where I keep my long-term savings. Out of sight, out of mind.

We all ate at home this week, minus a trip for Italian Ice, delicious! This summer I see us spending lots of time in the kitchen, as my girls enjoy cooking. I "supervised" while my youngest made homemade tortillas and hummus. Then for another meal my girls worked together to make lasagna, I was impressed that they worked so well together. Usually during the school year there isn't much time for leisurely cooking, so this has been fun.

The water bill at my rental condo is $100 more than it usually is, and I don't know what that's about. I have to add the water agency to my list of phone calls to make...

I had an amazing time in Europe, for 5 quick days! I didn't spend too much money, because I have an aversion to "stuff" in my house and my SO covered all of the food and drinks with her dining allowance. I did spend plenty on souvenirs for the family, and my girls loved the things I brought back for them.

As soon as we got back I had my first training for the part time job. I felt good vibes from the company, not sure how to explain that. The staff seemed very professional and "fresh", not beaten down like so many workers seem to appear nowadays. I'm looking forward to starting with them, though it will be a very challenging job. I have already received my first case, and I shadow my supervisor this week to meet the client and family. I wish I could devote more time to this company, but I can only really do the minimum at this time, about 15 hours a week, since I have a full time job as it is. When I meet the family we will decide on a schedule that is acceptable to both of us, so it should be pretty flexible. It's perfect for the summer, as I like having a little something to keep me in the game. It's when I start back in the classroom in the fall that I am worried about keeping up with everything.

According to my Oriental Trading calendar today is Log Cabin Day, so my daughters and I are heading to a local park with the dog to pick up little sticks. We will make a log cabin for the Barbies. Add a break to go to the pool and some dance lessons, and Monday is covered!

A few more days at school, then I'm leaving out of the country for a few days to meet up with SO! So right now there is "zero" down time. Even as I'm procrastinating reading these blogs, there are a million other things I am supposed to be doing!

I haven't thought too much about the part-time position yet, because I don't have the training until I get back. I am concerned about the impact it may have on my home life. My mom has already agreed to help out with child care as needed. I pay her for this, because I don't want her to feel like I'm taking advantage of her. And SO is willing to help out as much as she can after work. They all know that this position can help my career path.

I need to decide if I will sign up for the next class, class 2 out of 5. The first one was a killer, but I kept at it. I think I'm ready for class #2, it starts July 15. I'll be working part time by then, so summer classes should be easy, but it doesn't end until October 8, a month after school starts. Which means beginning of school year mayhem AND tough class of my own to finish up. But I can do it, one class at a time!

Way back in March I applied for a part-time position to gain experience in a related field that I have been taking classes for. I never heard back from the company, and just assumed they blew me off. Well, today after work I got a call from the company. They asked me if I was still interested in a position, because they have secured more clients to serve.

In the summer it wouldn't be a problem- I can work part time, easy. During the school year, though, not so sure. I have plenty on my plate as it is with my family and my full time job. But this job can provide me with the supervisory hours I would need for a certification I want. So it would be a temporary sacrifice of free time, in return for some very valuable experience, that may lead to much higher paying career choices in the near future.

I accepted the job offer, because this certification is something I really want to earn. The extra money each month will be nice, too! We will just have to see how this pans out with my family.

I've looked at my credit and debit card accounts online, and I spend way too much money on food. Coffee, meals out, this is adding up. I grocery shop every week, there is food in my house, I'm just giving in to laziness. It doesn't even save that much time to eat out- you still need to sit there and be waited on, and you still have to wait for your food to be cooked! Fortunately I don't usually do fast food, that's just gross to me. But restaurant food isn't much better, just costs more.

Problem #1: After work, 15 minutes from home, feeling weary and hungry.
Solution: Have a meal in the fridge already prepared, that just needs to be heated. Think about how delicious, healthy and cheap a home cooked meal will taste after a long day at work.

Problem #2: Out in town, running errands, away from the house.
Solution: Before I leave the house stock a cooler bag with snacks and drinks that we may need during the day: water bottles, fruit, snacks.

Problem #3: Needing to eat a meal while engaging in entertainment on the weekends (such as out of town, at a festival)

Solution: First, stock a cooler bag and keep it in the car. That way, if we do get hungry or thirsty I can try to postpone the purchase by reminding everyone that we have goodies in the car if we can only wait a little bit. (I'm as bad as the kids at this one, if I get hungry or thirsty, I turn a bit whiny!)

Then, try to plan for these events: bring a set amount of cash, and try to leave the event with cash left over. If out of town: Plan to eat meals out that are actual entertainment, meals that are enjoyed. If it's not "special", make it a meal that you can eat in the room. Those random breakfast, lunch, dinner meals eaten out add up fast.

I'm glad I wrote all of this out, it was in my head, I knew what I needed to do, but now I feel like I have a plan to counteract all of the food spending I was doing!

I'm expecting a productive day at work, I've got end of the year paperwork I've got to get started on somehow.

I showed the condo yesterday, now that the tenant moved out. Hoping it won't take too long to find another tenant. I can afford to pay the mortgage if it's empty, but it will take most of my monthly savings to do so. So the sooner I get a tenant the better. Every day I will take a step to make my condo a more efficient investment. Yesterday I showed the condo. Today I will reschedule the carpet cleaners. This weekend I will purchase the new appliances. Then I can show it any day next week except Tue and Thu. The painter will be out there on Wed.

I don't know about the $10,000 goal. Unless I can figure out a way to make $1,000 in June! I may have to push the goal to the end of July. Which is ok, considering the circumstances.