Ugh! The candy I can sort of avoid.But the brownies and cookies, these are things I love! And once I start on them, it's so hard to stop! I can't just throw them away... that's the frugalist in me. So last night the brownies were finished by the family for dessert (I of course did my share!), and umm, I finished off the open box of Girl Scout cookies reading last night. The rest of the Girl Scout cookies are unopened, so I am good for a while. Today I aim to get that sugar out of my system, get back into running my miles, and get back to where I was before Valentines.

Today should be fun at school. We have a short community outing in the morning, and cooking in the afternoon.

I also leave early to take one of my girls to see the orthodontist, to see if braces are in the near future...ka-ching!

I will most likely be taking work home this long weekend, I have several important documents due next week, and one of them is not started yet. Plus I want to get 4 days worth of planning completed, so I get ahead a bit. My planning time is a joke this year, so unfortunately planning suffers.

Besides school work, I have my "own" school work to do this weekend as well. Lots of videos to download, and a test to complete by Monday. I really think that this will be my last class for a while, the time factor and mental toll is pretty high. School is always on my mind, because stuff is always due or always needs to be reviewed. I am learning a lot from this class, but I need to get that balance back between real life and college courses. The payoff isn't high enough for me right now.

I woke up this morning and verified how much I got paid. I went ahead and paid all of my bills online, and updated my budget (an Excel spreadsheet). The rest of my bills are taken out of my account automatically, so I'm done till next paycheck. My only financial duty for the next couple weeks will be to keep my spending within the budgeted amount. It will be a busy next few weeks, so I don't anticipate too much shopping and spending.

Last night after dinner we exchanged Valentines. I got each of my girls a bouquet of fake flowers (they have so much fun with these, with their imaginations!), and a toy from 5 Below. They were happy. SO got a new pair of pajamas. I made cheesecake for dessert, which the whole family was looking forward to. SO booked a couples massage for the two of us for Saturday, I can't wait! The rest of my week will be full speed ahead at work, at home, and with my class, so I can really use a massage Saturday. It was a very thoughtful gift.

Work is still shadowed with concerns, I don't know how to describe it. When I think of it right now it's like a dark cloud passes through my head, if that makes any sense. It's not the kids, not at all. They can all make progress, but I need the support to help them. But I'm working through all of this, and I'll make decisions for next year.

After a busy Saturday, spent running errands, baking, and entertaining, I enjoyed a lazy, no spend Sunday. The girls and I spent the entire day in our pajamas. We did some cooking for the week, I helped organize the girls' bedroom, and I finished my homework for the week. Now all I have left to do is the test by Tue afternoon. I plan to do the test tonight after dance class, before I get to bed, I didn't wake up early enough this morning to do it.

On Sunday I also spent over an hour in front of the fireplace, reading for fun. This is one of my favorite things to do. And it's free!

I've got a lot of work ahead of me today, but that's ok. This will be the week I clear a lot of stuff off of my desk. Mentally I can clear some of the "clutter" related to work after this week.

I will update my bills again on Wednesday after I get paid, should be able to throw some more in savings. I think I will start throwing a bit more in there to round it to a nice, even number each month. Every little bit helps, I guess!

Today $44 in rebate checks came in, woo hoo! New cruise total is $543. I've got the first $500 down, gotta get creative on earning the rest. I could just put a little money in the account each paycheck, like a bill, but where's the fun in that?! We are saving up our change, so that is sitting there waiting to be cashed in. I'm also saving up my rewards cash from credit cards. I'll add all of that in to the account when the time gets closer.

I enjoyed a wonderful night of sleep finally. I don't know the last time I was able to sleep without any cold medicine, Tylenol, sleep pills, etc. I'm starting to feel better.

TGIF, everyone!

I am adding $12 to the cruise fund from rebate checks received in the mail today. New total: $499!

I also received my tax refunds today, I wasn't expecting them for another week, that was good news. Though they are going to savings for now, some of it may go back to ex, gotta see for sure when he does his taxes.

Today was a challenge. My body was either in defense or reaction mode all day. It was exhausting. Even my muscles are sore, like I've been boxing. I need to sleep well and start out fresh in the morning, I have no choice.

Fortunately, my own children are a respite for me after an awful day. I've really enjoyed their company. xoxo

Today was chilly and gloomy. Fortunately, my friends and I had 'Drag' your friends to Brunch tickets. It is brunch with entertainment, 'nuff said! Nothing like a mimosa on a gloomy day and laughing with friends to lift your spirits. Money well spent.

I picked up the girls later in the afternoon. I helped them with cooking cupcakes and a school project, so it was fun stuff. Now we are doing our Sunday night stuff, prepping for the upcoming week.

Before brunch I did a lot of studying. I took test #2, and scored a 91. I'm happy with that grade, it was a really tough unit. I will have to do a bit more studying after I get done with my update, in order to stay on top of my lessons. Luckily this is only a 10 week class, 3 weeks down!

Early this morning I also updated my bills while SO did the cooking for the week (well, a good portion of the cooking for the week). I save the budgeting for the weekend when I have more time to compare balances, schedule payments, and other financial tasks I don't want to rush on during the week.

The only thing I didn't get to today was running, I usually do my running on the weekends. I'll still get my miles in for the month. I will just have to really stay on top of it now that school is taking such a great deal of my free time. But it's ok, I met school deadlines and I had some fun today, too. There are only so many hours in a day!

I received a $5 rebate yesterday, so new cruise total is $487. I never got around to checking the mail today.

Taxes have been completed and accepted, anticipated refund arrival date Feb. 14.

I have a short training tomorrow morning, then I head back home to continue my Saturday. I plan to do a bit more studying then take my 2nd test. Then pick up a few art supplies for my girls, grocery shop, a pretty simple Saturday. I'm glad for that, actually.

Our family is doing our part to support the dental profession this month! My girls will have sealants put on/redone (only partially paid for by insurance), my youngest has an appointment for a consultation with an orthodontist, and I chipped my tooth at dinner tonight! This was originally from an accident back when I was a kid and chipped my tooth. It has been filled since then to keep the tooth smooth and non-chipped looking, but every once in a while I have to have it refilled, and now is one of those times. Ugh.

I had a quiet day around the house. We did our grocery shopping, then I took a nap. After lunch I ran 3 miles, did some homework, ran another 3 miles, did some more homework. We made some cake pops and had dinner. Now I'm here on SA checking up with everyone, but in all actuality I need to get back to homework. This week I need to get in touch with potential practicum supervisers. I need to see how tough it will be to get those required experience hours.

I've already taken the dog for a walk, it is so sunny outside and I only needed a sweatshirt, love winter days like this! Usually this is such a rough time of year for me mentally, I really appreciate the nice weather whenever we get it.

I took my Unit 1 test this morning, got a 96%! Now on to the next Unit. I'll need to print up all of the material, which just became available last night, or else I would have printed it at work. But if I wait until Monday to print at work I won't be able to take advantage of the several uninterrupted hours of studying I can do this weekend. So I will suck it up and print from home this week.

We plan to grocery shop today and meet a friend for dinner. I've got some running to finish up for the month, I'll get it done!

I'm also going to turn in our change, we've been saving since the summer.

I added an additional $400 to savings, so my new total is $1406. I will update again after I get paid next week. Feels like I'm saving so slowwwly!

Tomorrow I will call my state Dept of taxes in regards to the letter they sent where I did not file deductions correctly and owe them money. I want them to explain what I did incorrectly, so that I don't make mistakes again. I will make that call on my cell phone at work. I can put it on speaker while I work on the computer, at least I can do something productive while I am put on hold.

I didn't do any studying tonight, just resting. I can study tomorrow and take the test Friday night or Saturday afternoon. Then get started on the next unit.

I was feeling so hopeless early this morning, but things always do pick up. I truly believe, you are never given what you can't handle- though you might need to make some hard choices.

My students were having a much better day today. I talked it over with coworkers- the student of concern IS making progress- it's just us adults who are becoming wiped out!

My first test opens up Friday evening for my class. I'm going to study several more hours before I take the test this weekend. As soon as this test is out of the way I start the materials for the next unit. The weekends will be when I do the majority of my studying and learning, the downtime during the week is minimal. But this class will help me be a better teacher, and one day have more options.

I started working on the taxes yesterday. I have always filed jointly with my ex because we are just separated, we've yet to file any paperwork (but determined to this year!). So this was our first year filing separate, I claimed head of household. I haven't completed the taxes because my work still delivers W-2s the old fashioned way- they make an announcement over the intercom, and everyone has to initial by their names as they are handed their W-2. Can you believe that, in this day and age? Anyway, I estimated using my final pay stub of the year, and I will update that to the W-2 info as soon as it is in my hands. I'm sure we will get the W-2 with payday on the 31st.

We also attended the board meeting last night regarding what to do with the house when we have a military transfer. They went ahead and put us on the wait list for one of the rental slots that are authorized. We are also going to start researching realtors today and look into the possibility of selling, since we have about 17 months before the transfer date. The HOA commended us for being proactive with our house!

Besides that, I had a very long, stressful day at work that left me wondering if I am the right girl for the job. I can't help but think that if only I was "better" I could change the behavior of a couple severe students I have in my special ed class. I admit they have made progress, but it is very slow, and it is so hard to be in the middle of the behaviors and noise for 7 hours a day. I'm expected to be able to "fix" these behaviors as well as teach to the alternate standards, with reduced staffing. The other special ed teacher has older students, and she gets a planning time all to herself, and her students attend specials, and she has additional assistants, and, and... I'm just feeling the burnout I hear about, I think. I'm sorry for the whine fest, I'm just very sick and tired. Thanks for listening!

I've definetly caught some sort of bug. After a sleepless night I finally got out of bed at 3:30 am to do something about my congestion. I used the neti pot, which did help to clear my sinuses temporarily, and took some pseudophed. But now I'm awake for the day! Fortunately,I don't have any activities planned after work this evening so I can go home and rest.

I checked on my budget since I'm up anyway. It looks like everything is right on target, whew. I'm eager to reach my 10K goal. I've got to save on average $1666 per month. Only at $1006 right now, but the month isn't over yet

I may look into the possiblity of summer employment. Teaching summer school would be ideal, good hours. I just think that besides the extra money, a little structure would do me some good. As much as I hate to admit it, I like to stay a "little" busy! I didn't work last summer because we went on vacation for a week and then another long weekend. This year we are not planning a vacation because we are doing the cruise in October. So work is something to consider.

Board meeting is tonight, so we can get some feedback on what to do with the house when we relocate.

We have a staff day Friday, so no students. I actually like going to work those days because it gives me a chance to catch up on all of the paperwork that is required. It's hard to plan and teach when you have a deskful of other things that need your immediate attention,too. I'm catching a cold and feeling pretty lousy, so if I can just stay healthy this week and make it to Friday I will be ok!

I'm feeling better about the house situation, too. We are being proactive and have lots of time to make decisions. We will get a better idea of our options after the next board meeting.

I spent the weekend with family. We had DDs friends come over for dinner Sat night, one had a sleepover, and went out to lunch with my brother on Sunday. We spent the rest of Sunday at home relaxing with the kids. Well, I was doing homework, but it always feels good to knock those assignments out of the way. I'm also learning a lot that can help me right now, so I'm looking forward to going to work and putting some strategies into practice.

Thanks for some feedback on rewards, SA! I think I will continue to let the rewards grow for now, and then dump them in the EF when it gets big enough. I will track it, though, so I know what I've earned for the year. I'll add that to my blog side bar, and update periodically throughout the year.

I added another $5 rebate check to the family cruise fund, making $482. I started this account in 2011, so those rebates add up over time. When we first started the account with rebate checks, I remember when it was like $40, and we would say things like, ok, we can buy lunch at Disney World now. When it got to $100, we could cover one night in a hotel, that sort of thing. Now that the cruise is booked, it is very exciting to see my rebates going towards a big cruise ship!

My rental place is operating smoothly, and our finances our on track for now. Our biggest concern is the house when SO gets new military orders next year. It is still over a year away, but she wants to get the house in order. The HOA is very strict on rentals, and they may not grant her permission to rent it out if the quota of rentals has been met. Then she will be forced to sell, but there have been some short sales lately which have just dragged the prices down in the neighborhood. There is no way could we sell at that price, SO would have to join the ranks of short sales/foreclosures. And some of these short sales have been sitting empty in the neighborhood for over a year. It's scary, and I'm trying not to get ahead of myself. But that is why we are starting to communicate with the HOA now, a year and a half prior.

I've taken advantage of some credit card Rewards bonuses lately. In the past I would just cash it out, but then the checks never really "did" anything. It would come in handy for a car repair, or a night out. I would have "found" money in my budget for those things even without the rewards cash, though.

I want the rewards money to go towards something, I think it would be more motivating for me. I debating should my rewards cash go towards our vacation in the fall or Christmas. If it goes to the vacation, well, that's great, it will really boost the fund, but when that is paid in full in August I'll have to start from scratch for Christmas. That doesn't give me much time to save.

I don't have to do anything with them right now, they will just continue to grow online. It is for my own piece of mind, to know where my money will be going!

How does everyone here organize their Rewards loot?

I received a $6 rebate in the mail today. New cruise savings balance: $477.

$10,000 savings update: $1,006. A little slower than I had planned, but of course things crop up: the extra amount due on my state taxes from last year, dental copays for the kids, all that good stuff.

My online course has started, and it is going to be very time consuming. The upside is that I know it is going to be very useful in my classroom.

My online class started today, so I spent the morning going through orientation, watching videos, and printing out documents. I still have more to get done today.
I took a break to take DDs to the craft store to spend their Christmas money. They were happy with their purchases, and I feel we got some good deals. The three of us also got our hair cut before lunch, always traumatic because my girls hate to get hair cut! They want long hair, but never want to brush it, go figure!
I received $17 in rebate checks yesterday in the mail, so cruise fund is up to $471.
Ok, off to spend some money on textbooks online and get some more classwork done. I want to knock out the first week now so I don't have to spend so much time on the class later in the week. I will see how this class goes. My work is paying for this one, so this class is like the "tester". I really need to think long and hard about what these classes will bring to my life.

Last night we went out to dinner with another couple to a restaurant where we recieved a Groupon certificate for Christmas. I knew that our meals had to be from a selected menu, that was fine. When the waiter got around to place our orders and discovered that we were the couple with the groupon certificate, they shoved a stained photocopy of the selected menu in front of us. Our friends received their meal like 30 minutes before we received ours, so we all had to wait around for each other to eat. It was obvious to everyone that the restaurant wasn't trying too hard with our meals, since they were already paid for. But you would think that part of the benefit of Groupon is the possibility of returning customers. I would never return to that restaurant. And I'm glad I wasn't the one paying for the meal!

The wind woke me up early this morning. I guess the cold ront has made its way to us. Yesterday it was sunny and warm, I didn't even wear my jacket after work. Today it has dropped about 20 degrees and the wind is Howling. Still not going to complain. We have been blessed with a mild winter so far. I take every day I am given!

My paycheck came in last night due to the holiday weekend. My bills are still scheduled to leave the account next week. I'm pleased that everything will be paid and savings is according to schedule.

A few one-timer expenses are getting paid this pay period. I'm renewing my passport, total will be about $122. I guess spanning the 10 years or so before I need another one, not such a huge expense. DDs are having sealants done for dentist. I am very surprised the insurance doesn't cover this 100%. Between the two girls this may be close to $100.

One DD also has a referral to see an orthodontist, ugh. I have a feeling that "orthodontist" will be a regular expense in the near future...

Last night I had a planned shopping stop right after picking up DDS after school. DD has been searching for a DVD set that she wanted to spend Christmas money on, so we went to a Target out of the way that had it last time we checked. I had planned on taking the girls out to eat on the way back home, but it was rainy, getting dark, and I think all of us just wanted to get back to the house. We had a relaxed, free meal of quesadillas and fruit. Even planned eating out is losing it's appeal to me. But it saves me money, yay! I have my 2012 goals to reach, that is more important than a so-so meal somewhere.

In the last two days I have received rebate checks for a total of $23, bringing the cruise fund up to $454.

Work is as challenging as ever, I will leave it at that. I continue to find the good in all situations. (Positive affirmation, you know!)

My online class starts next week, I'm anxious to get it started. I don't know why I decided to take classes again, except that this will be a good step for my career and my students should benefit.

Luckily it has been a short week, but it is still very hard to get up in the mornings. Once we are in the car I do ok, because then I think of what I can get done during the work day, but, boy, is it hard getting everyone dressed and out the door!

I updated the cruise savings to reflect the additional rebate checks deposit. We are trying to pay for the cruise with rebate checks as much as possible, we earned over $350 last year just through rebates.

On the work front, I'm a little upset, the additional help I got this year is being pulled to be used elsewhere. Chaos resumes again in the classroom. I know I can finish out the year, but I am seriously reconsidering my future options.

My parents took the kids to a resort for the evening for their own party, so SO and I were able to celebrate the New Year at a local club. I got SO to dance with me, (which is a first!), and just had club soda all night. We had a great time, I haven't celebrated New Years with a large crowd in several years.

I got up this morning feeling good. I went ahead and checked my work email for the first time since holiday break. Nothing too overwhelming, just one issue that my AP had already called and discussed with me over the holiday. I'm ready to go back. I got some much needed rest, and I have lots to look forward to in 2012. Lots of work ahead, with my new course starting up in a few weeks, SO testing in the next month or so, and the kids working as hard as ever at school. But it's all for a good cause. We just have no time for stuff that isn't going towards the greater good. That's the tricky part- really "listening" to what we should be doing, not just what seems fun or easy.

Of course, just days after writing out my lofty 2012 financial goals, I get a suspicious looking envelope in the mail. As soon as I saw the senders address- state department of taxation, I groaned. Sure enough, I got a letter explaining how in 2008 one taxpayer (my spouse) was exempt from state taxes due to military and we filled out Form XYZ. Therefore my exemptions were limited based on the percentage of income I contributed to the household- I claimed too many exemptions for state. Basically I owe about $624.

I could visualize myself getting further away from my 2012 goals. However, I am so thankful I have an emergency fund right now, because we can all expect that these things things happen. Maybe not a tax issue. For someone else (who is smarter with numbers!), it could be a home repair,or an extended, expensive illness. We all just have to do the best we can to prepare ourselves for what will eventually throw our good plans off track.

I will still get to my 2012 goals, I'm just going to be $624 lighter in the beginning of the year.

Now that Christmas has past, it seems as if everyone has relaxed a bit. I've gone to my friends' houses for meals and done my errands in relative peace. I really appreciate the peace, and I think that my kids do, too. They are happily playing with their Christmas toys. I'm catching up on my rest. My SO is getting lots of study time in for an important test. We all needed this break.

We went to Walmart for wrapping paper and found what we needed. I also picked up some green table items to use right now, my dining room table looks a bit bland. I'm very happy that I stopped in today, I picked up some good deals.

Although the weather was around 50 degrees today, it was very sunny. I decided to go for a run outside, just because I could. If it was any colder I wouldn't have done it, I'm very picky about running temperature! I feel so good now, 2 more miles done for the month.

My family had a wonderful Christmas together, we are very blessed. We spent the day in the company of our family, eating a deli lunch and playing with our new toys.

Today we left the house and took the girls bowling. It was fun, something different. We also checked out the after Christmas sales. I picked up nice gift sets to give throughout the year and next Christmas. I plan to go back out tomorrow, I still need to pick up a few rolls of holiday wrapping paper. I don't like to overstock, but I like to have just enough.

Although I love Christmas and had a great time, I have to confess that I took all of my decorations down today! I just like to "move on", no dwelling.

EF up to $20,000 by the end of June 2012.

Come up with a plan to pay for certification expenses through employee reimbursement, grants, and out of pocket. Though I really don't want to pay for any of this out of pocket, I've paid so much for my education already. 1 class will be covered so far, 4 more to figure out. Total cost of these 5 courses: $4250...

Go ahead and do the divorce paperwork already. (We've been legally separated for nearly 5 years).

Figure out the balance of my health savings account. I started this last year, and the amount not used rolls over from year to year, and can be withdrawn for special circumstances. I just need to be more aware of this account, since I'm paying into it.

Every month: Run at least 25 miles, and log 8 or more additional workouts.

Hmm, saving $20,000 should be the easy part.

I'm a free woman, until January 3! I've had too many sugary baked goods today, but we had a great last day of school and it feels so good to be home, knowing I can relax for a while.

I just transferred money over to EF, I have met my short term goal of 10K saved by 12/31/11! I guess it's not truly an emergency fund, though. I pull money out of it for various "big ticket" things that might crop up, like an expensive car repair, a vacation, summer camp for the girls. It is easier for me to save in one fund than several various places. But as long as this account keeps growing, I'm happy. I've got my eye on my next goal now, 20K by June 2012. That is the only financial goal I have set up right now, I think that I will think about goals over the break and update my list. I know that one of them will be in regards to my schoolin, I'm taking a class in January and I may commit to the entire program, if I like it and I determine it will be financially beneficial to me.

Shopping is done. Goodies are all made, too. I even took pictures of DDS by the Christmas tree to post for out of town relatives. This week I will just pick up some party platters (free, I have rebates!), and get a tank of gas. I will make it till the 1st without dipping into savings!!!

Speaking of savings, I am on target to reach my savings goal of 10K by the end of December. I have till 11:59pm, gonna need every minute.

I have some intense meetings this week at work, one a day, so every evening my load will get lighter.