I lost my patience waiting for the college to send me the amount I paid in tuition/fees in 2007 - Actually they sent it and it was BLANK! I called and they said they can send me something else showing the amounts, but I just can't wait another day. I went online and multiplied the number of credits I took by the amount they charge per credit and used that for the taxes. It ended up having absolutely no effect on the taxes since even without it we were getting everything back plus the EIC since we were so "poor" this year. I should be posting a full EF in just a few weeks!!!

I still have not made a decision about the rest of the refund money. We shall see.

I am adding $7.99 to the EF today for the last Free-bate from my contact lens solution which I received yesterday. I am over 1/3 of the way to my $5,000 goal now.

New EF Balance: $1,701.67

It's been awhile since I last posted, and I am very happy to say that I have *finally* graduated from my dental hygiene program, passed my board exams, received my license and am happily working at my first job as a Dental Hygienist!!!

I have set up our new budget in Jesse's YNAB system (which I LOVE - Thanks Jesse!), and am diligently tracking our income and expenses as best I can. Never can get all the receipts from my dear husband, but we are working on it.

We are essentially starting from scratch since we depleted nearly all our savings while I was waiting for my license/finding a job. My success right now is that, as of January 1, we have surpassed the $1,000 mark in our Emergency Fund. I just wish it was going faster. It never seems fast enough, but we are on the best path. We just need to stay the course.

I am officially starting to worry about how we are going to pay for the bills that come due in Feb/March. My life insurance is due (which is approximately $700) and I also have to pay $850 for my hygiene licensure exams. Basically, I am only worried because the exam fees are an extra that I have not been saving for over the past months (unlike the life insurance which is in my spending plan). I just don't know where I am going to find the extra money as things are pretty tight already. I do know that one way or another I will find the money even if I have to borrow from a realative (which is an absolute last resort).

We shall see.

I received my student loan check this week and was able to pay some bills that have been waiting patiently. Unfortunately, it all seems to go so fast. It is beyond depressing to have a $1400 check in your hand one day and nothing the next because it all went to pay the bills.

I am looking forward to earning a real paycheck on a regular basis and being able to save and spend on fun stuff as well as paying the bills.

It is also time to buy my holiday gifts since my Xmas Club money was just transferred to my savings account. I do alot of shopping at

I had to shell out almost $300 today for school. $255 for some new instruments (which is really dirt cheap compared to what I would pay if I were not a student), and $45 for membership dues for the ADHA (American Dental Hygienist Association).

I hate when I have no choice but to spend money. I can't even shop around. But, I know it is for a good cause and I will be glad to have that license in my hand. Still that was almost all our savings so times continue to get tighter in our household.

Speaking of school, it is just unbelievable the amount of new tasks we have to learn in the next 3-1/2 months! I am afraid my blog may get neglected at times, but I will try to hang around and keep things up to date as much as possible.

Oh, almost forgot, I received a $5 check from Pinecone Research in the mail today. Hooray! I love them. They are so dependable and you always know you will be paid for each and every survey you take. What could be better?!

I should be asleep by now but I am still in denial. Maybe if I don't go to sleep I can make the summer vacation last longer! *grin* I guess it doesn't really work that way, huh?

I checked the oil in my car (a 1999 Saturn with 131k miles on it), and it looks good and full. It is a great car but since it is getting up in years/miles it does eat oil pretty regularly. I usually have to put a quart in every week-and-a-half to 2 weeks just to top it off. I have been using full synthetic motor oil for a few years now so I don't have to change the oil as often (saves a few dollars). I cleaned out as much stuff as I could from the trunk to help with gas mileage, and I have an almost full tank which should last me until Friday afternoon, I hope.

Nine more months of driving to school everyday - an hour there and an hour back. I am looking forward to saving money on gas once I graduate in May! I can't wait to get a job and start my new career...just think, money coming in, instead of going out!