Debt Dumpers - 2017

[amalone1013]

State deposit was put in our account and Costco refund too. Added about $650 to our checking account which was a nice amount.
I ended up opening an Ally bank high yield savings account to earn the 1 percent interest rate on our savings. So far I'm very happy with them.

I really like Ally, I've used them for about 2 and a half years now. I send part of my paycheck into my account via direct deposit. Lots more in interest than I would have got from my regular bank! I like that now when you make transfers you choose the date you want it to show up, so there's no guess work with the teeny bit of lag time, even though I think it's a business day now so not a big deal.

 

[Jen and Ashwin]

I really like Ally, I've used them for about 2 and a half years now. I send part of my paycheck into my account via direct deposit. Lots more in interest than I would have got from my regular bank! I like that now when you make transfers you choose the date you want it to show up, so there's no guess work with the teeny bit of lag time, even though I think it's a business day now so not a big deal.

Yes, it has gotten much faster. But I found out that when I need money transferred right away from my Ally account, if I do it from my USAA account, it shows as posted automatically but it doesn't leave Ally for a day or two. This has saved me from paying an overdraft fee a time or two when I didn't realize that I would be short.

 

[NinaBella]

I have given this a lot of thought, don't worry.

Including subtracting the time off for our cruise, I will have about 7 weeks of vacation time saved up by October. I plan on needing 3-5 weeks of that vacation time for my maternity leave. The amount I will need in vacation time will depend on if I have a natural birth (6 weeks medical leave) or c-section (8 weeks medical leave). I would prefer natural, but we will see how things go. The medical leave qualifies to be paid from my extended medical leave balance at 100% salary. I am not sure if I accrue vacation time while on medical leave. This is still something I need to check on.

There will be also be several holidays during my maternity leave which will allow me to use less vacation time. I get Thanksgiving and Black Friday as paid leave (though I may still be on medical leave at this time, so I am not sure if I get the vacations or not). I also get Christmas, the days between Christmas and New Years and New Years day as paid leave. This saves me about 1-1.5 weeks in vacation time during that period.

Also, my normal sick leave resets in October, so I will have that throughout the year if I need to care for the baby when ill. I get 14 days of sick leave each year. My husband also gets the same sick leave too, so if necessary, he could use his. And finally, I accrue vacation at a rate of 2 days per month even while taking vacation time, so I should earn 3-4 more days of vacation during my leave and even more if I still accrue vacation while on extended sick leave.

So that would mean that I should have another 3 weeks or more of vacation time even after my maternity leave is over. And I may consider discussing with my boss the idea of starting back as part time over that first month of work, maybe 2 days, then 3 days, then 4 days and finally 5 days, just to help me ease back.

I had my second child when I was in college. Luckily he came over spring break and I was back in class the following Monday! LOL. But I didn't have daycare issues as my mom kept my kids while I was in class. Pretty much how all four of my birthing experience went, within a week I was back to doing normal activities. Paid maternity leave was just nice time for bonding. None of my 4 kids attended daycare under the age of 2, but as soon as they did they got sick a lot and often.

 

[Ngwira]

Lowes called. Our flooring is in. Installation begins on Monday. Yay!

 

[dayvewc]

Generic update:

Got notified that the IRS had approved my refund, it should be deposited tomorrow. Yeah!!!

I've been going through my dressers and chests and closets and anything that I can't/don't/won't wear anymore I've been boxing up and taking to a local charity. So far, according to itsdeductible.com, I've donated over $1500 in clothes alone.

I have almost talked mom into going with me on my summer trip out west in May/June. She was the one who first introduced me to Disney, so I think it somewhat appropriate. I am fairly sure that she will enjoy DisneyLand, especially if I can manage to snag a VIP seat for her for the castle fireworks. That is my goal to work on between now and then.
I'm not quite as sure she will enjoy being on the road for 3 weeks, and all the other things I had planned, but me and my siblings all think that her getting out of the house and doing something will be a good thing. It will be about 6 months after dad died, so hopefully enough time have passed that she won't feel guilty about leaving. And my sister wants to do some remodeling on the house (she lives with my mom) while mom is gone, so that will give her time to get it done.

Went to the doctor two days ago and had the first set of injections done. I didn't notice a big difference, so I'm hoping the next set will go better, but they aren't until the first week in April.

I think that is it on my front.

 

[AquaDame]

My husband and I are chugging away... one PLOC and two more CCs left to go and then we are clear of revolving debt. If we never get the inheritance we found out about two years ago we'll be out of debt by this time next year, if we do then about half as long. I'm fairly melancholy about it at this point... waiting on the windfall for so long has dampened my trust in people - especially as we have relatives also set to inherit that really could have used the boost at the time.

It probably sounds very silly but I am also depressed about saving money right now. We lost my cat who has been on expensive medicines since she was six months old (autoimmune deficiency) last week after ten years - she's been my constant companion since I graduated college. A lot of life experiences good and bad have happened since then, and she's always been my good luck charm and cheerleader. We had a bunch of plans on how to keep her healthy and happy in the future, including plans to get an RV when we go across the US so she could come with. Somehow wiping out all our debt now reminds me about the money we will save not caring for her which is turn makes me feel like a terrible person. Even though we have debt there was never a doubt we would always do right by her, but now she is gone and being completely debt free doesn't seem as important. Its just an inevitability and not worthy of fretting or getting excited about.

I guess its a good thing we are heading to Japan for our trip in a few weeks. It will be good to get away - though not very financially prudent I suppose since that money could have gone to some of the debt we still have....

 

[fifthdimensiondweller]

@AquaDame I'm so sorry for your loss. We lost our 13 year old kitty last year and I know how you feel. Putting the extra money that went to cover his anemia medicines and asthma inhaler every month back into the budget made me feel terrible. I hope things start looking up for you soon.

 

[DisneyMandC]

It probably sounds very silly but I am also depressed about saving money right now. We lost my cat who has been on expensive medicines since she was six months old (autoimmune deficiency) last week after ten years - she's been my constant companion since I graduated college. A lot of life experiences good and bad have happened since then, and she's always been my good luck charm and cheerleader. We had a bunch of plans on how to keep her healthy and happy in the future, including plans to get an RV when we go across the US so she could come with. Somehow wiping out all our debt now reminds me about the money we will save not caring for her which is turn makes me feel like a terrible person. Even though we have debt there was never a doubt we would always do right by her, but now she is gone and being completely debt free doesn't seem as important. Its just an inevitability and not worthy of fretting or getting excited about.

I totally understand how you feel. I put my first pony down last year and felt the same way. He was 31 so I was giving him extra joint supplements and nice soft food for his old soft teeth, so he was expensive. When he passed, I felt bad that part of me was relieved that I wouldn't have those extra expenses as I was taking a new job with a paycut at that time. I would have happily fed him for many more years, but it's also nice to have that money to put towards my other horses.

 

[Dentam]

Jealous! Please give us some highlights when you have a chance.

Sorry for the delay - I woke up with a sore throat and fever on Tuesday morning and am just now feeling a bit better today. Thought I'd finally had a trip without getting sick for once, but no such luck!

The weather was awesome - the highest temp was mid-week and was about 88. We were staying at the Beach Club renting DVC points there, so we took advantage of Stormalong Bay that afternoon. I had never been to that pool and loved it! It was also so nice to walk to and from Epcot!

The rest of our trip was highs in the low 70's and lows in the 50's. Pretty nice considering it was 18 degrees when I left Denver.

We did the MK After Hours event on Thursday which was a lot of fun. The longest wait for a ride was about 7 minutes but most were walk ons. We were the only ones in Space Mountain at one point and the CM took our photo after we got on the ride and before she launched us which was awesome. The event tickets also came with all you could eat popcorn and ice cream bars from carts around the park, as well as bottled water and sodas.

We got to see the storm troopers in HS and the Star Wars fireworks which were the best in any of the parks. We'd never seen them before so that was a highlight for me.

Let's see - other than that, the main draw for us was the Epcot Flower and Garden Festival. It was beautiful. We hadn't been to it in about a decade so before they added the food booths. All of the food we tried was delicious - my favorites were the macaron in France and the Violet Desert Lemonade, can't remember which booth it was at. Also the pork and the watermelon salad at the farm booth.

It was a bit more crowded than we were hoping it would be. The Louisiana schools that were out for Mardi Gras week affected crowd levels a lot I think.

The best meal of the trip was dinner at Cinderella's Royal Table during the fireworks show at MK. My meal was SO GOOD and it was very cool to be in the castle as the fireworks were going off - they pumped the music into the restaurant too. It was expensive though so it will be a one and done for us.

Oh, and my parents ended up buying DVC at the Polynesian!!

 

[ruadisneyfan2]

Sorry for the delay - I woke up with a sore throat and fever on Tuesday morning and am just now feeling a bit better today. Thought I'd finally had a trip without getting sick for once, but no such luck!

The weather was awesome - the highest temp was mid-week and was about 88. We were staying at the Beach Club renting DVC points there, so we took advantage of Stormalong Bay that day. I had never been to that pool and loved it! It was also so nice to walk to and from Epcot!

The rest of our trip was highs in the low 70's and lows in the 50's. Pretty nice considering it was 18 degrees when I left Denver.

We did the MK After Hours event on Thursday which was a lot of fun. Longest wait for a ride was about 7 minutes but most were walk ons. We were the only ones in Space Mountain at one point and the CM took our photo after we got on the ride and before she launched us which was awesome. The event tickets also came with all you could eat popcorn and ice cream bars from carts around the park, as well as bottled water and sodas.

Let's see - other than that, the main draw for us was the Epcot Flower and Garden Festival. It was beautiful. We hadn't been to it in about a decade so before they added the food booths. All of the food we tried was delicious - my favorites were the macaron in France and the Violet Desert Lemonade, can't remember which booth it was at. Also the pork and the watermelon salad at the farm booth.

It was a bit more crowded than we were hoping it would be. The Louisiana schools that were out for Mardi Gras week affected crowd levels a lot I think.

The best meal of the trip was dinner at Cinderella's Royal Table during the fireworks show at MK. My meal was SO GOOD and it was very cool to be in the castle as the fireworks were going off - they pumped the music into the restaurant too. It was expensive though so it will be a one and done for us.

Oh, and my parents ended up buying DVC at the Polynesian!!

Wow! It all sounds amazing except the sore throat. Hope you feel better soon!
When I first read about you loving BCV and its location, I thought, "Hmmm... This is how we were ruined from ever staying at the less expensive resorts again." but then to read how your parents bought DVC, now THAT sounds so nice! Having people who love you and are willing to share the glory but not the cost. lol.

Glad to hear your happy news!

 

[Dentam]

When I first read about you loving BCV and its location, I thought, "Hmmm... This is how we were ruined from ever staying at the less expensive resorts again." but then to read how your parents bought DVC, now THAT sounds so nice! Having people who love you and are willing to share the glory but not the cost. lol.

Yeah, my parents actually considered buying DVC back when the Grand Californian ones were for sale and have been kicking themselves for not doing it back then since they'd already have it paid off probably. They went ahead and did it this time when they were offered a year's worth of extra points as a bonus for buying. I'm pretty excited since I LOVE the Polynesian and the studios there are large and really beautiful. I can't wait to stay in one! I am lucky since I just pay for my airfare, park tickets, some food, and a few souvenirs for each trip. They won't let me pay for much else!

 

[Jen and Ashwin]

Yeah, my parents actually considered buying DVC back when the Grand Californian ones were for sale and have been kicking themselves for not doing it back then since they'd already have it paid off probably. They went ahead and did it this time when they were offered a year's worth of extra points as a bonus for buying. I'm pretty excited since I LOVE the Polynesian and the studios there are large and really beautiful. I can't wait to stay in one! I am lucky since I just pay for my airfare, park tickets, some food, and a few souvenirs for each trip. They won't let me pay for much else!

I am so glad you had a good time. DH and I went last year at the start of the Epcot Flower and Garden Festival. We loved it and can't wait to return at that time in 2019. The weather for us was similar last year and really turned out perfect.

And congrats to your parents for their DVC purchase! DH and I are really happy with our DVC membership at Polynesian. I know that some people think there aren't enough options because it is just studios and bungalows (no 1bd, 2 bd villas). The studios at Poly are very generous with two bathrooms and the pull down bed, so as a couple it was more than enough space. And the decor is lovely in the studios. We could easily be a family of 4 and still sleep comfortably in that room, as each kid would get their own bed. When I was a kid, we stayed in smaller rooms with a single bathroom with 5 people and had great vacations.

The style and atmosphere of the resort fits our personalities really well. DH grew up in Singapore and so in some ways, it reminds him of living in a tropical climate. DH also loves puns, so when he saw that the gift shop was called Bou-tiki, he pretty much died of joy. We have tried all of the restaurants except Ohana (I went once as a child, but don't remember much) and really like the food. DH loves Trader Sam's and the dole whip bar. We ate at the Kona Cafe for breakfast, lunch and dinner and liked it at every meal. We didn't get a chance to try out the new pool area - it was still under construction when we went, but it looked amazing. We also love being on the monorail and being super close to the transportation center.

 

[Dentam]

I am so glad you had a good time. DH and I went last year at the start of the Epcot Flower and Garden Festival. We loved it and can't wait to return at that time in 2019. The weather for us was similar last year and really turned out perfect.

And congrats to your parents for their DVC purchase! DH and I are really happy with our DVC membership at Polynesian. I know that some people think there aren't enough options because it is just studios and bungalows (no 1bd, 2 bd villas). The studios at Poly are very generous with two bathrooms and the pull down bed, so as a couple it was more than enough space. And the decor is lovely in the studios. We could easily be a family of 4 and still sleep comfortably in that room, as each kid would get their own bed. When I was a kid, we stayed in smaller rooms with a single bathroom with 5 people and had great vacations.

The style and atmosphere of the resort fits our personalities really well. DH grew up in Singapore and so in some ways, it reminds him of living in a tropical climate. DH also loves puns, so when he saw that the gift shop was called Bou-tiki, he pretty much died of joy. We have tried all of the restaurants except Ohana (I went once as a child, but don't remember much) and really like the food. DH loves Trader Sam's and the dole whip bar. We ate at the Kona Cafe for breakfast, lunch and dinner and liked it at every meal. We didn't get a chance to try out the new pool area - it was still under construction when we went, but it looked amazing. We also love being on the monorail and being super close to the transportation center.

I think the Poly will be perfect since we would only ever stay in studios and the ones there are more spacious than any of the other resorts. My mom loved the two bathrooms and the fact that the resort is on the monorail line. She likes to take breaks from the parks to go to the resort to relax, so it will be easy for her to do that. My dad really loves the Wilderness Lodge and AKL, but they can always use their points at one of those also, just with a shorter booking window. They always try to go during lower crowd times, so hopefully getting a room at one of those resorts won't be too tough. They also love the Grand Californian, and they live much closer to DL, so that one could be tough to get into. I wanted them to consider looking for DVC resale, but my dad especially wanted to purchase directly from Disney to make sure they always get the extra benefits in case Disney starts taking more of those away from resale owners. They were able to start using their DVC discount right away in the parks and saved 20% on some of their souvenirs, so my mom was excited about that!

Oh, and a tip on 'Ohana - they have the best bread pudding there and you don't even have to eat dinner there to get it! This trip, we just went up to the bar beside 'Ohana and asked if we could order the bread pudding. We were able to sit at the bar and share a couple of servings of it and it was very reasonably priced - about $6.50 per serving. It's seriously the best dessert you will have in WDW, although the chocolate mousse at Cinderella's Royal Table comes in a close second!

 

[Jen and Ashwin]

I think the Poly will be perfect since we would only ever stay in studios and the ones there are more spacious than any of the other resorts. My mom loved the two bathrooms and the fact that the resort is on the monorail line. She likes to take breaks from the parks to go to the resort to relax, so it will be easy for her to do that. My dad really loves the Wilderness Lodge and AKL, but they can always use their points at one of those also, just with a shorter booking window. They always try to go during lower crowd times, so hopefully getting a room at one of those resorts won't be too tough. They also love the Grand Californian, and they live much closer to DL, so that one could be tough to get into. I wanted them to consider looking for DVC resale, but my dad especially wanted to purchase directly from Disney to make sure they always get the extra benefits in case Disney starts taking more of those away from resale owners. They were able to start using their DVC discount right away in the parks and saved 20% on some of their souvenirs, so my mom was excited about that!

Oh, and a tip on 'Ohana - they have the best bread pudding there and you don't even have to eat dinner there to get it! This trip, we just went up to the bar beside 'Ohana and asked if we could order the bread pudding. We were able to sit at the bar and share a couple of servings of it and it was very reasonably priced - about $6.50 per serving. It's seriously the best dessert you will have in WDW, although the chocolate mousse at Cinderella's Royal Table comes in a close second!

For our first contract, we wanted to buy direct from Disney so that we would get all of the benefits as well as getting some more personalized service while making our decision. Our DVC guide was really very nice and helpful. I called him a ton of times to ask questions and he was super patient with me. We didn't even buy a big contract or anything. He helped me work out what we should get so that we could take trips every 2 years for 5-7 nights, depending on the season.

We might add on some more points at Poly eventually, but we have other plans first. Now that we own direct, we plan to add-on via resale. We both love Wilderness Lodge and are planning to look for a 50-75 point contract at Boulder Ridge within the next year or so. Those studios also have the pull down bed, though not 2 bathrooms, so they should still be comfortable for 4 people as well.

And thanks for the Ohana tip. I plan to book a dinner there when kids might be old enough to actually enjoy it. That probably won't be our 2019 trip, so I will keep the bread pudding in mind!

 

[DisneyMandC]

Well after talking so great about the Scratch and Dent all week, they failed to call to set up delivery on my new oven last night. When I called this morning, they couldn't even find my order and then, once they finally found it, said they had it down for delivery tomorrow. I told them my receipt had the 10th and my husband had taken off work to be there for it, so they told me to call tomorrow after it's delivered and they would refund my delivery fee for me. So I guess that's $82 back in my pocket, and fortunately DH's boss is always encouraging him to take more time off, but still. Why can't anything just be simple anymore?! I guess at least they're willing to make it right.

 

[fifthdimensiondweller]

but my dad especially wanted to purchase directly from Disney to make sure they always get the extra benefits in case Disney starts taking more of those away from resale owners.

That's very smart! DH and i have been thinking the same thing.

Now that we own direct, we plan to add-on via resale.

This is exactly what DH and I plan to do when we purchase in a few years.

Update on us: UGH DH's car got a bolt in the tire. Since we was getting low on all four tires, we went ahead and just replaced all four. This really couldn't have come up at worse time, because between that and the genetic testing it completely depletes the emergency fund we started in January. BUT at least it's all paid for. Put it on our card for miles but will pay it off in a few days as soon as the charges register.

In other news, I'm finally starting to get some calls back for job interviews. I'm really trying to leave my current job. I just want to make even a little more money so we can continue to build a savings to start having kids and continue contributing to our house fund along with the savings account we plan to start for DVC probably this summer or fall.

I'm sort of trying to do a snowball type method with our savings. We put a small amount in each savings account every month but pick one account to really throw every extra penny into (so right now that's our emergency fund, especially after the new tires), then a house down payment, then DVC. Once all of those have hit their savings target, I want to start saving for travel all the time, and just have a fund we can pull from whenever we see a great offer. Sigh... probably five years or more before I'll see anything like that but if we keep chugging along I know we'll get there!

 

[Jen and Ashwin]

That's very smart! DH and i have been thinking the same thing.



This is exactly what DH and I plan to do when we purchase in a few years.

Update on us: UGH DH's car got a bolt in the tire. Since we was getting low on all four tires, we went ahead and just replaced all four. This really couldn't have come up at worse time, because between that and the genetic testing it completely depletes the emergency fund we started in January. BUT at least it's all paid for. Put it on our card for miles but will pay it off in a few days as soon as the charges register.

In other news, I'm finally starting to get some calls back for job interviews. I'm really trying to leave my current job. I just want to make even a little more money so we can continue to build a savings to start having kids and continue contributing to our house fund along with the savings account we plan to start for DVC probably this summer or fall.

I'm sort of trying to do a snowball type method with our savings. We put a small amount in each savings account every month but pick one account to really throw every extra penny into (so right now that's our emergency fund, especially after the new tires), then a house down payment, then DVC. Once all of those have hit their savings target, I want to start saving for travel all the time, and just have a fund we can pull from whenever we see a great offer. Sigh... probably five years or more before I'll see anything like that but if we keep chugging along I know we'll get there!

We spent several thousand dollars in late 2014 and early 2015 on car related expenses, so I totally know how you feel. We had to replace tires from DH hitting a pot hole. And that was on his parent's car that he was borrowing from them for a few months. The cost had to come from our small emergency fund. But we kept going and have built it back up.

Good luck on the job interviews! I hope that you find something you like that pays more. I know that when DH started working, it made a huge difference for us in regards to how much we were able to save. Every little bit helps.

 

[Ngwira]

The flooring has arrived and is in our house. Instead of paying lowes to deliver it, DH and I rented their truck for $25 and hauled it in ourselves. Our contractor moved the install up to Sunday. I'm so happy.

 

[DnA2010]

My husband and I are chugging away... one PLOC and two more CCs left to go and then we are clear of revolving debt. If we never get the inheritance we found out about two years ago we'll be out of debt by this time next year, if we do then about half as long. I'm fairly melancholy about it at this point... waiting on the windfall for so long has dampened my trust in people - especially as we have relatives also set to inherit that really could have used the boost at the time.

It probably sounds very silly but I am also depressed about saving money right now. We lost my cat who has been on expensive medicines since she was six months old (autoimmune deficiency) last week after ten years - she's been my constant companion since I graduated college. A lot of life experiences good and bad have happened since then, and she's always been my good luck charm and cheerleader. We had a bunch of plans on how to keep her healthy and happy in the future, including plans to get an RV when we go across the US so she could come with. Somehow wiping out all our debt now reminds me about the money we will save not caring for her which is turn makes me feel like a terrible person. Even though we have debt there was never a doubt we would always do right by her, but now she is gone and being completely debt free doesn't seem as important. Its just an inevitability and not worthy of fretting or getting excited about.

I guess its a good thing we are heading to Japan for our trip in a few weeks. It will be good to get away - though not very financially prudent I suppose since that money could have gone to some of the debt we still have....

I understand the feeling- we had to put my stepdaughters first pony down a couple of years ago, for the previous few years we had to feed him only soaked feed and soaked hay cubes and when the decision came we were sad of course and would have continued with his special feeding plan as long as possible but it was nice to know we had made his last years so comfortable.

Have an awesome trip to Japan! We would love to visit there! Maybe someday! I'd prob do the same if I knew I had an inheritance coming

 

[MamaBelleRN]

March update:
It's already been a whirlwind of a month and we are just 11 days in! Last Sunday (3/5) my nephew was born and had to be immediately life flighted from our hometown of South Bend, IN to Mott's Children's Hospital in Ann Arbor MI as he was experiencing severe persistent pulmonary hypertension in the newborn (PPHN). This was causing him to have extremely low oxygen saturation (as low as the 20s at one point) and his heart was not pumping efficiently. He needed to get on ECMO and they thought a heart transplant might be necessary as his left ventricle was not pumping efficiently. He had absolutely no indicators of any cardiac defects on ultrasound, so this came completely out of the blue. My sister could not be released from the hospital as she went in with pre-eclampsia and her BP was still quite high. She asked me to go up to Ann Arbor with my BIL for support. Also, I am a RN and used to work adult ICU, so it's helpful to have a medical person there during these intense times. When we got there, what they think happened is he simply did not flip from fetal circulation to out of utero circulation (occurs 1-2x in every 1-2k births). But, they could not figure out what was going on with the left ventricle (the main pumping chamber of the heart) as they could not identify any particular defect. They were able to get him sucessfully on ECMO, but it was very touch and go. Over this week, he has made a MIRACULOUS turn around They did a 24h EEG and they so no indicators of brain injury. He was taken off ECMO on Wednesday night and then off the vent on Friday. I had to come home Tuesday and my sister made it up there Wednesday. His heart is now pumping efficiently and they have no explanation why the left ventricle was not working or how it corrected itself. We are all just so grateful he is in excellent hands and doing so well

All this led to me starting my FMLA over a week sooner than planned. I have a scheduled c-section on March 16 and I had planned to work at least one day that week. To me, family always comes first so I am happy it worked out for me to be there.

Budget: Still not good We do spend less than we make, but I am really struggling to stay within our food and retail budgets. Retail includes all household products, clothing, etc. I should have earmarked money or increased our retail budget as we prepare for baby. Although this is number five, we had to start from scratch for her clothing (my youngest girl is six and my newborn girl clothes are no where to be found) and we needed to purchase a bed for our two year old. So, we already have exceeded our retail budget for the month We could still transfer about $600 to savings this week, but decided to just keep it in checking as I will only recieve one more check on 3/24 until I return to work in late May/early June. My goal for the rest of the month is to stay as close to budget as I can. Additionally, my DH may try to squeeze in a little overtime. Given the circumstances of the month, I am considering this month somewhat of a wash. There's always next month to work on meeting our budget goals!