I am very happy to have this weekend off. After a long week (3 days at my branch and 2 days in a consumer lending class), I'm definitely in need of some "me" time. I really like to set goals for myself on the weekends, otherwise I end up laying in bed watching TV or doing nothing! I feel like if I set goals to achieve, I have a more productive and fullfilling weekend.

Some things on my agenda are:

• Get oil changed in car.
• Get gas for car.
• Pick up lunches at the grocery store for the work week.
• Finish reading Dreamfever by K. Moning (almost there!).
• Start another book.
• Watch at least one of my Netflix DVDs.
• Go running at least once.
• Do laundry!!!!

It all seems pretty do-able and not very stressful. But being structured helps me feel like I had a more complete weekend.

So, in addition to my update about the weekend, I also have some BIG news. J is officially in the US Air Force. He ships out to Boot Camp on December 29th, the day before his birthday. Because of this, we are getting married sometime in November. It will be a very simple, very small, but lovely and intimate wedding. Honestly, I could care less about the wedding, I just want to be married to the man I love. =)

We weren't expecting his ship out date for Boot Camp to be until February or March, but now it's happening a lot sooner than expected, which is both good and bad. Good, because he gets Boot Camp over with faster and starts earning money sooner than expected. Bad, because I thought I'd have about another full year to get that BofA loan paid off. While he is in Boot Camp I'll be paying whatever little monthly bills he has with his paychecks, but I'll also be taking a portion of the money for myself to pay down my debt.

After Boot Camp, he goes for about 60 days of technical training for his job and then after that, we will be moving to our first duty assignment. This means I will be giving up my job to move with him. Our plan is to have that big BofA loan paid off completely before we move. It will make things so much easier. Of course, I'm planning on working after we get settled on the base, but I'm honestly looking to take at least a month off work to get moved in, get aquainted with our new area, and to relax a little.

Anyway, our goal will be to get as much debt as possible paid off before we move. We want to pay off the BofA loan, then start working at the credit cards, and finally the car loan. Obviously the car loan is the largest debt item, however it is the lowest interest item right now. As I stated yesterday, I'm not really putting a lot of money in savings right now, but I would like to build up to a $1,000 to $1,500 Emergency Fund, possibly more depending on how the debt looks.

There is a lot to be done within the next 6 to 9 months, but I know that if I keep focused with paying down the debt, we'll make it. =)

I hope everyone enjoys their weekend!

- Bank Gal

Labels: air force, debt, emergency fund, goals, money, weekend plans

This weekend I was terribly sick with a horrible sore throat and a nasty cough. I still have the cough, but my throat seems to be better this morning. I was afraid I had bronchitis or even strep-throat. But it seems like it was just a 48-hour bug. Unfortunately, it completely ruined my weekend. However, it kept me indoors so I didn't go anywhere or spend any money, which is a good thing because I have $33 until I get paid on Friday. That shouldn't be a problem since I'll be bringing my lunch to work most days this week and buying the cheap coffee from the gas station next door instead of hitting up Starbucks.

J leaves for Boston on Tuesday where he'll be doing work for his dad and talking to an Air Force recruiter while he's there. And even though I'll miss him terribly, it will definitely save me money. It's much easier to budget for one person than it is for two people, so J being gone will essientially save me some money.

I'm also going to start posting my weekly budget, like the way My Pretty Pennies does. I love how she starts with her beginning balance, then her weekly spending, then the ending balance. She is paid monthly, where as I am paid every 15th and 31st (or 30th). So, each pay day I'll begin with my starting balance, then list my weekly expenditures, then my ending balance, then start all over again on the next pay day. I'm excited to track it like this and I think it'll help keep me focused.

Labels: budget, money, sick