Update

It's been a difficult month. We have been getting ready for my sister's wedding. I definitely did not budget enough for this. We will be flying to Florida for the wedding and all 3 of my daughters are in the wedding. Dresses, shoes, sashes, hairbows, etc. It all adds up. Not to mention the need for new sneakers, bathing suits, sandals, etc. That stuff we would have needed anyway for the summer, but I didn't really plan for enough money to get it all now.

I am also fighting my usual impulses to get a whole new wardrobe for the trip. Yes, I needed a new dress for the wedding and probably for the rehearsal dinner, but I am trying to restrain myself from more than that. I have the urge for a haircut, manicure, pedicure, and spray tan.

And as the wedding gets closer (less than 2 weeks away now!), everything seems more pressing. Being frugal requires careful planning. Rushing does not lend itself to getting good deals.

Anyway, I am really looking forward to the trip and trying not to let the high expenses take away from it.

On other news, I did well at a craft show last week. I made $320 in sales. So that was good.

Also, looks like the refinance might be back on. I'm happy about this but also feel a little stress about spending on the closing costs, appraisal, and all the other charges that come up for a refi. We only have about $5,000 in savings right now, and the costs will probably take a very big bite out of this. Next month will (should) be a high commission month that will most likely beef up the savings, but still.

I have to keep reminding myself of the big up side of refinancing - it will make us "debt free except for the house"! This is because we will need to include the Home Equity Loan in the refinance, thus paying it off, and basically rolling it into our new mortgage. The new mortgage will also be slightly less expensive each month (like $50-$100). So, at that point we can move on to Baby Step 3 and finish building up our Fully Funded Emergency Fund of 6 months of living expenses, which for us will be $30,000.

I'll keep you posted. (And try to post more regularly!)