Things are lookin' up!

Well, I'm finally starting to feel like I might be able to get a financial toehold in the world after all. I got a nice raise back in November, which was topped off by a cost of living adjustment in January. Then, when my brother-in-law and his family moved out of our upstairs apartment to join my mother-in-law in New Mexico, we got a new tenant in there who's only going to be home on weekends but is paying us nearly twice as much in rent as we were getting. And I filed our taxes electronically, resulting in a nice refund being direct-deposited into our checking account, thankyouverymuch. Long story short, I paid all our bills, made extra-big payments on the credit cards, paid nice extra principle payments on the mortgage and equity line, opened a savings account for the babygirl, and we *still* have more in the bank than we have had anytime in recent memory. Plus I started an automatic withdrawal from my pre-tax paycheck for deposit into an employer-matched retirement savings account. Just 2% of my check, mind you, but that's more than I've ever managed to save before, and I can jack up that percentage anytime I feel the household budget can handle it.

I know it's tempting fate to so much as acknowledge that our financial picture is finally moving from the red into the black, but *hot damn!* it feels good, and I've never had a chance to feel this way before, and it's my damn blog, and nobody reads this stupid thing anyway, so I'll post about it anyway. Finally, at age 35, I'm becoming financially responsible. I'm saving. I'm thinking about sending at least one kid to college, and about maybe even retiring someday. Oh yeah, and the Mega Millions lottery is up to $212 million. I spent $5 on some quick picks today. Sure, that's most likely a waste of $5, but what the heck - you can't win if you don't play, right? Maybe I'll win, and then I'l look at the measly little $400 savings account I just opened and just laaa-aaa-aaaugh.

*** we're in the money... we're in the money... we've got a lot of what it takes to get along... ***