OUR AUGUST BUDGET:

INCOME
My Pay: $1,990
BF's Pay: $1,000
Survey Check: $5
Travel Reimbursement: $190
TOTAL = $3,185

SPENDING/BILLS
Rent: $875
Cable: $57
Electric: $50
My SF Card: $195
D's SF Card: $20
Car Loan: $180
Student Loans: $51
SF Autos/Renters: $300
Personal Loan: $114
Cingular: $130
Pet Supplies: $60 + $50 Bark Collar
Food: $100
Gas/Maintenance: $600
Household: $20
Entertainment: $10
Hair Cuts: $10
Health Co-Pays: $50
My Discover: $163
Brother #1 Bday: $23
Brother #2 Bday: $33
Sister Bday: $23
Grandma Bday: $23
Orange Savings: $48
TOTAL = $3.185

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So that's for August. I have decided to track our spending on paper, just because it's easier for me to pull out when I have a quick second, and that way BF can see it as well. I might check our progess in a post about mid-August, but we'll see.

I really tried to look ahead and see what unusual expenses we might have, since I did such a poor job of planning for last month. August is a killer birthday month for us, so we'll be forking out money for gift & greeting cards for everyone.

I have been trying to scale back on the gifts, but it still adds up when there are so many at once. It's not like they are second-cousins or anything, either. Two are my brothers, who always manage to get me something, even though they are younger and one is still in high school. One is BF's sister, who always manages to buy him something she thinks he'll like. If it was his other sister, I would just send a card, because she always seems to find a reason NOT to get BF something (not even a card).

And then my grandma's birthday is this month too. I usually send flowers to her with a card, especially since my grandpa died and I feel like her birthdays might not be as "happy" as they used to. She's really had a hard last 10 years. But since I'm where I am, I am going to send her a gift card to Michael's craft store, which I think she'll really like, along with a greeting card that says "You're classy, You're sassy... you're still kick-assy." A perfect fit for my grandma!

I may have a little to add to the income side, if my mom & brother send me their reimbursement for the personal loan. Sometimes they forget for a while though, so I don't want to count on it for this month.

When I was updating our savings/debt totals for the end of July, I really anticipated being depressed. I was actually shocked to see that although I failed to plan for my work conference expenses AND we had the expensive emergency vet visit for the pup, we still decreased our total debt! So now I only get slightly depressed if I start to think about how much that total would have decreased if it HADN'T been for those unexpected things.

Another little bonus was how much my 401K is growing (and therefore our total savings/investments). I guess I never realized what a company match can do for you. Free money, yay! I can't wait until I can contribute more to it.

Our Orange account has $30 in it. It's amazing how good that $30 feels though. It may not seem like alot, but just knowing that I have that tucked away, makes me feel a little better.

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BF's stimulus check is missing in action. For some reason, I thought he had gotten & cashed it before he even moved up here, but he brought it up a few days ago and said he was still waiting on it. We checked with his parents at his old house - nothing. He called the IRS and said he could only get an automated system, which relayed him to another system, and then they wanted to send him a text message about something. He is supposed to get almost the whole $600, at least that's what his pre-check letter said.

He is really stressed out about it, so I'm going to see if I can find a number or something for him to call. I have a feeling that he wants to add this amount to what he's got saved for my engagement ring... so I feel really bad for him having to wait so long. Any ideas on who to call or what to do?

As I type this, my 3 favorite guys are all sleeping. BF is on the couch... we had rented a $1 movie, but he's so worn out from work that he fell asleep at 9. The pup is laying on the floor beside of him on his preferred blanket, and the cat is in the bedroom at the foot of the bed, stretched out like he owns it. It's rather nice to be the only one stirring... I can actually hear myself think.