I love Back to School time! It’s like New Year’s 2.0. Everyone gets a fresh start but it’s not freezing outside. Even though this year is weird with all the Covid19 precautions, our boys have adjusted well and are enjoying being back in school with their friends.
Feeling kind of happy this month; I even read a couple of books: The 5 Love Languages of Children by Gary Chapman and The Happiness Project by Gretchen Rubin. Both of them gave me some happy insights into my life and led me to dream a little more about our future. I spent an afternoon drawing up a list of future expenses for the boys (not what you expected, huh?) like, braces, prom, first car, AP tests, and a family trip to Europe, that we’ll see before they graduate. It just made me more determined to pay this house off that much faster before those expenses show up on the radar.
I had a few days that I had to take off of work (use it or lose it), so I used those days to jump start my Christmas Shopping, which was so much fun. I love Christmas Shopping! We have a sinking fund all year for this, so we’re shopping with cash, which makes it that much sweeter.
We also started setting aside a small amount per pay period specifically for giving. I know it isn’t much, but I’m trying to re-establish the habit and will gradually increase it as we get used to it. This month, we sent a care package to a loved one and my heart was overflowing as I shopped for her. I hope it felt like a hug when she opened it, because that’s how it felt to pack it and I look forward to seeing what we give in the coming months.
Let’s see, budget-wise, including the monthly payment, we put $1,432.02 toward the principal on the mortgage, so that was exciting. We sent in our standard $300 extra from my paychecks, a refund from when daycare was closed, our regular mortgage payment and money from the sale of crap around our house. I estimate that it’s about four months’ worth of principal at our current rate. Woohoo!
How’s your summer coming along?
Erica