DH's boss bought tickets to see Dave Ramsey in May.

I've heard mixed things from him. Anyone love him? Hate him? Should I be nervous or excited??

I won an award at my company that recognizes associates for going above and beyond! They gave me a gift certificate to Amazon.com for $250!!!

I bought a backyard composter, some garden tools, and about 12 books I've been itching for! (I can't help it, I'm a bibliophile!)

Exciting! I love getting things for free!!!!

Guess what?! DH told me that his paycheck this week will be almost double what it normally is! Apparently he hit some threshold that he gets rewarded for, so I have some extra money coming my way!! I think we're going to put it on one of the credit cards; it should be enough to completely pay it off.

I paid our bills last night. It's interesting to see that by STICKING TO MY BUDGET, I'm not coming up short when it's time to pay the bills. I'm following my debt snowball plan, threw some in savings, and still have enough to buy groceries! It feels good not to worry!

I want to plant some veggies now that I have my own backyard. I am willing to listen to any and all advice! I want to grow:

Onions
Spinach
Tomatoes
Carrots
Rosemary
Basil
Garlic
Cilantro

I want to try corn, beans, and potatoes, but I don't want to be too ambitious. Baby steps, right?

Wow! I've gone over 24 hours without spending ANY money! Woo-hoo!

Today has been really relaxing. DH and I watched 'The Godfather', took down most of the outside Christmas lights, and mainly vegged out.

I made beef stew for dinner and fresh, home made bread. Nothing beats that on a cold winter day! We took our dog for a nice long walk (and froze our buns off, but it was fun!)

We also measured the sides of the house. I'm going to a rain barrel workshop later this month to learn how to harvest water from my drain spouts for my garden! I am all about new ways to use free water!!

I'm so inconsistent with this blog. Time, it seems, just keeps flying away from me. We bought our house in April and it seems so much harder to just sit down and relax. My husband and I both work full time, and my job requires a bit of a commute, so I don't get on the net as much as I used to.

The good news is that I have hubby on board for really buckling down on our budget. We have some serious savings goals, and I'm so glad he finally agrees with me.

Yesterday we spent $47. We bought a package of compact-fluorescent light bulbs, and some groceries. Some people thinks that CFLs are expensive, and I do agree that they cost a bit more than incandescents. But I am an environmentalist. It's worth it to me to pay more and use less energy.

Anyway, I will try to be more consistent in blogging here. I think it makes me more accountable!