I get paid again in about a week (I get paid once a month)so I want to make sure I am staying on track for October.

I have been paying tuition out of pocket, and this last semester I just put on my credit card so I wouldn't take from cash savings. Now I just have to pay it back. In order to do that within the next few months I need to divert my long-term savings (this is separate from retirement savings). I hate to do that, though. I really like watching that savings grow! But it is foolish to pay interest on a card just to keep adding to savings. As soon as the card is paid off I can again put that money towards savings.

Another reason why I still have a balance on my credit card is that I haven't rented out my condo yet. I was doing work on it this summer, and of course enjoying it. Last night I listed it on Craigslist, and will probably list it on another site next week if I get no bites. I have actually had good luck with finding a tenant on Craigslist in the past. I think it's because it's such a tiny place, it's geared for a single person and not a family who might be looking through a realtor.

So when the condo gets rented the money I was putting towards condo expenses can then go towards my credit card. When the credit card is paid off and the condo is rented I can make some serious progress forward again. Sigh, just in time for my oldest DD to start college...

Onto a smaller victory, we ate at home most nights this week. The exception was for a restaurant fundraiser my daughter's school was having, so we ordered 'to go' and ate at home. Last night I was feeling very lazy (I'm kind of lazy, this is one of my weaknesses). I didn't feel like grocery shopping and I wanted to take the girls to eat out. Fortunately, I got myself into "robot mode" and started prepping for the grocery store, with a quick meal in my head to make as soon as I got home. It worked. We saved money from not eating out, and I finished my grocery shopping for the week.

I have planned instead to take the girls to the restaurant for their lunch buffet this afternoon, it's cheaper at lunch time. They serve a delicious Nepalese-Indian buffet. That is food I have not been able to make at home and I haven't found a decent supermarket version of it.

I feel like I'm slowly getting into the "new normal" this school year. I'm getting the kids to their appointments and activities on time. Easier said than done with one driver in the house (DW has a new job assignment, but I couldn't move the kids senior year).

I've kept up with my coursework, although I could probably devote more time to my studies.

The girls and I manage to do at least one "fun" thing each weekend. Mostly, though, we all enjoy our down time. The oldest has been babysitting regularly on the weekend and enjoys making her own money. Me, I'm so tired on the weekends, catching up from our busy days.

The house isn't a total disaster- the little odds and ends that everyone tends to leave around are the biggest issue. Of course the girls should know to just bring all of their things up to their room, but I still need to "remind" now and again! The bigger cleaning is done in chunk on the weekends. So it's not optimal, but it's good enough!

Financially, I have streamlined my accounts even more. I've gotten to the point where all of my bills are coming out of one account.
With multiple moves over the past 4 years I've opened a few local accounts, and it was a nighmare to keep track of. Retirement is taken out pre-tax, and then my employer automatically sends 10% of my paycheck to a separate account I listed, so I don't even count that as part of my monthly income. I've always been a believer in David Bach's The Automatic Millionaire. Take everything out before it gets into your account, and then live off of the rest. Ynab has been a big help in keeping the remainder of my money on track.

I've registered for a professional conference for the end of January, the girls are going with me, sooo excited! I will be finished with my coursework and supervised hours by then, so I view the conference as an important networking opportunity. I can write off lots of my professional expenses. Plus, Puerto Rico in January sounds awfully appealing!