So I've heard about the Chase Sapphire but I'm just not sure I can make the 3,000 needed in 3 months to get the bonus. I just signed up for the Chase Freedom card..charge 500 over 3 months and you get 200 cash back. This should be super easy, so now I'm wondering if there are any others out there???

We haven't even paid off the last of our debt but I'm dreaming about future financial goals. Ahh, such a dork.

I plan to have the student loan paid off at the end of march if there are no hiccups. But of course, I know there will be some issues I'm sure, so as long as it's done and gone by summer I'm content.

But WHAT TO DO NEXT?! I know we'd like to have a half bath on the main floor of our house. It would increase value and make life with a baby (well, toddler at that point) MUCH easier. We've got an idea of where and how and a vague idea of what it might cost, so I guess that's our next plan of attack???

Or maybe to pay down the rental? Or the house? Or take more vacations and then just SAVE the rest? Ughhh, it was so much easier when we had tons of credit cards and car loans and student loans. Any extra money we threw at those without a thought. HAH, I guess this is a good problem to have!

I'll admit I'm being more spendy than usual. I need to stop it fast. Now that I'm back at work I'm justifying spending on things because I feel like I've "earned" it plus I'm EXHAUSTED and eating out is so much easier than a home cooked meal. Dangerous mindset, I know. I've got to get to the supermarket today and quit it with all this extraneous BS.

My mom needs to get $600 back to me (a convoluted story in regards to our rental and a loan) but ultimately, that money is for whatever we want. I plan to put it directly on my student loan, bringing the balance to right around 7k (would be exciting to see the 6 number though!)

Anyway, the point of this entry was to ask how the heck couples who aren't on top of their finances handle having children?! My husband and I had about 1k surplus a month before gianna and THANK GOD we did because now between daycare and diapers, food, and everything else we spend ~550 month. I know couples in debt up to their eyeballs before the kids and can't imagine what they're going to do when the little one arrives. All I can say is I'm thankful I got on the straight and narrow before our girly came. We don't have nearly as much at the end of the month as we used to, but it's enough to keep hammering away at the last of our debts and from there the sky's the limit! Woohoo!

Week and a half in Florida and now it's back to the real world :/. Payment hit to the student loan, so now it's down to -7610! I'm super excited to have the loan paid off in 2012 and start coming up with new financial goals!!