Ok, so we're STILL trying to muddle through all the unforseen bills and get back on track with finances. Obviously it's been a major adjustment now with a baby, but I'm starting to get it under control. As of right now we've got an extra 520 a month. We really have 770 coming in but 250 a month just hangs out in our savings waiting for the oil/school/xmas bills to come knocking. It's a decent amount but I'm used to the 1200-250=950 that we had before...

So I've been racking my brain with how to come up with the difference...A ha! Working for the state, I have an incremental raise coming up in January that I had forgotten about. So there's $50 a month more right there. Then my escrow payment SHOULD go back down 100 dollars a month (barring any major changes in taxes). Then once that student loan is gone (anywhere April - June I'm guessing) that's an additional $165. Plus another incremental raise in July which should be smaller, maybe $40 a month?? So if all this comes to pass (a very big IF, but we can be hopeful!) that's an extra 345 a month by next July!! WOOHOO!! Not quite where we were at before, but CLOSE!

Plus there's that whole issue of my husbands salary...he is horribly underpaid for being an Asst Manager but he still doesn't have his college degree and the industry is doing poorly and he can't jump ship and go to another company. So he's brought up a raise multiple times to his boss who agrees with him but says the "higher ups" won't allow a raise in this economy. So blahh, who the heck knows if he's ever going to get a raise, but there's always a slim chance that they'll come through and that'll help us out as well. I guess we'll see. For now I need to beef up the savings because it's been decimated and get on that student loan payoff. It's down to 7k!!