In advance of paying the bills on the 15th, I looked at our credit card statements. Oh boy...we went COMPLETELY off the wagon this summer, particularly with vacations. We made different plans with different people all over the summer and all of the spending is hitting this month. I'm trying to remain upbeat about it...it's the kick in the pants that I need to get back to serious saving again. Now I need to look at the details to see exactly how I'm going to deal with this damage.

For starters, it should be a cash-free weekend for me. We're going to the town pool with friends tomorrow (no charge - they have guest passes). Saturday we're going to dinner at a friend's house, and we only need to bring a bottle of wine, which we have. Sunday, we're staying home all day. I have food in the freezer, and fresh tomatoes and basil from the garden. One day at a time...

We're going to have a houseguest for a month or two. My niece is going to a college nearby, but is on the waiting list for a dorm room. She should be in no later then 10/15, so she asked if we could put her up. Of course, we'd love to have her. She'll be in school and at work much of the time, and she's often a help to me with the kids, so I'm hoping it works out well.