Paying Bills

This morning, in between blowing my nose, i paid bills and balanced the checkbook. The checkbook balanced to the cent in a matter seconds. What a great beginning to the day! I am such a dork. I am starting to get a little worried about finances, and i should be. Many of you know that i am not planning on working next year and i am taking unpaid leave at the end of this year. Money will be tight. I am a firm believer though, that you spend what you have. When tj and i were first married, i worked at hallmark and he went to school. It was tight, but we made it. Our mortgage is about 2 hundred more than our rent was at the time and we do have other expenses that we have added to our lives. . . some we can take away, some will stay. I guess i am not used to being so worried about finances. My check has been going into savings for the last three years, transferring some out as needed. But next year, there won't be that option or as much of the savings. I know this is what God wants us to do though. He will provide, and we will make the necessary changes. We realize a family trip to Disney or the latest clothes and gadgets will not be a part of our lives, and we are alright with that.

The scary thing is, i can only take a year leave from the date of the birth of our child, which means if the board does not grant me more time than they have to, i will likely have to resign. That scares me. Teaching jobs are so hard to get these days. TJ wants to take a leave the following year, while i go back and teach. If the board doesn't grant me what i am asking for, that plan will not work. We will have to see. So much to think about.

I remember my mom living from pay check to pay check, almost like a juggling act. She was pretty talented at juggling. Hopefully, she passed on some of that talent. Even if i continued to work, things would be tight with having to pay for day care. No matter what, we are having a baby and babies cost money. I cannot wait!!!

Today is a day of school work and laundry. I either have a cold or allergies. Yesterday, i think i was running a fever, but today i just feel completely stuffed and my eyes are watering, which makes me think allergies. Anyway, i better go put the next load into the washer. I feel more at peace about finances now that i wrote about it. Blogs are good for that.