Well OK, it's not morning anymore, but I liked the alliteration.

I was looking over past entries (I'm procrastinating something I need to do for work), and I noticed that I said my $2900 February goal was symbolically $100 per day. I started it in late January so it wasn't literally going to be that much per day. But when I looked at the actual amount of time it took from that entry to the one where I announced reaching the goal (14 days), and the amount I actually paid in that time frame (over $3500), I realized I averaged paying off more than $250 per day in that two-week time period! How I wish I could manage THAT on a regular basis; we'd be out of debt in no time! It was just a fluke with not owing taxes we'd saved up to pay for, but still, I'm proud of us for putting it to debt and not squandering it.

Today we got AS's state refund, which I didn't expect so soon because we sent them in the old-fashioned way. I went ahead and added the other taxes (refunds and payments) into our projected budget because now I have an idea when they'll happen. Lo and behold, the small refund we'll be getting overall was enough to cover the rest of our homeowners insurance! The minimum payment was set up to go out tomorrow, so I amended that payment to include the full amount.

I now have a positive of $60 at the bottom of my three-month budget! That's about how much I'll need taken out of each paycheck to get my withholdings right, so that means as of now I can change my withholdings for the 4/30 paycheck. The more windfalls we get the more that date moves up, and the greater my chances of withholding enough to not owe next year, but not put too much of a strain on our current budget.

Windfalls coming in the next three months:
eBay sales ($70-$100)
AS's $300 paycheck bonus (probably $200 net)
NT's overtime pay ($50-$100 per paycheck)
B-Day money from parents ($50-$100 per birthday; $150-$300 total)
Gift cards from parents (Ikea & Target)
Stupid stimulus package ($600 for each of us; $1800 total)

Some will help me increase my withholdings, some will go to debt, some for future travel plans, and who knows? If I feel like we're making good progress, maybe some will go into our wallets to spend as we wish.