Why is it that Mondays are when I have a bunch of random things to blog about? Maybe because I don't think too much about my budget over the weekend; I use downtime at work to do most of my planning, balancing and blogging.

Friday we received word that we're going to have to spend about 180 pounds for a bed in order to get a new tenant for our UK flat. (Don't ask me why; we depend on our management company since we don't live there, so I hope this is really necessary.) That's in addition to all the leasing and management fees coming up, so I was looking at having to eat into our August extra debt repay (we've already set aside all our July extra repay money for this expense).

Then NT said he was almost positive that the biggest expense--450 pounds, or about US$900, for a 999-year lease on the land (again, don't ask)--wouldn't be coming until next year, maybe late next year.

That could potentially mean that we've paid all our credit debt off before it even hits, especially if we throw as much as possible at it. So I've reversed part of my executive decision and am going to only set aside the rest of the money, trusting that we can come up with the $900 closer to the date that we need it.

I'm still going to hold off our July payment to save a $50 fee, and send it all in August. But what this means is that if nothing else sucker-punches us, our August payment will be $250 for July and August UK bills, $1100 for the other lease and rental fees, and a nice $2150 for extra debt repayment! August is looking to be very exciting indeed, if I can just get through the rest of boring June and July. (Boring moneywise; I just need to get out and enjoy the summer and forget about debt repayment for the most part!)

We've been hoping to glom onto a friend's garage sale for awhile now, and finally there's one with a fixed date: Aug. 15-16. Hopefully we'll make enough for a couple small home improvements and to put some more in the travel fund. Now that I've committed mentally to getting our family on two trips per year, I'm going to need to scrap for every extra penny I can, because three adults traveling together gets quite expensive fast! I have to remember to list our futon and loveseat on Craigslist and see if I can get a bit of money for those. (I keep putting it off because I'll have to declutter before I photograph them.)

We were sitting on our balcony yesterday reflecting on what we didn't get done there this year and what we'd like to do next summer. We've decided having some bamboo mats to roll out on the (ugly gray-painted concrete) floor is a priority next year, plus some prettier planters and more creative use of space, possibly with hanging planters and/or trellises. We're considering asking other tenants to let us see what they've done, because the wind on the 18th floor can be murder on plants! We keep having to drag our tomato buckets indoors, so I can't imagine delicate blooms surviving out there. Anyway, there's going to be some cost involved there, but we have plenty of time to save up for it.

All of my money goals, both saving for things and paying off debt, are big dollar amounts, so it's hard to focus sometimes on the smaller bits of money that go in and out of our lives. But I've been making a concentrated effort to make sure I know where those bits go, so I can see the difference frugality makes. I got a direct deposit of $6.88 from half.com from a book sale, and I had a 90-cent surplus in my budget, so I transferred $7.78 into my travel savings.

I have started to-the-penny budgeting, meaning that however far out I extrapolate my budget, I allocate every penny. I've decided I'm not comfortable with a final line of $0, so I've set my goal to keep that at $20. That way I have a bit of a cushion for minor fluctuations in the budget. If I use part of the $20, I will adjust the budget until I get it back.

I guess that's enough for one long, rambling blog post. Happy Monday to anyone who's still reading!