With the new job transition, I’ve been pretty wiped out this week.  The good news?  I’m making some serious bank, and I’m too tired to go out & spend it!  Granted, last weekend incurred some extra costs due to a family member visiting, but I’m happy overall with my progress this month.  It’s going to be a serious adventure to make it through the month only spending $440 in the miscellaneous category but I’m ready for yet another spending challenge!  A few random tidbits:

• Menu planning:  while I didn’t get a chance to actually post my menu ideas for this week, I did write up a loose plan for the week.  I’m thoroughly enjoying this “use what I have” idea, and I’ve done a great job with cutting my food/restaurant costs (minus a pricey dinner last weekend and an upcoming birthday celebration for my BF)
• Student loans:  I couldn’t be more excited for July to get here.  I am still planning to throw some serious dough towards the loans, and I look forward to my July net worth update to see some actual progress in this mission!
• Home improvements: I finally painted my personal back porch and the main front porch for my building—wahoo!  I’ve also re-done four bar stools for the back porch (purchased for $6 each at the Salvation Army and painted with $20 of spray paint/sealant) and have purchased a table (free from Amazon, see below), plants, etc. to ready the area for dining/entertaining.  Up next is my front porch and the railings for both.
• Amazon.com:  Man, how I love Amazon!  They now have a textbook buy-back program that I’ve taken serious advantage of over the past 2 months.  I’ve accumulated over $500 in gift cards, which I’ve put to good use for household items, kitten supplies, and gifts. 

Hope you’re having a great week!