Haven't been posting...

I got paid last Thursday. I sent out the IRS bill of 1686 in a certified mail. They received it, posted it, and it cleared my account yesterday!! I have an intact savings account, and still have some cash in my checking that I was hoping to use for my class that starts today. I need to make a few more payments. I started at 2245, and am down to owing 1450 and it needs to be paid off by end of April. I am taking one class at a time, paying cash for each one, so I don't incur any extra student loan debt.

Should I be enrolled in a master's degree program and continue to pay down debt? I guess it's debatable, some folks would say to use that money to get my mortgage paid off, and my other student loan. I am working on both bills, financially supporting a family of five, and working a full time job. I am being offered a preceptor position at my work (teaching new nurses) and I'm loving it. There's no financial bonus, but it looks great on a resume.

I paid the electric bill, put gas in my car, and went shopping last week. I spent 200 dollars to fill up a lot of empty areas in our pantry.

Dinner this past week:
scrambled eggs, fried potatoes
pulled pork sandwiches with onion rings
homemade chicken noodle soup (still have some left)
jar sauce and pasta
hot dogs and french fries


It's been lacking in balanced meals the past week or so. I've used up most of the lurking stuff in the freezer (all the containers I had). I had a gift certificate to Applebee's I got for my birthday, we went there one night.

So, for dinner tonight:
I put cut up onion, red, yellow, and orange peppers, two heaping teaspoons of jar garlic, a handful of chopped fresh mushrooms, one large tomato, three cans of diced tomato, and some basil in the crock pot. First, I cooked down the veggies in some olive oil. I added everything together in the crock pot and topped it with a small amount of Parmesan cheese. It will cook all day.

I will boil some penne pasta (0.69 cents a lb) later and make a large salad (lettuce, tomato, onion, pickles, cucumber) to go with our meal. I also have a few slices of Italian bread that need to be used, so I will make garlic bread for the kids.