I just added $10,000 to my emergency fund. It was money originally intended for the down payment, but it's been sitting in checking, since I made a smaller down payment than planned. I may yet move it to my mortgage, but I'm undecided. I like having a healthy emergency fund, and I may soon need to buy a car. My 2001 Toyota is doing great, but it has 126,000 miles on it, and it won't last forever. I would like to pay cash and not have a car payment hanging over me in retirement. (Managing the insurance will be bad enough!) At least in the savings account it will draw a little interest.

I made a double mortgage payment today (it's payday) and paid off my credit cards.

I also paid a hospital bill of $822. I hope that will be the biggest chunk and no more big bills will trickle in.

Planning to see my granddaughter again tonight! I offered to bring dinner -- just waiting for my son to text me about what they want. Last night was my grandson's birthday, so I had to devote my few evening hours to him. Funny, the two cousins have a birthday one day apart!

Maybe at noon today I can sneak out and buy a little dress! Buying little dresses is going to be a real treat, since I raised two boys myself.

It seems that another girls' weekend in Chicago is shaping up. One of my friends recently moved to Hyde Park, and she wants us to bunk there. Then we will go downtown and have tea at the Drake and, maybe, dinner at Joe's Seafood. (No, not Joe's Crab Shack -- a whole different experience!) So I need to be saving my money for that. Then of course there is Christmas, and soon after, property taxes to pay and income tax. So I'm glad I have a nice cushion!