And it went straight to the credit card I used for my kitchen remodel. It was a little over a thousand. Unfortunately, I still have about a thousand more to pay off, and that's what I'm going to concentrate on in the next few months.

I was feeling kind of bad about that, but then I told myself that I made good choices and got professional work done where I needed it, and did it myself where I could (painting). I'm not a high-income person, so managing a remodel at all is a good thing. I WILL pay it off in two months.

You may be wondering why I used a credit card at all, and did not save up for it. The problem is that I am on a tight timeline. I have to make a move this spring or summer, because the cousin I am planning to live with needs me now. She is disabled (with a disease so rare none of you, probably, has ever heard of it). If I don't join her soon, she will have to hire help, and the window of opportunity for me will be gone. I really want to go live with her, so I can retire and finally spend some time doing things I really want to do, like writing and doing art. Plus, I will be in a milder climate, and only 20 minutes away from my sister. It's a great opportunity for all of us.

So I need to sell my house, and to do that in this awful market, I felt I needed to upgrade the kitchen. I'm also going to put down ceramic tile on the bathroom floor, but I have a friend who will do that (at a fair price, of course). Then -- big garage sales, the sale of the house, and the move to Carolina!

If I don't sell it by August, I think my son is interested in renting when his lease is up. The only problem with that is that the rent will be a bit steep for him. My house payment is more than he pays in rent now, and I will have to charge at least enough for the house payment since I won't be working -- I'll be getting free room and board, but no income other than my pension, which will only provide about $1000 a month before taxes. That will be enough to cover my needs, but not enough to augment the house payment.

So these are the things that are constantly whirling around in my mind. But for now I will concentrate on paying off the remodel and finishing up the kitchen. Yes, I STILL have painting to do, but I'm getting close.