A couple of things to report ...  I bought some Burts Bees toner for $11 yesterday, and also, my subscription to Ancestry.com renewed for $189.  Variables are already 41%.  It's going to be hard to stay under budget this month.

In about a half hour I'm going to meet BFF in our halfway city. I'll get gas there, as it is cheaper than it is in Chicagoland. I'll try to keep my lunch tab as low as possible, and nix the shopping. The real point of this get-together is to have some face-to-face time together.

Next week I'm driving to Michigan to see my brother, and, again, I will get gas in Michigan. The savings might not be spectacular, but every penny will count this month. I always take something there -- I think this time I might just make some brownies, as I have all the ingredients already.

I'm glad my mortgage payment will be lower after the refinance. I need a little bit of the pressure off the budget. Did I mention the electric bill shot up? Not because of anything I'm doing, but because I have a new meter, and they are no longer estimating my bill. I am turning off lights, etc. whenever I can.