You know how people get themselves in debt because they want everything now, and hang the future?

My problem is some of that, and some of wanting everything tomorrow. Tomorrow's dollars aren't going to do me good today, unless I borrow. Prepaying the mortgage: dumb. Trusting my spouse to fill in and fax Dependent Care Spending Account claims: dumb. Being permissive about entertainment spending and airy-fairy about political contributions: dumb. Those political groups aren't very effective -- I can think of four pieces of legislation THIS YEAR that would benefit us all that Congress and the Senate have either ignored or voted down.

We are not the typical rich American family with a cellphone, digital cable, a minivan and an SUV and trips to Disneyland twice a year. Considering we earn twice the median household income in Washington state it is exasperating to be this low in funds.

I did a budget for my household. It's TIGHT. More on that later.
Where is the fudge room? The food. I've been so so bad. I went to dinner w/friends, shared a Salade Nicoise (fabuleuse) and some Molten Chocolate Cake with ice cream. Monday night I went to Ezell's to pick up some fried chicken. More fast food. We eat out way too much. When do I plan for meals?

We applied for a home equity line of credit with our credit union. Only $18K. I want it like this because I don't want to be thick in debt. Using credit cards for convenience is nice. Using them for borrowing is horrible.

I am currently hating myself for being lazy and not getting buy-in from the husband about putting our spending under control. Is upgrading our wiring really going to be worth $108/month ? Is replacing the windows really going to reduce our heating/cooling costs by 20%?

I've got to be smart about expenses. Use the IQ points. Be creative or be despondent. It's not good for my family for me to be despondent.