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NOT early ... but on time, as originally promised. I can certainly live with that ... I just wish it had never come out in the media that payments would start going out early, because then I had that expectation!

I got $600 -- $300 as a single parent, and $300 for my daughter. I wish I could throw the whole thing at my credit card debt, but I'm still driving around with no A/C in my car ... and, trust me, it's a miracle I've lasted this long without air! (It's been about 4 weeks since it went out.) I *hate* to sweat, and I live in Texas so A/C is a necessity as far as I am concerned. But the temps have been pretty mild still (highs in the low to mid-80s) and I have covered parking at work, so when I get in my car to drive home at 5:00 it's not too hot, and I can get home in 20 minutes. But the temps will be climbing higher now, and I need to get the air fixed. I just need to get a third opinion to try and figure out which of the first two opinions I got is accurate! Either way, the repair will be costly, and the $600 stimulus payment will only take care of about half, at most. But, I'm very grateful to have that $600 to help out!

Okay, well MAYBE I did get my hopes up just a little bit, but I really thought I'd get my payment a little bit early! The last two digits of my SSN are 15, I filed my return super early (as soon as I got both of my W-2s), and I e-filed and got my refund deposited directly into my account. So ... when all the talk of payments being made earlier than first announced (May 2) began, I expected to get mine at least by today ... but nooooooo!!!! Poop.

I am here every night, reading the blogs, but gosh, I didn't realize it had been so long since I posted an entry in my own! I've joined a few of those pay-survey sites, and actually qualified to take a survey tonight for the first time. I also joined CashCrate and have already become eligible for my first $10 payout, woo hoo! I've got a few things listed on eBay, as well. I guess I need to start my own challenge with these sorts of things.

I've been tracking my spending for almost a month now, so I'm interested to see what my totals are. I'll probably do that next week when I have more time to devote to it. I've done surprisingly well at taking my lunch to work every day, which has been great for my budget as well as my diet! I'm really surprised that I've already noticed how quickly small amounts add up ... such a basic principle should be easily understood (or so one might think), but I seriously have only just begun to see it! This is pretty big stuff for me!!

Christmas shopping is almost done, but I'll be out on Friday night to finish up. My daughter and I are driving about 4 hours to see family this weekend, and we'll celebrate our Christmas then. My son is staying home because he agreed to work a couple of shifts for a friend before he realized it was when we were supposed to go away; I agreed to let him stay and work because he's got a big down payment due on his car insurance renewal in a few weeks, and he really needs the money! It will be strange celebrating Christmas without him there, though. My daughter and I will drive back home on Christmas Eve, then both kids will go to their dad's. I plan to spend Christmas day looking at my expenses, budgeting for January, and researching financial aid options for my son (who was accepted last week into Texas A&M, his first choice). Merry Ho-Ho!!