setbacks
So we recently reworked our budget. We've been doing good for several months now, and in the last month I was promoted. I've wanted to get a new computer in the worst way for the past couple years or so (essentially since I discovered that I couldn't play Neverwinter Nights with it) and that desire has only grown since I got a full-time job and a regular income. For the past few months we've been saving money so that we could get a kickass new computer, and we've been getting close. Unfortunately, in the last month we've also had to start paying on my student loans again, which amount to about $400 per month. Amazingly enough, my monthly income is just barely enough to cover our monthly bills. It does not, however, allow enough for food. So, given that we've had to dip into our savings to buy food, that technically puts us into an unpleasant state of negative income. Meaning, ultimately, that the major incentive I've had in the past half year to continuously plod through my neverending work week has once again been delayed indefinitely. We won't be able to save up money for a computer (or anything else) until Diana can find work somewhere. I get the feeling that this is just the first in what will be a continuing trend of using money saved for that computer to use for other things. And when they are things like food, plane rides to Pennsylvania to attend sibling graduations, or my advancing dental problems, I can't argue against them, however much I'd like to. Somewhere along the line I became too much of an optimist, and I know I'll get my hopes up again and again, to no avail. I never thought I'd miss the days when giving up was easy.