I find it increasingly challenging to maintain focus on our goals but at the same time, have noticed that my husband and I have a 2 year cycle of spending history.

Going back through the past and where we've gone wrong, it'll start with a purchase. Then we behave, focus on getting out of debt for a 1 year, then the next year we feel like "Ok, we've been good - how can we reward ourselves?"

We've been focused on getting out of debt since June '07, we just had 2 big milestones of paying off his CC and car. So right about now is when we tend to spend.

And I need to keep all this in mind to recognize this pattern so we don't fall back into old traps.

It starts with mild wants, he wants to see his family, get a used motorcycle, I want to see my family, finish my degree, the houses need improvements, kids need clothes... it can quickly spiral.

The good thing is - although the wants have crept up, we haven't spent anything. This time there are so many wants/needs that its impossible to ignore the limited resources and consider the best use for them. The history of buying things on a whim is at least gone. We've at least conquered that although I've been tempted.

So what do we need?

The other house needs an entire redo of the plumbing. Turns out the water heater problem was not the water heater, it was the plumbing. The home has Quest pipes in them and had we not bought the home in the middle of all the hype of 2005 & had a home inspection, we would have known about the pipes.

So it'll cost about $5000 to fix. My saving grace is... you know, we're young. And this was our cheapest home, better to learn 'never buy a home without an inspection' NOW than later on in life when the stakes are higher. And $5000 now will prevent the problems that can arise from these pipes which could result in structural damage to the home.

Aside from that, we are still going to Missouri next month. We're going to try to do it as cheap as possible by having the dog boarded by a friend, driving, staying at a place with a kitchenette that can occupy 6 people so we don't have to purchase 2 rooms, the place also offers free breakfast and we can go to the grocery store and make the rest of the meals in the room.

I can't get away from my tuition, but after this semester I'm 3 classes away from getting my master's degree. So I need to figure out how to come up with an additional $4000.

I also want to pay off my credit card with a balance of $9700 this year.

I've considered taking out student loans to cover the tuition and use whatever extra to pay down the CC.

Then DH gets a bonus in October for the military and that should pay off the credit card.

After graduation we'd owe about $36K on student loans. $13K of that at 2.77% and the rest at 6.8%. So I'm looking at a $300-$400/mo payment after graduation.

Then aside from that we'll have the HELOC and my van. For a total of $1175-$1275 for monthly payments in a year from now. Sounds like a lot but its down from $1700 just a few months ago.

My oldest needs partial braces at the moment, thats $900

I'd love to take advantage of the home improvement credits for 2009 and 2010 by putting new windows, doors, a tankless water heater, and insulation in the home. I'd also love to improve the landscaping in the yard for $2K.

All of this I know is not IMPORTANT or needed, but things I've been thinking about.

Realistically what will probably happen is, we'll...

1) Do an interest rate reduction on our current home. We won't have to pay on our mortgage for 2 months (savings of $5000) and our monthly payment will be approximately $150 to $200 less. Right now its 5.5% fixed and I'm trying to wait till it gets to 4.5% fixed. That $5000 we'll use on the pipes.

2) I'll pay the first half of my daughter's braces with cash, then the rest is $70/mo for 8 months

3) I'll take out student loans to pay for my tuition and use the extra to pay down the Credit Card

4) All else is wait & see because we may have a vacancy in the rental this summer and that is $1400/mo

I swear, its all a balancing act. But the good news is starting in June, my son will not be going to preschool anymore so that is $375/mo more we will have and my husband is set to take more trips so he should get additional per diem.

So yeah, when I lay it all out like this, I know there isn't much room for WANTS yet. Even the needs need careful management. I'd push off visiting DH's family, but really... we haven't seen them since 2005 and we are at least paying for the trip with cash.