A little like a kid at Christmas.

Today I will be able to go online and see how much Friday's paycheck will be. Why is this exciting? Because there will be a big fat bonus included. And I'm not sure how much I will need to write out for tithing. But it will be a nice fat check, and that makes me grin.

There is only one bill to pay. And I am buying one of Fourthborn's dolls, another Pukifee like Chutzpah. (So, not a lot of money out of pocket.) I am planning to put about a third of the balance into savings. Another third as an extra payment on my line of credit. A trip to Costco (the list is nearly complete). And then I will hit EBay for one or more pairs of clogs, new or gently used.

I don't need a new spring wardrobe. I will head to the Lane Bryant outlet to see if there are new colors in their dressy T-shirts for work. And see if there are any cute jackets on sale at CJ Banks.

I'm really glad that I came up with my informal balance sheet a few months ago. It is a major source of hope. Since the two major credit cards and the two remaining gas cards are now a liability of the estate and will be paid off when I refinance the mortgage in my own name (that's the plan,  anyway), I am officially in the black, if not by much. I have had to tap into savings only once this year and will repay that on Friday.

For two or three years I have been able to put 10% of each check into my 401k. And I realized the other day that I am putting only a hair less into one savings bucket or another. Now that I have my hands on the truck title I can proceed with selling the truck. That will free up more than half of the driveway,  not to mention what it will do for my bottom line.

I will have money in my emergency fund for later this year when the electric bill goes through the roof. I already have more in savings that I have personally saved (i.e., electronically moved from checking to savings, not an automatic deposit from my paycheck) than I have ever saved in the previous 60 years.

This is not to break my arm patting myself on the back. This is to show how the good habits learned during the years of poverty, plus the gradual and continual overcoming of the bad habits learned during those same years, is now blessing me wondrously.

Not counting the mortgage, or the bonus, for this month and last my savings will have increased almost exactly as much as my liabilities decreased. That, my friends, is a beneficent double-whammy.

If I can keep this up, I will have the line of credit paid off, comfortably, by the end of next year. And a good chunk saved toward the purchase of Lorelai's replacement when that becomes necessary. And in ten years' time, at least in theory, I would have a year's supply of money. (Well, a girl can dream.)

Tonight is ward temple night. I don't care if the waterworks flow if I'm just there as a patron. I'll put a handful of tissues in my pocket. I have so much to be thankful for that the best place to show it is in the temple.