Ok, since the DETAILED results are just too embarrassing, I'll just confess to this:

the only categories where I was at or below budget were:
CAR
SCHOOL
CELL PHONE

That leaves me overbudget in
GROCERIES (ALMOST made it!)
ENTERTAINMENT (the trip killed me!!)
LUNCH (no excuse, I just didn't pack enough lunches this month!)
CLOTHES (again, no real excuse, just: the deals at Ross were too good to pass up!)
EVENTS (Ale's b-day distorted this one...my b-day is in July, so we'll see how this goes!)
OTHER (no excuses, just plain stupidity!)

so, for June, the result is 3/9

Hopefully, on 060801, the news to report will be better!

((remember this covers variable expenses only))

The Trollmobile and I are still in our honeymoon phase --which means it hasn't given me any problems! :: knock on wood ::
I have to change the oil and do a preventive maintenance...I'll do this at the end of the month, because we have national holidays during the first week of August, a lot of people travel outside the city and, workshops tend to have specials for oil changes and free inspections for brakes (they don't charge you unless something needs to be replaced) and stuff like that...

As far as gas goes, the car performs exactly as I predicted...not as economic as my old car (that would have been impossible, the engine on this one is 1500, the one I had was an 800!, and, this one has a/c...which I don't use all the time, but, still!)...also, taking into account the difference in gas prices from the time I had the old car (Feb 2006) to the prices now, I'm below budget for gas expenses! woo-hoo!

AND, on Thursday I actually parallel parked it with only 3 motions!!! (hey, it's MUCH bigger than my old one!)

This is one of the pictures of our scavenger hunt in Vegas (actually, is the one that started that "who cares if it doesn't get us points" string that actually won us the "special mention" --mind you, the 2 guys in wigs are 2 of our managers! --I don't make much $$$, but, as you can imagine, I DO have lots of fun with these people!

I swear, it is just TOO hot!...I was hoping to make this a no-spend day, because Ale and I have plans to go to the movies tomorrow morning --matinee is cheaper!(to see Cars, which just started last week, or Over the Hedge, which started on Friday), and then in the afternoon to the Children's Museum (gotta use up all those tickets!)...but, it's already 4:00pm and the sun is as fierce as if it were high noon!!...I might cave in and go get some ice cream with Ale...just to be in the air conditioning (few people can really afford it here, most of us have fans only...and, believe me, right now, the fan is NOT enough!...I wish I had a bathtub, so I could fill it with ice water and stay in there all afternoon! --of course, I'd have to fight sister for it, as she, too, is melting!-- the electricity bill is going to be horrible this month!...oh! and the government has announced an increase in the cost of electricity starting Jul 1st!)

::think cool thoughts:: ::snow:: :: penguins:: :: pool:: ::waterfalls:: ::ice cream::

for the loan that my boss gave me...he never gave me an amount, but we had spoken of $75-$100, for 12-18 months...but, he said he'd have to make an excel spreadsheet to track it...he never got back to me, so I deposited $75 in his account (I have the numbers for all their accounts, as I gave them to payroll/accounting for deposits of salaries and reimbursements)...I didn't want to risk applying that money to something else and then being left without money to pay HIM!

Well, last year I was trying to sell the apartment, drowining in debt and worrying about my sister's illness...on top of that, my niece had just been returned from the US by her aunt and her dad...by the way: that promise he made to my sis to pay my niece's tuition?? ...guess what?? ...yep, he has faaaaar too many expenses to help with that (you gotta understand, the membership to the country club, tennis lessons for himself and the new Mitsubishi Nativa ARE expensive! --CREEP!)...There were also BIG problems with the old car!

This year my economic situation is not desperate (despite the "new" debt thanks to my nephew/cousin!), sis is just pending her last (we hope!) MRI, niece is at school and getting satisfactorily good grades (honor roll student she's not, but, at least she's not failing any subjects this last trimester!), the new car and I are still in our honeymoon phase (it has to go for an oil change at the end of the month)...and Ale is going to a "real" school in August!

Things are definetely looking up!