After 5 years of completing one credential right after another, all of that education is finally paying off. Yes, I am getting a raise!

My goals from last year to this year haven’t changed much. Our focus this year is to buy a house, so with that in mind, saving is the top priority.

Now that winter finally appears to be exiting stage left, many homeowners are looking at their yards and thinking, “I’d rather do anything than clean up this mess.”

I try not to obsess over the housing market. Yet, it’s a hard thing to avoid when my plan is to buy a house this year in Los Angeles county. Housing here in sunny California has been on an upswing these past 18-months that has had me freaked out.

I have been terrible at posting lately. Between work (teaching), school (finishing up my second credential), and life in general, I’ve hardly had time to do much of anything else, let alone post an article! However, finances are still my top priority around here: