Slow Progress

Things have been pretty tight lately, and we're not making much headway. Last month I only paid the minimums on my credit cards, so that I could set aside the rest to put towards several upcoming expenses:

We thought we were going to owe $1300 in income taxes to the IRS, due to some errors with our employers withholding too little, but it looks like it'll come out closer to $600 (and we will be getting a refund of close to $500 from state). It will be close to a wash in the end, but we need to front the $600 payment. We still haven't filled out our tax returns, so I don't know the exact amount.

Our car insurance renewals are due, for both vehicles, just shy of $1000 for six months. It's predictable (every April & October), but this time our premiums went up. Nothing we did, but the insurance company said that they've had more claims than usual (with most makes/models), and when that happens it means they adjust premiums upward.

Hubby spent $700 (he has a $2000 annual budget for discretionary 'big-ticket' items, like a computer), and we've got about $500 in normal springtime house expenses (weed killer, pesticide, grass seed, new mulch & topsoil, minor maintenance items).

We also have several smaller expenses over the next few weeks: a new windshield ($300), traffic fines ($125), vet bills ($150), water/sewer ($90), quarterly student loan ($120), wedding gifts ($150), wedding apparel/accessories ($75).