Am I up to $17,000?

I think today is $17,000.

First, another recognition of the power of intention. While I haven't gotten a raise, I suddenly realized that my mortgage isn't late until 15 days after it is due. That means I can pay my first and second mortgage out of different paychecks. I was paying both out of the check I got on the 15th, which made things rough between the 15th and 30th. Now I know that I can pay one out of the 15th and one out of the 30th, pay other bills out of the 15th, pay myself a little into savings, keep my credit cards in the freezer, and now I feel like I have more money. Just by spending it on different days. I was also finally able to get a new Visa with 0% on balance transfer--which is like giving myself a loan.

So I've reorganized into a little more financial freedom since starting this project. A different relationship with money? That is what I was looking for--a partnership with money and not being a slave to my paycheck. Even with more money going out for tzedaka commitments and into the savings account, I feel better about my money.

That said.

I want a cleaning lady. There, I've said it. Jill says it is part of Jew 201, learning to have a cleaning lady. I want that lemon smell once a week and I don't want to be the one who schlepped the mop. From what I've seen, a good cleaning service is about $85/week. For a year of housekeeping that is $4350.

And I want to stop worrying about laundry. So how about laundry service? I used to do it by the pound when I lived in Wicker Park and it was only $25-30 for my whole wardrobe. But now I have some things that need dry cleaning and things that need to be kept nicer. I'm going to estimate never doing my laundry again (for a year) at $50/week. The total bill? $2600.

Why the services for things I'm more than capable of doing myself? I need to free up some time to take all those lessons I bought last week. Who can worry about laundry and mopping when there are dance lessons, hebrew lessons, cooking lessons, and dinner parties to throw?

Have I bought weekly mani/pedis yet? I think at the new place I'm going to by work it is $35 for the combo. But I don't want to go there. I want to go to the fabulous 2x10 in Andersonville. There I think the combo with a tip is close to $60 (why I've only been there twice in my city life.) So $3120 for a year of mani/pedis. Actually, I'm going to double that--not so I can go twice a week, but so I don't have to go alone every time. $6240 for mani/pedis for two for a year at two by ten.

Now I've got $3810 left. That will take care of my credit card debt and a couple months of my first mortgage. Leaving me with a carefree attitude and brain energy to focus on my lessons and improving my Hebrew. They say it can be a sexy language and I want to learn that hebrew, not the Hebrew that is described as "cutting your teeth."