The heat index is now 116 outside. My brain? Has melted.

For some reason my mother thinks I'm good with money. Given the staggering amount of credit card debt I have, I think her benchmark of "slightly better than she was at my age" may be the wrong yardstick.

I'm not unhappy that today all I have to do it sit still in a dim room and write. It's horrifyingly hot out -- it sucks all the air out of your lungs the minute you step outside.

So, do you keep a record of all your cash transactions, too?

Yup. I have a "wallet" account in MS Money. So an ATM withdrawal transfers to my wallet and then I enter transactions there--usually every night, or every few nights, I go back and tally it up. But I'm not a big one for little purchases (that's how I save money), so it's not too difficult.

Tracking cash is one reason I try not to use it much--I'm terrible at it, and then I have no idea where it went! I prefer to be able to look in Mint and see where all my money went this month and have a feeling of "hmm, credit card bill is high/low, best not spend money/can spend more"

Here it is between 120 and 135, depending on where in the city you are, with actual temps 100 - 104. It's actually 102 at the airport, which usually runs cooler than the city.

And we just had the fire alarm go off due to the air handlers cycling.

So, do you keep a record of all your cash transactions, too?

Yup. I have a "wallet" account in MS Money. So an ATM withdrawal transfers to my wallet and then I enter transactions there--usually every night, or every few nights, I go back and tally it up. But I'm not a big one for little purchases (that's how I save money), so it's not too difficult.

Oooh, that's interesting. That way you know for sure what you spend all of your money on, all month. I just put a comment in the "Notes" field of the ATM withdrawal entry in Quicken -- like, "haircut tip," or "work birthday lunch." It obviously doesn't cover the whole $20, but it gets close enough to keep me happy.

Man, you guys, it's "only" a heat index of 108 here. But I worry about Tim, since he works in an un-climate-controlled warehouse all day. This whole week he has been coming home just WIPED OUT. He has been drinking Gatorade in mass, mass quantities. (Plants crave it.)

His job is only slightly better, in terms of this heat, than construction workers and highway workers. At least he's not in direct sunlight. But he's been perturbed for the past couple of months that he's gained a few pounds -- I think he's probably sweated them off by now. My poor honey.

Oooh, that's interesting. That way you know for sure what you spend all of your money on, all month. I just put a comment in the "Notes" field of the ATM withdrawal entry in Quicken -- like, "haircut tip," or "work birthday lunch." It obviously doesn't cover the whole $20, but it gets close enough to keep me happy.

Yes, I've done that for awhile, even before I really had a budget. I'm not sure I would have been able to set an accurate one up without it.

And then when I review it periodically, that's how I learn where I can cut: "Oh, that's how much I've been spending on lunch out? Sh*t!" Good categories are key for that, so I don't just do Food and Drink, but rather Meals, Coffee and Snacks, Drinks, and Groceries.

Since I use my credit card for most stuff, I definitely keep a Groceries category, entirely separate from Dining Out. (I also can split categories, so if I go to CVS for a prescription and also grab some OJ, I can split it into Medical:Medicine and Groceries. Which is nice.)

I've got to start putting money aside as well as paying off my one credit card.

The fall wardrobe will be pretty cheap since Mom is sending me out a bunch of shirts and a pair of grey pants that I should be able to fit into this fall. I've got three cardigan sweaters on order, so my sweaters are taken care of for the season, I've got a bunch of jeans in size 20 and one pair in size 18 waiting for me to fit into them, and I just ordered a few hoodies and sweatpants in size 18/20 and size 16, which will take care of my lounge-at-home winter clothes.

So, all I need are some bras (in a smaller cup size, darn it, not just band size), a few turtlenecks, and a fall coat (Mom is also sending me her really nice wool winter coat), get a few more pairs of pants in size 16 if/when I need them, and I'll be set until spring!