I tallied up my July expenses and they are not pretty. I spent $1200 more than I earned.

However, the bulk of that increase was due to my mortgage payoff ($2,246) which was almost like a double payment. Plus, I also had a biannual car insurance bill ($258), annual borough tax ($165) and car tax (78).

Next month's expenses will again be totally skewed because my property taxes ($3300 for half) will also be due. I do have the money, but this little driving gig I picked up just won't be enough ($800 a month). I had hoped my unemployment benefits would restart since my hearing 2 weeks ago, but it hasn't yet.

I also had hoped to hear about that 2-day-a-week PR agency job I interviewed for. I haven't totally given up hope as I recall there was a longish time between my first interview and the day she called me to come in for the second interview. She's pretty busy. If I do, those 2 days a week would cover all my ESSENTIAL expenses. I seem to always squeak by with yet another in a string of minimal, yet life-saving jobs, so I hope that will happen again.

The hornet nest has been taken care of. I suppose I could have dealt with it myself with a $5 can of hornet spray, but I think I did pretty well to find someone who did it for me for just $25 and stringbeans, plus he used no chemicals.

My knee is finally back to almost normal and the swelling has subsided after 3 days. I hope that's it for the season.

As part of my weight loss effort, I'm trying to drink my own iced tea exclusively instead of enjoying the various Snapple iced teas or, more recently, Arizona green teas. I won't drink the sugar-free kind with artifical sweeteners, but I don't think the added sugar (empty calories) is great for my weight. When I make my own tea, I usually add a very small amount of sugar, like a tablespoon to a pitcher that holds about 7 cups. This time around, I didn't add any sugar at all and it sort of needs it. I think I'll go back to using a small amount of Truvia, which is supposed to not affect your glucose levels.

In the course of clearing out all the pachysandra and cutting back those shrubs in front of my house, I uncovered two cracks in the concrete window well, where it meets the foundation of the house. It should be repaired before I go and plant anything in the now-cleared bed, and I'm going back and forth about should I try doing this myself or should I hire someone.

My research online tells me that the standard repair is using a "system" where you inject an epoxy thing with a caulk-like gun and it's a bit more involved than that. I'd like to hire someone who's done it before, but if I go and call one of those places that routinely does foundation repairs and such, you know they're going to charge a huge sum and probably make it seem more alarming than it is. Sigh.

Maybe first I'll take a photo of the cracks and bring it with me to Home Depot on a weekday and have a conversation with someone there who could perhaps show me the product to use and how to use it.