Resolution Update – Super Duper *Three* Month Edition

Haven’t updated you since early March, so there’s three months worth of progress (or not-progress, as the case may be.)

1. Reduce overall monthly expenses by 10%.  I’m still doing battle with the mortgage company– which is to say, the new mortgage company (the third one since I started this adventure.)  If you are reading this and have successfully refi’ed with Ocwen or anyone else through the Making Home Affordable program, please let me know your secret!  Gas keeps going up, so that’s getting harder to reduce (I also keep driving more, with more regular sojourns to visit family in the aftermath of my SIL’s death.)  I’m trying *really* hard (at least I think I am), but I think I need a good kick in the butt to save a teeny bit more.
2. Move forward with our adoption. Separate exciting update to come soon.
3. Make more things from scratch. Still making all of our bread and yogurt.  Have adding making our own spray cleaner.
4. Landscape. Big success here!  We gave up on grass in the backyard and now have reasonably neatly maintained wood chips.  There were potted plants for color, but M unpotted them.  She’s so industrious!  We’re looking into heavier shrubs.  We also removed the overgrown bushes in front of the house and Mr. AFTHOTW re-edged the lawn and put matching edging on the bed near the house.  It’s all nicely mulched and awaiting some plantings.  This is more progress than we have had on making the outside of our house look nice in the five years that we have lived here.
5. Reduce our paper towel habit. Much better.  Jack’s sad demise means no more cleaning up doggy accidents and John is getting into the cloth habit. 

I count this as two clear successes with some other moments worthy of pride.  I’m going to have myself a cookie to celebrate.