Random Thoughts

- My wife's company award party is tonight. We are planning on getting a hotel room with some other couples so that we don't have to take the chance with having too much to drink and being stuck driving home. While this is good decision making from a life standpoint from a financial standpoint it makes no sense. The party is only twenty minutes away from our townhouse so it's not like it's a long trip. Also if we both wanted to not worry about driving we could probably get a cab there and back for less than the hotel room is going to cost (Which another thing is going to be a Marriott hotel @ $200/night). We do save $200/mth for vacation type of expenses so in the end its not that big of a deal as it will come out of that. However something still irks me about it.

- So since Jan my wife and I have been working out regularly and trying to eat a much better balanced diet than the pizzas, tacos, and junk food we both like to eat. I'm happy to say I've lost over 15 lbs since then but man does it cost a fortune now in food every month. I even shop at Aldi for the basics and still spend over $400 on food every month for just the two of us. We don't eat out very often (Once or twice a month usually) and I buy Smart Ones or Healthy Choice lunches at $2 or less (Depending on what is on sale) instead of eating out. I guess the short term payments are going to be much higher when trying to have a healthy lifestyle. The long term reward should be a smaller risk for having health problems as I get older. Knowing how much healthcare is today I ought to just stop complaining and be happy.

- With about 20k in cash it is getting to that point where I really can feel the ability to perhaps purchase a home. My thoughts also sway back and forth though on if some of my cash should be used for other things. For instance, I still have almost $17k on a student loan from graduate school. In theory I could pay it all off and be debt free except for the auto lease my wife entered into 2 years ago. Then my head tells me that doing that would leave less cash for a down payment on a home. Anyways I'm not really sure and because I'm someone that has trouble making a definite decision who knows when I'll make my mind up.

What would you do if this was your life?

-$20k in cash
-$17k in student loans
- Hope to purchase a home for $115k-$140k
-Already contribute to get employer match at work and the full amount for a Roth ($5k/yr)