Adventures in La La Land

It's that wonderful time of the year where I reflect on the last 365 days! I'm coming to realize that I love  collecting, organizing, and analyzing data. I love  "At a Glance" summaries and reports. It's too bad I'm so bad at math, or I would've made a really great accountant. (Is that what accountants do? I don't even know.) Anyway, here's what happened in 2025. 1. In an effort to get a better handle on our finances, I paid for a budget service for the first time in 2025. I diligently tracked every cent with YNAB throughout the year, and spent two hours yesterday poring over the results. It's equal parts fascinating and maddening. We spent more on groceries than our mortgage! More on our monthly water bill than the gas to heat our house. I spent $300 on books. I'd guess at least 75% of them were thrifted and donated to the church library. Next year I'm going to do a better job of tracking my book spending. I appreciated YNAB, but ultim...