January brought a plethora of freelance work to my side business. New year, new budgets, I suppose. It's all good because it will allow me to get ahead on the budget for this year.

My toy-buying spree wants to continue, but I have to think about the big "toy" at the end of the year, which isn't even a toy really. Living on my own is quickly becoming a top priority so I have to set aside enough funds for a down payment. I think I'll just make it.

House aside, I do need a new computer. My old PC and Mac are approaching 6 years old, and it's getting to be that time. Unfortunately that will be a $2,500 expense. (Bah...) And I also need new home theatre components so I can take full advantage of the projector I bought a few months back. That'll be another $1,000 or so.

And then there's my Saturn. My last hefty car payment is in September, but I want to add a nice stereo, since my factory speakers have been pushed way beyond their limit. I see a couple of really good systems, but that will set me back another $1,500 probably.

And let's not forget the summer trip to Alaska I'm trying to organize. A week's worth of visiting 4 cities in the Big Dipper state, including the north point of Barrow, will probably sum $1,500 as well.

Will this madness never end? So much to do! I'll keep plugging away at my extra work and stash it away for them good times. I promise to spare you the financial report on the next update. Cheers.