The thing I am most excited about with my job this year is the opportunity for professional development. I am trying to take a non-traditional route with my degree, especially right out of school. So to land a summer position in the field was immeasurably valuable because of how the experience will set me apart from my classmates. But also- money!! We’ve been grad-student poor for a while now, and a short-term boost to our finances should really help us make progress.
I would love, love to pay off all of our credit card debt this summer. I think that we will be able to manage, but it will definitely take some work and planning. There are also a few savings accounts that I hope to start funding, namely a car repair fund and a home fund. Even though we don’t own a home, many of our possessions are rather beaten and battered. It would make a huge quality of life difference if we were able to get a new mattress and some pillows for our bed. I’m absolutely certain of it- we’re the only people I know who consistently sleep better when we aren’t in our own bed. 
Our travel plans for this summer are very low-key (for us). We have one out of state wedding, a long weekend with my family (SWEET HOME CHICAGO HERE I COME!), a trip to visit Liam’s family, and plans for a weekend away with friends living about 4 hours from where we are. Frequent flyer miles should get us to Chicago and Liam’s home state, and the wedding is with family so we’ll only be paying a portion of the cost. Our weekend with friends will be of the camping/hiking/board-game playing variety, which will also be reasonably frugal. For all of this travel, I think we will manage on a budget of under $1000, and that’s including 1) needing to pay for at least one flight, 2) not being reimbursed for our expenses for the family wedding, 3) doting on L’s fam, and 4) eating our faces off in Chicago.
So there you have it; hopefully by the end of the summer we will be sleeping better, refreshed from seeing family, and significantly further out of debt!
