Is this my first missed blog of the summer?

I had resolved to blog each day of the summer. I haven't gone to bed yet, so can this count as Saturday's post? Please? After all, it's still June 25 in California (and Wyoming).

I had a fascinating conversation with a friend about getting one's economic house in order. This is something that Dave Ramsey, Clark Howard, and many other personal finance gurus map out for their audiences. It's something that Sherry and I started some time ago. My conversation tonight helped me understand some of the steps that we've undertaken. Here they are:

1. Understand where the money is going (for us, after-the-fact budgeting)
2. Start to address debt (paydown some, eliminate others)
3. Shift from plastic to cash and coin
4. Truly understand interest.
5. Start saving money more aggressively and creatively
6. Set savings goals
7. Explore opening additional streams of income

Perhaps shells or layers is a better way to think of these steps. I believe one can be moving on multiple levels at once. I believe some levels (like level 2) don't end for long periods of time. Some levels don't have a goal of 100% fulfillment (like level 3). But this is largely the path my wife have taken to become better at home economy.

And, yes, I use the term home economy, or personal economy. I like it better than "home finance" which, I think, can be a bit too narrow of a focus. More on this later.