Kipp - Same on my tax return. I usually try to reinvest the refund though so I'm usually poor for the first few months of the year LOL I'm also looking at getting a bike too - I might have lucked out because a coworker who's getting serious about tris is selling her's and we're about the same height. Are you getting a road bike or a hybrid?
How is everyone else doing with their eating and workouts?
I would like to get a hybrid, but wouldn't be against getting a road bike. Road bike style is what I rode up until I got hit. Just being older now, I'm not sure how I'd be at riding in that position any more.
I've looked at some of our shops around here and they mostly have the more expensive type bikes in for resale

In most of the cases, their lowest priced hybrid bike was cheaper to get than the resale bike. Also, I have the same disadvantage in getting the used bikes.. I'm short.
My first road bike was actually a kids model and I rode it until it literally broke in half. The last road bike I had I bought used and it was too big for me. It led to one or two instances of...

needless to say I learned to side dismount in a hurry for quick stops.
As for how it's going this week... yes, I'm eating. We'll leave it at that.
Exercise, the balance workout is going much better than the other. I'm really feeling it in the sides though!
Last night was also my first night back onto the Treadmill-o-doom! I didn't want to push too much, so I did a fartlek routine. 5 minute warmup then I started alternating between 12:00, 15:00 and 18:00 mm. I did a whopping 1.75 miles in 26:40. I felt it a little bit in the calves this morning. Once I did the stairs up to the floor my office is on at work, it took care of that in a hurry.
I've also been working on my sore back again. I'm trying a variety of stretches to see if I can figure out which ones will help. I'm convinced that its the Psoas in my mid/lower back area that's always my problem (at least from muscle group pictures I've looked at, it looks like that area). I've been focus in on some of the stretches that are aimed at that area and I've found one that I'm severely limited in motion in the left movement.
Its one where you lie on your back and bend your knees with feet on the floor. Then you take your knees towards the floor on the right then go to the left without lifting your hips. When I go to the right, I can go about 3/4 to the floor. When I move to the left, I cannot even get half way to the floor. It's also evident when I'm sitting in a chair; I can turn right easily, but turning to the left I'm limited.
Annnnd... I'm rambling on

It's late and I have to get up early.