Darling and I spent the day at a family barbecue with my dad, brother, sister-in-law, aunt, uncle, and cousin. This was a strange event in that everyone there was an adult, a first in my family-gathering experience so far. At 22, I'm the youngest, but that seems to be canceled out by the fact that I'm the longest married. It was really nice.
We came home to an increasingly active community. The fourplex next door is becoming friendly with us, sharing compost and kale, and one couple planted a few of their own tomatoes. Spring is drawing everyone out, and we're all excited about digging up turf and putting in flowers and veg. I can't wait to present my birthday copy of Mel Bartholomew's Square Foot Gardening during Tuesday's dinner. His gardens seem sparse and dull compared to those presented in the bio-intensive books, but his theories are great and I can't wait to experiment with his vertical growing methods.
Sunday, March 30, 2008
Saturday, March 29, 2008
Corn
We have corn!!!
Well, seedlings. Has anyone else noticed how long it takes plants to produce food? I grew up on a farm, but it's still a surprise.
Tomorrow we head to Elgin to celebrate some birthday action. My actual primary birthday gift is the road trip to Virginia, which we totally can't afford but somehow will. My mom is even signing us up with her insurance company for the time we'll have the car! How cool is that?
Well, seedlings. Has anyone else noticed how long it takes plants to produce food? I grew up on a farm, but it's still a surprise.
Tomorrow we head to Elgin to celebrate some birthday action. My actual primary birthday gift is the road trip to Virginia, which we totally can't afford but somehow will. My mom is even signing us up with her insurance company for the time we'll have the car! How cool is that?
Friday, March 28, 2008
A Desk Lesson
The company Darling is working for sells furniture online. He was considering bartering his service for stock rather than cash, and we were discussing what furniture we'd like to bring into our lives. The only thing we arguably "needed" and wanted at the time was a computer desk. Until today, our pc was supported by an old telephone table and a couple of vintage collapsible tables. The computer was so low we hunched and squinted to get a decent look at the screen. It was driving me crazy, but Darling gracefully accepted the situation.
"Why should we get a desk? That'll be what, $60? And we'll have to give it away when we move."
I argued that computer desks, like many household staples, are vastly over-produced and we could easily find a free one on the side of the road. He sighed, and told me that if I ever found a computer desk on the side of the road to let him know. I didn't point out that the problem with desks is their weight, we'd probably need a truck to transport one any reasonable distance.
This afternoon we went for a walk, and not two blocks from our home found a small gray steel desk out by the garbage. Far lighter than good wood, far better quality than the cork-board abominations sold at Wal-Mart, we easily hoisted the thing up and carried it to the house.
It's a bit small, but holds our $50 second-hand computer at a comfortable level and fits nicely in our small office. Yet again I am reminded that patience and trust will yield greater rewards than instant gratification.
"Why should we get a desk? That'll be what, $60? And we'll have to give it away when we move."
I argued that computer desks, like many household staples, are vastly over-produced and we could easily find a free one on the side of the road. He sighed, and told me that if I ever found a computer desk on the side of the road to let him know. I didn't point out that the problem with desks is their weight, we'd probably need a truck to transport one any reasonable distance.
This afternoon we went for a walk, and not two blocks from our home found a small gray steel desk out by the garbage. Far lighter than good wood, far better quality than the cork-board abominations sold at Wal-Mart, we easily hoisted the thing up and carried it to the house.
It's a bit small, but holds our $50 second-hand computer at a comfortable level and fits nicely in our small office. Yet again I am reminded that patience and trust will yield greater rewards than instant gratification.
Thoughts On Saving
Now that Darling and I have re-opened our ING account with the money saved for college, I've started contemplating our many saving goals. Until now, everything was kept in one account, so it's been difficult remembering how much of our savings is for school, dental visits, travel, or good ol' fashioned emergencies. With ING, we can open an account for each goal, and start marking specific progress towards longer term goals, such as the $250,000+ we'll need to buy land and build a house.
Last night I developed a savings/investment strategy. First I wrote down the 12 major areas of life that we'd like to save for, which range from transportation (we'll probably buy a vehicle someday) to babies. I put a time limit by each applicable area. We'll only need school savings, for example, for the next 3 years, but we'll need an emergency fund until emergencies stop happening. I then listed the maximum balance needed to meat each goal. The final step was prioritizing each category by looking at each label. Priorities will help us determine where windfalls will do the most good.
It feels good to have a plan, even though we don't have the means to follow through for quite awhile. In the meantime, it occurs to me that my student loan interest rate is over 5%. This means that by saving, rather than paying debt, I will lose 2%! This is quite frustrating, but there's no way I won't be saving for school or building an emergency fund. At least there's consolation in knowing that while the money sat in my regular savings account, it was losing the full 5.25%.
In other news, we never got our COBRA bill! Darling fortunately remembered and we paid it online (via the least user-friendly online payment system ever). At least I discovered that we can pay a year in advance. From now on I'll try and pay at least two months at a time, so we don't have to worry about unethical billing practices losing us our dental insurance.
Last night I developed a savings/investment strategy. First I wrote down the 12 major areas of life that we'd like to save for, which range from transportation (we'll probably buy a vehicle someday) to babies. I put a time limit by each applicable area. We'll only need school savings, for example, for the next 3 years, but we'll need an emergency fund until emergencies stop happening. I then listed the maximum balance needed to meat each goal. The final step was prioritizing each category by looking at each label. Priorities will help us determine where windfalls will do the most good.
It feels good to have a plan, even though we don't have the means to follow through for quite awhile. In the meantime, it occurs to me that my student loan interest rate is over 5%. This means that by saving, rather than paying debt, I will lose 2%! This is quite frustrating, but there's no way I won't be saving for school or building an emergency fund. At least there's consolation in knowing that while the money sat in my regular savings account, it was losing the full 5.25%.
In other news, we never got our COBRA bill! Darling fortunately remembered and we paid it online (via the least user-friendly online payment system ever). At least I discovered that we can pay a year in advance. From now on I'll try and pay at least two months at a time, so we don't have to worry about unethical billing practices losing us our dental insurance.
Thursday, March 27, 2008
Low - Cost Investment Strategy
I went to Velocity Credit Union today to pay our portion of the bills. In the entryway of the building was a large advertisement for all the investment strategies available to customers. To my surprise, there are options available for sums as low as $100 (small savers fund, 2 year lifespan with 2.21 APY).
I've heard that certificates of deposits can be a waste of investment because the interest rates barely out-pace the rate of inflation. Spending money as fast as I earn it doesn't seem to yield a much higher APY, however, so I might look at low minimum balance accounts in the hopes of finding ways to earn some interest until I can open a Domini IRA and/or Mutual Fund account and start investing in stocks.
Of course, whatever investment strategies I choose to experiment with must beat out the ING Online Direct Savings, which offers a 3% return, charges no fees, and requires no minimum balance. That's where our emergency funds, tax savings, and school cash will reside, once we determine what's left after this month!
I've heard that certificates of deposits can be a waste of investment because the interest rates barely out-pace the rate of inflation. Spending money as fast as I earn it doesn't seem to yield a much higher APY, however, so I might look at low minimum balance accounts in the hopes of finding ways to earn some interest until I can open a Domini IRA and/or Mutual Fund account and start investing in stocks.
Of course, whatever investment strategies I choose to experiment with must beat out the ING Online Direct Savings, which offers a 3% return, charges no fees, and requires no minimum balance. That's where our emergency funds, tax savings, and school cash will reside, once we determine what's left after this month!
Wednesday, March 26, 2008
Darling's Unemployment and Our Month of Famine Come To An End
Darling has a job!
Temporary, albeit, but a really decent position. He's working from home (no commute, a hiatus on scooter-purchasing conversations), between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. for the next three or four weeks. I'm very proud that he's found something so suited to our needs, just in time to put a chunk of change in the school fund before the Summer semester starts. Since this won't be permanent, we'll be treating it like a windfall and continuing to live on my earnings alone for April and May.
With only a weekend left this month, I think the time may have come to admit that we won't be making rent. Houston wiped us out and we just didn't show that much discipline when it came to groceries shopping. We ate out far less than when Darling was working, but spent much more on gardening supplies and seeds. Maybe I'd earn rent this weekend if I worked non-stop every day and got lucky, but last night my aunt called and invited me to a group birthday party. She, my dad, and myself have birthdays four days apart and she's tried to arrange a group party every year I've been alive. And these parties have always fallen through at the last moment every year since I've been alive. I don't know why. But I will not let it happen this weekend, even though the timing is awful.
So we'll be falling back on our emergency fund. First we'll spend the $200 emergency grocery cash, then the $50 we've put aside for this month's charity, and if that's not enough I've withheld from sending away last month's $200 in charity for just this situation. That should just about get us by, even if this weekend proves to be slow. Thank goodness for last month's surplus getting us through this month's famine! At least we won't be touching the money put aside for school.
Temporary, albeit, but a really decent position. He's working from home (no commute, a hiatus on scooter-purchasing conversations), between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. for the next three or four weeks. I'm very proud that he's found something so suited to our needs, just in time to put a chunk of change in the school fund before the Summer semester starts. Since this won't be permanent, we'll be treating it like a windfall and continuing to live on my earnings alone for April and May.
With only a weekend left this month, I think the time may have come to admit that we won't be making rent. Houston wiped us out and we just didn't show that much discipline when it came to groceries shopping. We ate out far less than when Darling was working, but spent much more on gardening supplies and seeds. Maybe I'd earn rent this weekend if I worked non-stop every day and got lucky, but last night my aunt called and invited me to a group birthday party. She, my dad, and myself have birthdays four days apart and she's tried to arrange a group party every year I've been alive. And these parties have always fallen through at the last moment every year since I've been alive. I don't know why. But I will not let it happen this weekend, even though the timing is awful.
So we'll be falling back on our emergency fund. First we'll spend the $200 emergency grocery cash, then the $50 we've put aside for this month's charity, and if that's not enough I've withheld from sending away last month's $200 in charity for just this situation. That should just about get us by, even if this weekend proves to be slow. Thank goodness for last month's surplus getting us through this month's famine! At least we won't be touching the money put aside for school.
Monday, March 24, 2008
Spending, Spend spend spend spend!!!
Oh my, Darling and I went on a spending spree today.
We went over-budget on groceries by $12, primarily because I mysteriously lost my half of the grocery list. We had lunch at Conan's pizza, which was a bit naughty of us, but treated ourselves to vegan organic dessert at Dhaba Joy out of sheer extravagance. The, since we were practically in Toy Joy, we bought a friend who just turned 19 a birthday present.
And then, that's right, THEN we went to a nursery and purchased organic pole bean, cantaloupe, and pepper seeds. We also purchased two little plants: an organic parsley and a strawberry plant.
Oh my, we don't even have rent yet.
We went over-budget on groceries by $12, primarily because I mysteriously lost my half of the grocery list. We had lunch at Conan's pizza, which was a bit naughty of us, but treated ourselves to vegan organic dessert at Dhaba Joy out of sheer extravagance. The, since we were practically in Toy Joy, we bought a friend who just turned 19 a birthday present.
And then, that's right, THEN we went to a nursery and purchased organic pole bean, cantaloupe, and pepper seeds. We also purchased two little plants: an organic parsley and a strawberry plant.
Oh my, we don't even have rent yet.
Sunday, March 23, 2008
Grocery Talk
Our neighbor put three tomato plants in the garden today, and we finally pulled up the cauliflower to make room for eggplants, which went into a flat. Darling and I are saving the cauliflower greens for stew, maybe we should make a big batch and freeze it...That will be up to Darling.
There's been a lot of talk online lately about rising grocery prices. Just as not having a car seems to have shielded us from exploitive gas prices, our whole-food vegetarian diet takes the edge off this latest budget-buster. The increasing cost of wheat hasn't affected the price of organic flour I purchase in bulk. Local, cage-free, organic eggs stay expensive but stable. Soy milk, particularly the powdered variety, is far cheaper than organic milk. Texas fruit and veg are abundant, and although slightly more expensive than those shipped in from China and California, are far more fresh and tasty. As far as the increasing meat prices I'm still hearing about? Well, I googled "cost of meat" last night, and not many of the results had to do with money... Dry beans continue to be abundant, delicious, convenient, filling, and healthy.
Having a garden will hopefully stretch our grocery dollar even further. I'd like to reach the point that we're only purchasing baking staples, tea, and seed.
There's been a lot of talk online lately about rising grocery prices. Just as not having a car seems to have shielded us from exploitive gas prices, our whole-food vegetarian diet takes the edge off this latest budget-buster. The increasing cost of wheat hasn't affected the price of organic flour I purchase in bulk. Local, cage-free, organic eggs stay expensive but stable. Soy milk, particularly the powdered variety, is far cheaper than organic milk. Texas fruit and veg are abundant, and although slightly more expensive than those shipped in from China and California, are far more fresh and tasty. As far as the increasing meat prices I'm still hearing about? Well, I googled "cost of meat" last night, and not many of the results had to do with money... Dry beans continue to be abundant, delicious, convenient, filling, and healthy.
Having a garden will hopefully stretch our grocery dollar even further. I'd like to reach the point that we're only purchasing baking staples, tea, and seed.
Saturday, March 22, 2008
Took The THEA Exam
I took the THEA Test today, which was required to determine what levels of math I must enroll in at Austin Community College. I (stupidly?) worked last night, until past midnight, then had to catch a 6:40 a.m. bus to get to the testing center an hour and a half away. I spent that time reading an excellent algebra book Algebra The Easy Way. I enjoyed this book so much we intend to purchase one of Amazon's used 1 cent copies.
Thanks to the book, I tackled those math problems with some confidence. I only outright guessed on a couple. Some questions took several tries for me to remember how to answer them. Only one word question struck me as hideously illogical.
The exam took me a total of 4 hours and 59 minutes to complete. I came home deliriously tired and Darling put me to bed. In a couple of weeks I will know my results, and a few weeks after that I'll be enrolling in college!
Thanks to the book, I tackled those math problems with some confidence. I only outright guessed on a couple. Some questions took several tries for me to remember how to answer them. Only one word question struck me as hideously illogical.
Why on Earth would this family by more carpet than they need just because of a sale? Especially when the savings will let them buy little more than a single yard more? Why didn't they buy energy efficient light bulbs or put that $8 savings (or whatever) into the emergency fund?! I was haunted for the rest of the test by the Walsh family and their extra foot of carpet.The Carpet Store charges $10/sq. yard. Today they are having a 15% off sale! If the Walsh family has an area of 4x3 sq ft to cover, how much more carpet will the sale allow them to purchase?
The exam took me a total of 4 hours and 59 minutes to complete. I came home deliriously tired and Darling put me to bed. In a couple of weeks I will know my results, and a few weeks after that I'll be enrolling in college!
Friday, March 21, 2008
Happy News
I spent four hours today in the pursuit of replacing my Texas Identification card. Two hours on the bus, two hours waiting in line at the Department of Public Safety. Now to get my social security card and drivers license, which I will need by April 10th because we are driving to Virginia for my birthday!
Mom is kindly loaning us her car and staying at our house for 10 days in April, living la viva car-free. My brother and Sister-In-Law will be around to make sure she gets by well enough, but Mom is confident that having a car in Austin is more trouble than it's worth. It will be interesting to see how a very car-dependent older woman will fare in our city.
It will also be interesting to see how I manage to pay for a vacation, two tuitions, bills, and rent this next two months. Better get to work!
Mom is kindly loaning us her car and staying at our house for 10 days in April, living la viva car-free. My brother and Sister-In-Law will be around to make sure she gets by well enough, but Mom is confident that having a car in Austin is more trouble than it's worth. It will be interesting to see how a very car-dependent older woman will fare in our city.
It will also be interesting to see how I manage to pay for a vacation, two tuitions, bills, and rent this next two months. Better get to work!
Wednesday, March 19, 2008
Catching Up
Finally went grocery shopping today, several days late because we've been so busy with the Three Sisters' bed. Darling had two job interviews, so I made the shop alone, made a rare impulse buy, bought soybean, eggplant, and spinach seed, and still managed to come out under budget. Came home and finished the garden, planted the corn. Talked with my landlord about designing walkways to better define growing areas and improve drainage. Feeling pretty drained myself.
Tomorrow I go to work for the first time in what feels like quite awhile. I intend to work all week since we're nowhere near having rent covered or other goals met. I don't doubt we will, but this month is flowing by so quickly it seems I've taken half of it off without meaning to!
Tomorrow I go to work for the first time in what feels like quite awhile. I intend to work all week since we're nowhere near having rent covered or other goals met. I don't doubt we will, but this month is flowing by so quickly it seems I've taken half of it off without meaning to!
Monday, March 17, 2008
Getting Sore
We started double-digging the Three Sisters' Bed. I know it's probably more labor intensive than worthwhile, but part of me just wanted the experience. We should finish tomorrow, and have the corn sown Wednesday at the latest. My arms and back are all shaky, I hadn't realized how out of shape I am. Or how strenuous digging heavy clay Austin soil is.
The carrots are doing better than expected, and our broccoli and cauliflower plants are bigger than I knew they could get. All five of my tater plants have popped up, and a sixth is coming up in the compost pile.
I was only gone for a night, but I couldn't help but worry about leaving my little homestead!
The carrots are doing better than expected, and our broccoli and cauliflower plants are bigger than I knew they could get. All five of my tater plants have popped up, and a sixth is coming up in the compost pile.
I was only gone for a night, but I couldn't help but worry about leaving my little homestead!
Sunday, March 16, 2008
Houston
Well, Darling and I had a very un-thrifty weekend in Houston. We borrowed my mom's car to get there and spent the night in my sister-in-law's hotel, but spent the evening spending cash left and right. Because Darling and I weren't really willing to drive (he doesn't do city driving and I didn't have a copy of my license) we relied on the downtown area for entertainment. We had Sil's favorite, sushi, for dinner. Because we very much wanted her to be entertained and have fond memories of Texas, we took her to the most entertaining bar we could find advertised within walking distance: Howl At The Moon, which featured a most amazing band. Two baby grand pianos, a couple of guitars, a drum set, and four musicians who took every and any request the audience had to offer. They sang 80's classics, show tunes, rap, gospel, and even a song from the South Park movie. It was pretty awesome, despite being obviously geared towards the drunken college dating scene. The $7/person cover and $5 drinks was probably worthwhile in a town we were basically lost in.
To top the night off, we visited The Hilton's 24th story restaurant. We had an amazing view of the city, as well as two desserts ($8.50 each) and a beer Darling unthinkingly ordered. I should mention that Darling quite dislikes heights and normally won't go more than 11 stories off the ground, so this was a reasonable beer despite the cost. I would have been happy with Ben and Jerry's, but Sil really wanted to experience this restaurant.
And it didn't end this morning, despite bidding Sil farewell in the wee morning hour. I decided that since we were in the Houston for the first time in about six years, I should visit my step-grandmother. For the first time in...nine years? My mom didn't really get along with her family, so there's not much of a bond there, especially since my grandfather died. Anyway, she invited us to the country club for brunch. Darling and I don't frequent any type of club ever, but he wore a tie and I wore...hiking boots...and grandmother picked up the tab. It was nice.
To top the night off, we visited The Hilton's 24th story restaurant. We had an amazing view of the city, as well as two desserts ($8.50 each) and a beer Darling unthinkingly ordered. I should mention that Darling quite dislikes heights and normally won't go more than 11 stories off the ground, so this was a reasonable beer despite the cost. I would have been happy with Ben and Jerry's, but Sil really wanted to experience this restaurant.
And it didn't end this morning, despite bidding Sil farewell in the wee morning hour. I decided that since we were in the Houston for the first time in about six years, I should visit my step-grandmother. For the first time in...nine years? My mom didn't really get along with her family, so there's not much of a bond there, especially since my grandfather died. Anyway, she invited us to the country club for brunch. Darling and I don't frequent any type of club ever, but he wore a tie and I wore...hiking boots...and grandmother picked up the tab. It was nice.
Friday, March 14, 2008
The Lottery
Blunt Money posted about the lottery, and asked readers if we play. I felt this was a bit lengthy, and slightly off topic, to post on her comments page. I used to work in a gas station, where oppressively poor older men supporting families would spend horrific amounts of money on scratch tickets. They would buy one, win a few bucks, buy more with the winnings, lose everything, pull out more cash and buy another ticket...many customers did this for a half hour at a time, slowly losing at least $10, almost every night. Not because they were greedy but stupid, but because they'd hit this time and place where, as a sixty year-old construction worker or truck driver with no savings, a sick wife, and kids in college (so many people fit this exact description) scratch tickets were the only hope they could afford.
Some might dismiss these tired folks as idiots engaging in the idiot tax the worse way possible, but I think that really gives the human race less credit than it deserves. The state of Texas spends $33 million/year encouraging the poor to part with its hard-earned dollars. And I've taken enough marketing classes to know that yes, advertising works. And taking money from the uneducated under the guise of assisting the otherwise grossly underfunded school system is inexcusable.
Some might dismiss these tired folks as idiots engaging in the idiot tax the worse way possible, but I think that really gives the human race less credit than it deserves. The state of Texas spends $33 million/year encouraging the poor to part with its hard-earned dollars. And I've taken enough marketing classes to know that yes, advertising works. And taking money from the uneducated under the guise of assisting the otherwise grossly underfunded school system is inexcusable.
Thursday, March 13, 2008
Sharing Is Caring
Darling's sister will be in Texas this weekend for the first time. Sadly, it's Houston, for a conference. We've been promising to see her, but have been so busy counting pennies that time flew by.
We're looking on rideshare forums (Craigslist, how I love you) and might be able to get there for $30, as opposed to the $60 a Greyhound bus would cost ($92 round trip). Once there, we'll travel by taxi. We'll be buying dinner, and hopefully I'll find a family friend's couch to crash on. We really don't need such an expensive weekend on such a poor month...but...no, there is no but. We have the money in savings, and there's no way I'm going to miss my sister-in-law
We're looking on rideshare forums (Craigslist, how I love you) and might be able to get there for $30, as opposed to the $60 a Greyhound bus would cost ($92 round trip). Once there, we'll travel by taxi. We'll be buying dinner, and hopefully I'll find a family friend's couch to crash on. We really don't need such an expensive weekend on such a poor month...but...no, there is no but. We have the money in savings, and there's no way I'm going to miss my sister-in-law
Looking Deeper
I did more research on the job/scholarship opportunity. Beany was right about that waiting period, which is 90 days full employment. After that, the entire scholarship isn't covered, but certain amounts dependent on one's GPA.
Lu pointed out that the semiconductor industry is not the most organic thing ever. Which makes me so sad. I mean, semiconductors bring us computers and solar panels...and hideous reproductive issues. So even if the company did pick up the tab for my degree, I'd have to decline. This future Mommy is staying organic for the time being.
Back to Fast Web. Definitely getting in on this World Bank Scholarship.
Lu pointed out that the semiconductor industry is not the most organic thing ever. Which makes me so sad. I mean, semiconductors bring us computers and solar panels...and hideous reproductive issues. So even if the company did pick up the tab for my degree, I'd have to decline. This future Mommy is staying organic for the time being.
Back to Fast Web. Definitely getting in on this World Bank Scholarship.
Tuesday, March 11, 2008
Unexpected Scholarship Opportunity
I've been shyly telling friends, family, and coworkers that I'll be going to college this Summer. I've habitually added, almost apologetically, that someone else will of course have to pay for it. Yet my free time has not been spent writing scholarship essays so much as gardening, reading, and running around in North Austin trying to replace my social security card (the one that was lost in the move over a year ago) to help me replace both my driver's license (lost my first day of work nearly a year ago), and my Texas I.D. (lost when my wallet was stolen last...June?).
So I've been feeling increasingly guilty, and anxious, about the prospects of someone else paying for my Drafting degree. In the meantime, I've been scouring the ETC page of Craigslist.org hunting for potential jobs for Darling. I found this. Apparently Manpower (an employment agency which I find vaguely morally objectionable) has teamed up with Austin Community College to offer employees the opportunity to work for them full time ($10-$13/hour) while completing an Electronics Degree. For free. They are seeking day and night wafer operators, whatever the heck that is, and are paying a little less than I'm earning now...but full time...and offering a full scholarship.
I am thinking about this very hard. Orientation, should I apply, would be next week.
So I've been feeling increasingly guilty, and anxious, about the prospects of someone else paying for my Drafting degree. In the meantime, I've been scouring the ETC page of Craigslist.org hunting for potential jobs for Darling. I found this. Apparently Manpower (an employment agency which I find vaguely morally objectionable) has teamed up with Austin Community College to offer employees the opportunity to work for them full time ($10-$13/hour) while completing an Electronics Degree. For free. They are seeking day and night wafer operators, whatever the heck that is, and are paying a little less than I'm earning now...but full time...and offering a full scholarship.
I am thinking about this very hard. Orientation, should I apply, would be next week.
Monday, March 10, 2008
Darling's Evolving Job Hunt
Jenny asked how Darling's job hunt is going. Not great, for a variety of reasons. I know several people right now who are employed and looking for the same time of work (office, computer-related), and there is just not a lot out there right now.
It's kind of been nice to see how little work and money it takes for us to survive. I've basically been working part-time, so you can imagine how much time we've had to relax and read and cuddle and cook (note that our entertainment is cheap, which helps a lot). Realizing how much we need to survive has led us to the conclusion that while a $25,000+ annual salary would make life easy, We only really need a couple of part-time jobs to get by while focusing on school. I've been exploring the ETC section of Craigslist.org job listing, ignoring the Administrative positions altogether. I'd hate for Darling's suits to go to waste, but a part-time garden center position he's applying for tomorrow would give him fresh air, valuable horticultural know-how, and a relaxed atmosphere to enjoy Texas in.
It's kind of been nice to see how little work and money it takes for us to survive. I've basically been working part-time, so you can imagine how much time we've had to relax and read and cuddle and cook (note that our entertainment is cheap, which helps a lot). Realizing how much we need to survive has led us to the conclusion that while a $25,000+ annual salary would make life easy, We only really need a couple of part-time jobs to get by while focusing on school. I've been exploring the ETC section of Craigslist.org job listing, ignoring the Administrative positions altogether. I'd hate for Darling's suits to go to waste, but a part-time garden center position he's applying for tomorrow would give him fresh air, valuable horticultural know-how, and a relaxed atmosphere to enjoy Texas in.
Sunday, March 9, 2008
March
Oh wow, its March. When did that happen? Seriously, I kept meaning to get round to posting this year's goals...
Yeah, that's right. I actually had a list of specific monetary goals that I've been referring to all year, but haven't managed to make it into this blog. I've been busy, er...reading blogs, if it makes any difference. I'm such a flake.
Actually, I think I didn't get round to post the goals yet because they've been steadily changing. At the start of the year, I was determined to make savings our biggest priority (which is how Spend Nothing Month came about) but soon realized that it's high time I get round to earning some sort of degree. In the meantime, Darling's unemployment is causing us to reassess the price of our lifestyle, and I want nothing more than to see my beloved Blue Ridge Mountains for my birthday. So, things change, but I think we've finally got a handle on what we're actually shooting for financially for 2008.
Originally, I intended to map out the 20 Year Challenge, break it up into a manageable series of 5-year plans. I sat down numerous times with a pencil and calculator before realizing that such was not practical. I'm working on a 3-year plan right now, which is taking shape nicely, but it's not worth carving into stone just yet.
Anyway, this is what I'm hoping to achieve in 2008, broken into monthly goals in order or priority.
* Insurance: Thanks to COBRA, we've kept our dental insurance at the price of $42/month. I'd like to be fully insured, but at least we've taken that baby step. This makes first priority because the first month we don't pay, we lose it for good.
* Debt Payment: We are, after all, legally required to make minimum payments. So while we won't be shunting a third of our income to these faceless corporate goons (and Darling's lovely family), we will be sure to give them at least 10% of everything I bring in (around $200/month).
* School: I suspect that, on average, college will cost Darling and myself $1,400/semester. Sometimes more, sometimes less. Hopefully less. We'll be attempting to put aside $500 every month to meet this goal. This is a pretty big challenge, but we managed it well enough in February.
* Health: Specifically, dental health. We'd like to designate $200/month to this area, which would afford us a little work done every two months, but this might not be a realistic expectation.
* Emergency Fund: Putting $500 aside for college really knocked this down the list, but in the event of windfalls and/or dual employment, we'd like to start setting aside $375/month. We kind of partially managed this February, when we decided to reserve a $200 cushion in our account for emergency grocery cash.
This might not seem like much, but looking at my goals for this year really makes me proud of how much we accomplished last year. After all, we only ever dreamed of stepping foot in a dentist's office or having insurance in 2006. I'm also a little stressed, though, that so many of our financial goals have more to do with spending than saving money! School might be a great investment, but it's certainly not going to help my Net Worth for the next year or two!
Yeah, that's right. I actually had a list of specific monetary goals that I've been referring to all year, but haven't managed to make it into this blog. I've been busy, er...reading blogs, if it makes any difference. I'm such a flake.
Actually, I think I didn't get round to post the goals yet because they've been steadily changing. At the start of the year, I was determined to make savings our biggest priority (which is how Spend Nothing Month came about) but soon realized that it's high time I get round to earning some sort of degree. In the meantime, Darling's unemployment is causing us to reassess the price of our lifestyle, and I want nothing more than to see my beloved Blue Ridge Mountains for my birthday. So, things change, but I think we've finally got a handle on what we're actually shooting for financially for 2008.
Originally, I intended to map out the 20 Year Challenge, break it up into a manageable series of 5-year plans. I sat down numerous times with a pencil and calculator before realizing that such was not practical. I'm working on a 3-year plan right now, which is taking shape nicely, but it's not worth carving into stone just yet.
Anyway, this is what I'm hoping to achieve in 2008, broken into monthly goals in order or priority.
* Insurance: Thanks to COBRA, we've kept our dental insurance at the price of $42/month. I'd like to be fully insured, but at least we've taken that baby step. This makes first priority because the first month we don't pay, we lose it for good.
* Debt Payment: We are, after all, legally required to make minimum payments. So while we won't be shunting a third of our income to these faceless corporate goons (and Darling's lovely family), we will be sure to give them at least 10% of everything I bring in (around $200/month).
* School: I suspect that, on average, college will cost Darling and myself $1,400/semester. Sometimes more, sometimes less. Hopefully less. We'll be attempting to put aside $500 every month to meet this goal. This is a pretty big challenge, but we managed it well enough in February.
* Health: Specifically, dental health. We'd like to designate $200/month to this area, which would afford us a little work done every two months, but this might not be a realistic expectation.
* Emergency Fund: Putting $500 aside for college really knocked this down the list, but in the event of windfalls and/or dual employment, we'd like to start setting aside $375/month. We kind of partially managed this February, when we decided to reserve a $200 cushion in our account for emergency grocery cash.
This might not seem like much, but looking at my goals for this year really makes me proud of how much we accomplished last year. After all, we only ever dreamed of stepping foot in a dentist's office or having insurance in 2006. I'm also a little stressed, though, that so many of our financial goals have more to do with spending than saving money! School might be a great investment, but it's certainly not going to help my Net Worth for the next year or two!
Saturday, March 8, 2008
Feelig Better
I spent the past few days feeling pretty down on myself, but that's finally passed after a night off, a couple of pints of ice cream, and a grocery shopping spree.
It might have been caused, in part, by taking another step towards getting back to college - paying $39 for a maths and English placement exam at the end of the month. If I'd managed to put this exam off much longer, I would have missed another semester of classes. So registering for this exam should have made me happy. Instead, I couldn't eat or sleep or relax for three days! I even called in sick Friday night.
I'm still intending to take one class this Summer (as per your loving advice, lu), which is the prerequisite for all the other drafting courses. Most of our first semester's expenses are covered (which also scares me). We'd still like to skip up to VA for a few weeks to celebrate my birthday with friends. It occurred to me that my ex-boss might let me work in the coffee shop a little while I'm there to help pay for the trip. That and the fact that I have paid vacation time owed to me might just make the trip possible. But we won't go if it means risking not going back to school.
It might have been caused, in part, by taking another step towards getting back to college - paying $39 for a maths and English placement exam at the end of the month. If I'd managed to put this exam off much longer, I would have missed another semester of classes. So registering for this exam should have made me happy. Instead, I couldn't eat or sleep or relax for three days! I even called in sick Friday night.
I'm still intending to take one class this Summer (as per your loving advice, lu), which is the prerequisite for all the other drafting courses. Most of our first semester's expenses are covered (which also scares me). We'd still like to skip up to VA for a few weeks to celebrate my birthday with friends. It occurred to me that my ex-boss might let me work in the coffee shop a little while I'm there to help pay for the trip. That and the fact that I have paid vacation time owed to me might just make the trip possible. But we won't go if it means risking not going back to school.
Thursday, March 6, 2008
Doubts
Today I seriously considered giving up my hopes of going to college this Summer and spending my part of the tuition money ($800) on a trip to VA instead. Not sure what I'm going to do. Been promising myself this trip since August, and don't know how I can accomplish both. Am I fooling myself that I can work full time, go to school full time, and care for a community garden this Summer while supporting an unemployed husband also going to school full time?
Tuesday, March 4, 2008
Gig Fest
Darling and I worked a gig together for the first time since moving to Texas. I won't go into details, but we each got $20/hour for electioneer-type activity between 5:30 and 7:00, and a free dinner to boot. Darling and I used to work little jobs like this all the time, teaching older people how to use their computers or modeling for a small publishing company. These jobs pay well, require a certain amount of skill, sometimes look great on a resume, and provide decent references. Craigslist.org even has a "gigs" section, which I am checking out every couple of days. I'd hate for Darling to get a job he doesn't enjoy, but these temporary jobs gives him the satisfaction of supplying income without hurting his chances of finding employment he actually enjoys.
Then we went to a show and spent quite a bit of that money on pizza and beer. Which is, you might guess, unusual for us. Our brother-in-law's band was here from New Orleans and we couldn't miss it.
Tomorrow I sign up for the Texas Placement Test I need to register for courses come April. The exam itself is on the 21st of this month, so I'll be spending the next couple of weeks studying like mad...I hope.
Then we went to a show and spent quite a bit of that money on pizza and beer. Which is, you might guess, unusual for us. Our brother-in-law's band was here from New Orleans and we couldn't miss it.
Tomorrow I sign up for the Texas Placement Test I need to register for courses come April. The exam itself is on the 21st of this month, so I'll be spending the next couple of weeks studying like mad...I hope.
Saturday, March 1, 2008
I bought shoes today. Goodwill had a pair of dark brown Timberlands that may never have been worn for $10.
I also purchased a 13-pocket portfolio for paperwork, which Darling is organizing now, and a new notebook. We had a a gluttonous lunch at Thundercloud Subs. And that's my spending for March.
I should have been working rather than shopping today, but times are so lean I gave my shift away to someone desperate to make rent. There's a lot of talk about budget these days after work. One coworker despaired that he'll be putting his mortgage payment on his credit card - Again! A couple of people have been job hunting, and discovering that there isn't much available this time of year. One or two of us offered advice and condolences: come Summer, we'll all be filthy rich! I remember last July when everyone seemed to be buying cars, and two coworkers bought houses (well, bought mortgages). We miss those $400 weekends!
If Darling and I can get through these last few weeks of Spring on a single income, perfecting our bare-bones budget and putting away money for college, April will come and our net worth will sky rocket! And we will be too busy to take long walks, study little seedlings, and sleep past noon. I need to remember to treasure the now, as well as plan for the future.
I also purchased a 13-pocket portfolio for paperwork, which Darling is organizing now, and a new notebook. We had a a gluttonous lunch at Thundercloud Subs. And that's my spending for March.
I should have been working rather than shopping today, but times are so lean I gave my shift away to someone desperate to make rent. There's a lot of talk about budget these days after work. One coworker despaired that he'll be putting his mortgage payment on his credit card - Again! A couple of people have been job hunting, and discovering that there isn't much available this time of year. One or two of us offered advice and condolences: come Summer, we'll all be filthy rich! I remember last July when everyone seemed to be buying cars, and two coworkers bought houses (well, bought mortgages). We miss those $400 weekends!
If Darling and I can get through these last few weeks of Spring on a single income, perfecting our bare-bones budget and putting away money for college, April will come and our net worth will sky rocket! And we will be too busy to take long walks, study little seedlings, and sleep past noon. I need to remember to treasure the now, as well as plan for the future.
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