"We're you really angry at the meeting yesterday, or just a little?"
Crap. I don't easily lose my temper. I'm normally the most patient and level-headed person at any given workplace. When someone does push my buttons, however, my pale complexion erupts in red blotches. That's why I got up at the last meeting and walked across the room to pour and drink a glass of water, hoping no one was paying attention. Apparently Kel was.
It's nice to know that at least someone cares. And that someone had the delicacy to wait for a quiet moment the next day to asses the situation. I shrugged, admitted that I hadn't gotten enough sleep the night before, and the topic dropped.
Less than an hour later I was coping with one co-worker throwing a hissy fit and another insisting on "clearing the air," which was successfully stoking the flames of what should have been solved with a five-minute cool-down period. I got home much later that night than necessary.
Battles of will and ego don't confine themselves to my workplace. At a house meeting Rin wants to know why we don't do more together as a group. Shouldn't we be more cohesive? Why don't we have weekly dinners like other houses? I point out the obvious answers to her question and come off looking like an uncooperative jerk.* Perhaps my frustration is intensified by the fact that I'd begged out of a family dinner so as to attend this meeting.
In other words, I'm experiencing unusually high levels of agitation right now. It might be the effect of my oppressive work schedule. It might be the stress of being absolutely, totally broke for weeks on end. It might be the mounting trepidation of my upcoming long-term challenge. I can't tell if everyone around me is unusually petty and obtuse, or if I'm unusually impatient, or both.
Yuck. Hopefully this mood passes soon.
* We're nine people with nine very different schedules, including a coffee shop employee, corporate drone, student, and bartender. Everyone has a really, really hard time even making the one meeting a week...To try and create another mandatory gathering would put added pressure on those who would attend while alienating those who will inevitably miss out. Not that we don't eat or socialize: many of us take particular effort in preparing meals for each other, playing board games in the evening, going swimming, and so on.
Wednesday, June 29, 2011
Tuesday, June 28, 2011
Meetings+Sleep Deprivation=Suck
Sunday my Mom came into town. My day was spent traveling to my brother's house ten thousand miles and one bus transfer away from my home to hang out with them for all of six minutes before needing to go to work. Faced with the task of getting home from that evening when the night buses weren't running with neither bike nor cab fare, I was very relieved when my sister-in-law offered the use of her town bike.
I then missed the bus and had to ride to work, showing up sweaty, flustered, and late. It was worth it having the bike to ride home, but the weight of the cruiser added at least twenty minutes to that night's trip.
Four hours after getting home from work I had to wake up and go straight back for a meeting. I cycled fifteen minutes to the train station and slept in the comfortable seat. I was very, very grumpy during the two-hour meeting, at one point so frustrated that I nearly walked out for very immature reasons.
Afterward I returned Sister-in-laws's bike and my day improved. Baby O played with me for quite a while before Mom took me out for lunch and vegan ice cream. Then I headed back to my house for another meeting, which was comparably pleasant, and after that hung out with Ambi to watch the rest of Game of Thrones.
This morning I chose to sleep in rather than try and fix my bike. It was a worthwhile sacrifice. I'll be able to get home by bus for the rest of the week, at least. And only four days until payday!
I then missed the bus and had to ride to work, showing up sweaty, flustered, and late. It was worth it having the bike to ride home, but the weight of the cruiser added at least twenty minutes to that night's trip.
Four hours after getting home from work I had to wake up and go straight back for a meeting. I cycled fifteen minutes to the train station and slept in the comfortable seat. I was very, very grumpy during the two-hour meeting, at one point so frustrated that I nearly walked out for very immature reasons.
Afterward I returned Sister-in-laws's bike and my day improved. Baby O played with me for quite a while before Mom took me out for lunch and vegan ice cream. Then I headed back to my house for another meeting, which was comparably pleasant, and after that hung out with Ambi to watch the rest of Game of Thrones.
This morning I chose to sleep in rather than try and fix my bike. It was a worthwhile sacrifice. I'll be able to get home by bus for the rest of the week, at least. And only four days until payday!
Sunday, June 26, 2011
Bike Break Down
Bleh.
Thursday I hung out with Xy and Raja during the day and they gave me a ride to work, which meant a trip home by bus. Friday, of course, was spent with the baby and that evening I took a walk to Barton Springs to partake in the evening free swim.
Yesterday it was back to the commute, wrestling the bike onto a bus and paying my scrounged dollar for a one-way ride. I had an easy enough shift, but wasn't especially looking forward to the evening ride home. Not only was I battling a mild caffeine withdrawal headache (I'm finding that I can have my morning coffee or a chance at being hydrated during the day...it's a tough call), but it dawned on me that Saturday evening traffic would be very different from Wednesday night.
At midnight on a weekday the straight-through-the-middle-of-town involves the least amount of work: I point my bike south, listen for the approach of an occasional car, and coast downhill most of the way. At nine-thirty last night, however, traffic was still heavy. I checked on-line and found a route home along quiet roads with bike paths, which unfortunately cut across the very-hilly college campus. That's what I get for whining about a lackluster work-out.
The first five or so miles were absolutely awesome, re-affirming that biking home is the best commute ever. Then I began to feel a wobble in my left pedal. At first ever-so-slight, it could have been my imagination. Or has that always been there? By the time I crossed campus and hit the drag, the wobble was accompanied by a threatening squeak. Assuming I'd left a screw loose when replacing the pedals, I pulled over and tightened them with a hex key. Nothing I'd tampered with in the past, or anything I could discern by streetlight, was loose besides the entire crank (I just had to do a quick search to determine what the arm-type thing the pedal actually screws into is called).
Even though I couldn't tell what was wrong, each push forward was soon accompanied by a steady, grinding whine. Fairly certain my bike was on the verge of losing her guts and with no money for bus fare, I had to walk her the rest of the way home.
Don't know when I'll get a chance to fix the problem, but at least this doesn't suck as much as having a "new" used car break down halfway home.
Thursday I hung out with Xy and Raja during the day and they gave me a ride to work, which meant a trip home by bus. Friday, of course, was spent with the baby and that evening I took a walk to Barton Springs to partake in the evening free swim.
Yesterday it was back to the commute, wrestling the bike onto a bus and paying my scrounged dollar for a one-way ride. I had an easy enough shift, but wasn't especially looking forward to the evening ride home. Not only was I battling a mild caffeine withdrawal headache (I'm finding that I can have my morning coffee or a chance at being hydrated during the day...it's a tough call), but it dawned on me that Saturday evening traffic would be very different from Wednesday night.
At midnight on a weekday the straight-through-the-middle-of-town involves the least amount of work: I point my bike south, listen for the approach of an occasional car, and coast downhill most of the way. At nine-thirty last night, however, traffic was still heavy. I checked on-line and found a route home along quiet roads with bike paths, which unfortunately cut across the very-hilly college campus. That's what I get for whining about a lackluster work-out.
The first five or so miles were absolutely awesome, re-affirming that biking home is the best commute ever. Then I began to feel a wobble in my left pedal. At first ever-so-slight, it could have been my imagination. Or has that always been there? By the time I crossed campus and hit the drag, the wobble was accompanied by a threatening squeak. Assuming I'd left a screw loose when replacing the pedals, I pulled over and tightened them with a hex key. Nothing I'd tampered with in the past, or anything I could discern by streetlight, was loose besides the entire crank (I just had to do a quick search to determine what the arm-type thing the pedal actually screws into is called).
Even though I couldn't tell what was wrong, each push forward was soon accompanied by a steady, grinding whine. Fairly certain my bike was on the verge of losing her guts and with no money for bus fare, I had to walk her the rest of the way home.
Don't know when I'll get a chance to fix the problem, but at least this doesn't suck as much as having a "new" used car break down halfway home.
Thursday, June 23, 2011
My first Commute By Bike
My new bike is a vintage trek racing bike, at least as old as myself and in much better shape. She looks a lot like this.
I'm totally unused to the posture and style of riding such a bike, but after months of riding a super-heavy cruiser, the speed and responsiveness is a revelation. Not dissimilar to driving a small sports car after a Summer behind the wheel of a Toyota Tundra.
Tuesday I rode her to the train station to work, but a rainstorm forced me to accept a ride home from a coworker. So it wasn't until last night that I got to try out my eight mile ride home for the first time.
We had a late rush at work and I ended up staying on an extra hour helping to catch up. Feeling rough and worn out, I wasn't looking forward to pedaling home. Having missed the last day bus, however, I had another hour to wait for the first night owl! So I hopped on the saddle and, before I knew it, was very nearly home and had not come close to breaking a sweat. The streets were mostly clear and, although I was anxious about drunk drivers as I coasted down the drag and through downtown, I didn't have a single issue.
The ride was so easy, in fact, that I couldn't help but be a little disappointed. This was supposed to be my daily workout! Climbing the last massive hill home, however, got me huffing and puffing. So there may be some aerobic merit to the ride after all.
The entire trip took me about 45 minutes. Not only is that half as long as the bus takes, but it's only about ten minutes longer than the trip by car in daytime traffic (not rush hour). I arrived home feeling refreshed, took a quick shower, drank some herbal tea, and passed out feeling great.
I'm totally unused to the posture and style of riding such a bike, but after months of riding a super-heavy cruiser, the speed and responsiveness is a revelation. Not dissimilar to driving a small sports car after a Summer behind the wheel of a Toyota Tundra.
Tuesday I rode her to the train station to work, but a rainstorm forced me to accept a ride home from a coworker. So it wasn't until last night that I got to try out my eight mile ride home for the first time.
We had a late rush at work and I ended up staying on an extra hour helping to catch up. Feeling rough and worn out, I wasn't looking forward to pedaling home. Having missed the last day bus, however, I had another hour to wait for the first night owl! So I hopped on the saddle and, before I knew it, was very nearly home and had not come close to breaking a sweat. The streets were mostly clear and, although I was anxious about drunk drivers as I coasted down the drag and through downtown, I didn't have a single issue.
The ride was so easy, in fact, that I couldn't help but be a little disappointed. This was supposed to be my daily workout! Climbing the last massive hill home, however, got me huffing and puffing. So there may be some aerobic merit to the ride after all.
The entire trip took me about 45 minutes. Not only is that half as long as the bus takes, but it's only about ten minutes longer than the trip by car in daytime traffic (not rush hour). I arrived home feeling refreshed, took a quick shower, drank some herbal tea, and passed out feeling great.
Tuesday, June 21, 2011
Catching Up and Making Plans
Yesterday I finally fixed my adopted bike. It really only needed a couple of adjustments: a lowered seat and new pedals. I gave it a good test ride to and from the library and, besides having no idea how the gear system works, I feel comfortable enough to ride it home tonight.
In order to assuage my friends' concerns about my riding eight miles from work, I walked home one evening last week to get the best possible feel of the route. It took me a little more than three hours, mostly because I got turned around at one point and added at least half an hour to my trip. Although it's not a walk I'd like to take again, it was not, as many of my coworkers insisted, "impossible." And if I can enjoy a trip on foot, taking it on a bike will be a breeze and a half.
Last night I baked chocolate oatmeal cookies and Darling and I had a very good talk about money, employment, capitalism, spending, and so on. At first he was a little alarmed at the thought of embarking on an extended consumer strike. During his break from ACC, he enrolled in a state-funded training program for NABCEP practitioners hosted by the local electricians union. We've long considered shifting his renewable energy studies into a career in electrical work, but he was hesitant to commit to a five year apprenticeship program. Hanging out at the union and getting to know instructors, contractors, and novices has finally compelled him to apply for a spot in the full program. Nothing is guaranteed, but upon acceptance he would qualify for wages and benefits that would totally change our financial reality. We'd finally be able to afford darn near anything we want! And, as a vegetarian living in a cooperative who rides his bike to and from the offices in the heat of the Texas Summer, Darling really, really did not want to hurt his small chance of fitting in with the hyper-traditional masculine crowd he'd be working with. So...not spending money? Pretty much the opposite of what my husband was looking forward to in the next ten months.
After explaining my theory and what I hope to accomplish, however, Darling got the point. The goal would not be to sacrifice needs or forgo wants, but cultivate a system of satisfying both needs and wants outside the capitalist system. I know that might sound ridiculous/impossible, and I'll go deeper into the details over time, but it is a worthwhile experiment. After lengthy debate, we agreed that it needs to be long term, but with scheduled periods for review. Due to the nature of the project we won't arrange for a gearing up period, as we had with early no-spend months. We'll start July 1st for ease of scheduling, even though we won't have any money for one last meal at a restaurant or trip to Goodwill. He is still going to get his $30+ worth of computer supplies he's been requesting for his birthday, but otherwise we don't expect to make many exceptions. Our first review period will be three months from the start, October, so we can make needed adjustments to our philosophy before the holidays.
I intend to spend the next nine days practicing and developing an awareness of what makes me want to spend, and how such desires can be met without buying.
In order to assuage my friends' concerns about my riding eight miles from work, I walked home one evening last week to get the best possible feel of the route. It took me a little more than three hours, mostly because I got turned around at one point and added at least half an hour to my trip. Although it's not a walk I'd like to take again, it was not, as many of my coworkers insisted, "impossible." And if I can enjoy a trip on foot, taking it on a bike will be a breeze and a half.
Last night I baked chocolate oatmeal cookies and Darling and I had a very good talk about money, employment, capitalism, spending, and so on. At first he was a little alarmed at the thought of embarking on an extended consumer strike. During his break from ACC, he enrolled in a state-funded training program for NABCEP practitioners hosted by the local electricians union. We've long considered shifting his renewable energy studies into a career in electrical work, but he was hesitant to commit to a five year apprenticeship program. Hanging out at the union and getting to know instructors, contractors, and novices has finally compelled him to apply for a spot in the full program. Nothing is guaranteed, but upon acceptance he would qualify for wages and benefits that would totally change our financial reality. We'd finally be able to afford darn near anything we want! And, as a vegetarian living in a cooperative who rides his bike to and from the offices in the heat of the Texas Summer, Darling really, really did not want to hurt his small chance of fitting in with the hyper-traditional masculine crowd he'd be working with. So...not spending money? Pretty much the opposite of what my husband was looking forward to in the next ten months.
After explaining my theory and what I hope to accomplish, however, Darling got the point. The goal would not be to sacrifice needs or forgo wants, but cultivate a system of satisfying both needs and wants outside the capitalist system. I know that might sound ridiculous/impossible, and I'll go deeper into the details over time, but it is a worthwhile experiment. After lengthy debate, we agreed that it needs to be long term, but with scheduled periods for review. Due to the nature of the project we won't arrange for a gearing up period, as we had with early no-spend months. We'll start July 1st for ease of scheduling, even though we won't have any money for one last meal at a restaurant or trip to Goodwill. He is still going to get his $30+ worth of computer supplies he's been requesting for his birthday, but otherwise we don't expect to make many exceptions. Our first review period will be three months from the start, October, so we can make needed adjustments to our philosophy before the holidays.
I intend to spend the next nine days practicing and developing an awareness of what makes me want to spend, and how such desires can be met without buying.
Monday, June 20, 2011
A Challenging Challenge
A funny thing happened on my way to...uh, the blog.
Yesterday I wrote a post entitled "I May Not Be A Dreamer" to explain that while, technically, I could embark on a really interesting challenge, I wasn't gonna. My very good excuse is that all my time, energy, and excess cash should go towards my dental health. The latter point remains. I will be going to a dentist and having my teeth fixed in the next six months, come Hell or high water. That said, writing my "non-dreamer" post evoked a strange internal response.
My thoughts drifted into strange and unusual places. What would it actually be like to go ten months without spending money? What if my intention wasn't to develop my frugality, but to step away from the capitalist process altogether? This blog has always been about abstaining from credit, which I imagined depended on proper money management. But, in looking at my progress so far, it is life management that has done me the most good. Living somewhere I don't need a car, sharing my daily expenses with eight other people, buying second hand, borrowing, and sharing have not only reaped substantial savings, but yielded deep bonds and an unexpectedly rewarding lifestyle. Why wouldn't I take this a step further?
What would it mean to cross the line between frugality and freeganism? Not straight up dumpster diving, per se, but a voluntary restriction from general spending? What if when someone asked me to go to lunch, I responded, of my own free will, "No thanks, I don't spend money," the way, as a vegetarian invited to a barbecue, I respond, "No thanks, I don't eat meat."
How would that change my life, myself, and the people around me? How would it influence my marriage and my family relations? Without money as a bridge, could I reach my Mom and Dad? Without the excuse of poverty, could I handle the guilt of holiday gluttony, or lack thereof? Where would I find a place in this city, where one is defined by her favorite bar and trailer taco, if I did not indulge so? How would I prove my worth as a person without expensive gifts and casual, pricey generosity? How would I ease my occasional frustrations without a trip to the corner store for ice cream and soda?
Would I burn out and morph suddenly into a shopaholic? Or would I find myself more easily satisfied, more creative, more loving and grateful? Would I find an interesting class of non-shoppers to befriend, scattered throughout my current life, eager to offer tips and share experiences? Would I run into jerks who feel inexplicably threatened by my lifestyle choices, like the coworker yesterday who announced his intention to "convert" me from my vegetarian ways?
Perhaps most importantly, from a social experimentalist perspective, do I even have the right to let such an opportunity slip away? After all, I'm young, childless, and living and working at cooperatives. My husband is totally behind any and every idiotic scheme I'm capable of coming up with. I have a proven capacity to record my endeavors for posterity, whether or not they're worth reading. I would not be embarking on said experiment out of necessity, and could "back out" whenever I wanted.
If we decided to go through with the experiment, I believe these would be the ground rules:
- We would start on July 1st and end on April 1st.
- The goal would not be to save, invest, or service debt, but to abstain from spending money, to potentially cauterize the wound of capitalism at its source. Therefore the success of this project lies not in how much we have in the bank come next April, but how deeply we can enjoy life regardless of our account balances.
- Because rent at our house covers food and other daily necessities, we will obviously continue to pay for that. Our second priority will be health and absolutely nothing will come between me and getting the dental care I need.
- We will also continue to purchase whatever is absolutely necessary to maintain hygiene, employment, transportation, and other needs as they arise.
- We will continue to manage money responsibly by saving 10% of our income and heavily servicing debt. Both saving and debt servicing will come after paying dental expenses.
- If and when we do spend, we will attempt to do so as responsibly as possible. We will first seek out a cooperative business, if one is not available we will purchase from a non-profit, and failing that we will purchase from a local business.
I have eleven days to consider this and talk it over with Darling. We'd definitely have some kinks to work out, but to be honest, I'm really not seeing why wouldn't go for it.
Yesterday I wrote a post entitled "I May Not Be A Dreamer" to explain that while, technically, I could embark on a really interesting challenge, I wasn't gonna. My very good excuse is that all my time, energy, and excess cash should go towards my dental health. The latter point remains. I will be going to a dentist and having my teeth fixed in the next six months, come Hell or high water. That said, writing my "non-dreamer" post evoked a strange internal response.
My thoughts drifted into strange and unusual places. What would it actually be like to go ten months without spending money? What if my intention wasn't to develop my frugality, but to step away from the capitalist process altogether? This blog has always been about abstaining from credit, which I imagined depended on proper money management. But, in looking at my progress so far, it is life management that has done me the most good. Living somewhere I don't need a car, sharing my daily expenses with eight other people, buying second hand, borrowing, and sharing have not only reaped substantial savings, but yielded deep bonds and an unexpectedly rewarding lifestyle. Why wouldn't I take this a step further?
What would it mean to cross the line between frugality and freeganism? Not straight up dumpster diving, per se, but a voluntary restriction from general spending? What if when someone asked me to go to lunch, I responded, of my own free will, "No thanks, I don't spend money," the way, as a vegetarian invited to a barbecue, I respond, "No thanks, I don't eat meat."
How would that change my life, myself, and the people around me? How would it influence my marriage and my family relations? Without money as a bridge, could I reach my Mom and Dad? Without the excuse of poverty, could I handle the guilt of holiday gluttony, or lack thereof? Where would I find a place in this city, where one is defined by her favorite bar and trailer taco, if I did not indulge so? How would I prove my worth as a person without expensive gifts and casual, pricey generosity? How would I ease my occasional frustrations without a trip to the corner store for ice cream and soda?
Would I burn out and morph suddenly into a shopaholic? Or would I find myself more easily satisfied, more creative, more loving and grateful? Would I find an interesting class of non-shoppers to befriend, scattered throughout my current life, eager to offer tips and share experiences? Would I run into jerks who feel inexplicably threatened by my lifestyle choices, like the coworker yesterday who announced his intention to "convert" me from my vegetarian ways?
Perhaps most importantly, from a social experimentalist perspective, do I even have the right to let such an opportunity slip away? After all, I'm young, childless, and living and working at cooperatives. My husband is totally behind any and every idiotic scheme I'm capable of coming up with. I have a proven capacity to record my endeavors for posterity, whether or not they're worth reading. I would not be embarking on said experiment out of necessity, and could "back out" whenever I wanted.
If we decided to go through with the experiment, I believe these would be the ground rules:
- We would start on July 1st and end on April 1st.
- The goal would not be to save, invest, or service debt, but to abstain from spending money, to potentially cauterize the wound of capitalism at its source. Therefore the success of this project lies not in how much we have in the bank come next April, but how deeply we can enjoy life regardless of our account balances.
- Because rent at our house covers food and other daily necessities, we will obviously continue to pay for that. Our second priority will be health and absolutely nothing will come between me and getting the dental care I need.
- We will also continue to purchase whatever is absolutely necessary to maintain hygiene, employment, transportation, and other needs as they arise.
- We will continue to manage money responsibly by saving 10% of our income and heavily servicing debt. Both saving and debt servicing will come after paying dental expenses.
- If and when we do spend, we will attempt to do so as responsibly as possible. We will first seek out a cooperative business, if one is not available we will purchase from a non-profit, and failing that we will purchase from a local business.
I have eleven days to consider this and talk it over with Darling. We'd definitely have some kinks to work out, but to be honest, I'm really not seeing why wouldn't go for it.
Sunday, June 19, 2011
I May Not Be A Dreamer...
One of the things weighing very heavily on my mind lately is how much I should focus on debt servicing.
We started this year off with a bang by allotting $650/month - basically most of my tax refund - to debt servicing. Then I hit that employment snag and and haven't made a significant payment in a couple of months. Nor will I until August.
In order to reach my goal of being debt free within the first five years of this blog, Darling and I need to pay about $1,000/month to this goal. I'll go ahead and say right now that such a thing is narrowly, barely possible. Assuming Darling and I only spent money on transportation (bus passes and bike maintenance), and basic hygiene (including shampoo, but not hair cuts), and did spend any money on any holidays at all (including birthdays, weddings, and our 7th wedding anniversary), we might be able to meet this goal.
I love a good challenge, and ten consecutive "spend nothing" months would probably be good for Darling and me. We could nipour my convenience snacking in the bud. Instead of fantasizing about buying a not-quite-new bike I'd be forced to repair my broken bikes like a true hardcore cyclist. We could even technically forgo riding the bus altogether come September when it might be cool enough for me to ride both ways to work. Heck, maybe I could even cut down on shampoo and conditioner by switching back to baking soda and vinegar. Much as I would hate to continue missing capoeira and yoga classes, I'd certainly maintain my fitness levels cycling 8-16 miles six days a week.The possibilities are enough to make a frugal girl giddy!
However, how much we could reduce spending is only half the story. In about a month I will have insurance. The day after getting my card I intend to find a dentist and have a lot of work done. We're talking two root canals, three caps, and many, many fillings. As my company employs fewer than 20 people, I'm thinking ours is not the best HMO in the entire world. In other words, even if Darling and I are able to cut our "regular" expenses down to the bone, we can expect a massive surge in borderline-emergency medical expenses. I'm expecting to spend roughly $2500 in this area alone. And lets not forget another $300 in optometrist expenses in the next eleven months.
Obviously our best course of action is to reduce our spending as much as possible while pursuing both dental health and debt freedom. But the moment a dream becomes the impossible dream, commitment is less exciting. Sure, Darling and I could scrimp and save for ten months. We could even make it feel fun. But scrimp and save for eleven, twelve, thirteen, or a year and a half? Not so exciting a concept. Especially considering that we would be putting off other sound financial choices, such as building an emergency savings fund.
I haven't given up the dream yet, these are just my concerns. The radical in me wants to jump in and make the commitment, come hell or high water. Hopeless as it seems, Darling could land an excellent job he's been circling like a hawk, a tax refund or bonus from work could give us a massive boost - or at least cover the medical expenses, or I could find a way to make an extra $50 a week (another $2600 over the course of a year to cover medical expenses). We really won't know unless we try.
I'll definitely seek Darling's input before making any promises. But how absolutely awesome would it be to spend ten months kicking butt and, come my 27th birthday, find ourselves not only debt free but having effectively doubled our monthly spending money?
We started this year off with a bang by allotting $650/month - basically most of my tax refund - to debt servicing. Then I hit that employment snag and and haven't made a significant payment in a couple of months. Nor will I until August.
In order to reach my goal of being debt free within the first five years of this blog, Darling and I need to pay about $1,000/month to this goal. I'll go ahead and say right now that such a thing is narrowly, barely possible. Assuming Darling and I only spent money on transportation (bus passes and bike maintenance), and basic hygiene (including shampoo, but not hair cuts), and did spend any money on any holidays at all (including birthdays, weddings, and our 7th wedding anniversary), we might be able to meet this goal.
I love a good challenge, and ten consecutive "spend nothing" months would probably be good for Darling and me. We could nip
However, how much we could reduce spending is only half the story. In about a month I will have insurance. The day after getting my card I intend to find a dentist and have a lot of work done. We're talking two root canals, three caps, and many, many fillings. As my company employs fewer than 20 people, I'm thinking ours is not the best HMO in the entire world. In other words, even if Darling and I are able to cut our "regular" expenses down to the bone, we can expect a massive surge in borderline-emergency medical expenses. I'm expecting to spend roughly $2500 in this area alone. And lets not forget another $300 in optometrist expenses in the next eleven months.
Obviously our best course of action is to reduce our spending as much as possible while pursuing both dental health and debt freedom. But the moment a dream becomes the impossible dream, commitment is less exciting. Sure, Darling and I could scrimp and save for ten months. We could even make it feel fun. But scrimp and save for eleven, twelve, thirteen, or a year and a half? Not so exciting a concept. Especially considering that we would be putting off other sound financial choices, such as building an emergency savings fund.
I haven't given up the dream yet, these are just my concerns. The radical in me wants to jump in and make the commitment, come hell or high water. Hopeless as it seems, Darling could land an excellent job he's been circling like a hawk, a tax refund or bonus from work could give us a massive boost - or at least cover the medical expenses, or I could find a way to make an extra $50 a week (another $2600 over the course of a year to cover medical expenses). We really won't know unless we try.
I'll definitely seek Darling's input before making any promises. But how absolutely awesome would it be to spend ten months kicking butt and, come my 27th birthday, find ourselves not only debt free but having effectively doubled our monthly spending money?
Friday, June 17, 2011
Credit Union Research
Now that Darling and I do the majority of our earning and spending through cooperatives, I thought it might be worth completing the circle and switch to a credit union for our banking needs.
Since our current bank has actually been really awesome from the day we opened our account in 2007, this isn't a choice to be made lightly. I decided to research every credit union in Austin and rate them on a number of factors, including minimum balances and interest rates for checking accounts, saving accounts, IRAs, HSAs, holiday accounts, and CODs. At first I expected the three or four credit unions to effectively mirror each other. I soon learned that there are no fewer than 20 public credit unions in town, and each offers significantly varied services. Each one offered very high interest on one or two types of account, and downright dismal interest on others.
After weeks of being very bored with the entire project, I finally analyzed the data and made three conclusions. The first was that my current bank is fairly mediocre. The second was that Ing, with whom I already have a savings account, is superior to the credit unions in almost every way. And the third was that the "best" credit union in Austin, by my insanely unscientific rating system, was also the most well-rounded. By offering decent rates across the board it garnered the most points.
I don't think there are any tips I can offer anyone wanting to do the same except to do the research. Fortunately every credit union but one in Austin advertises its rates on-line. Some Credit Unions backed by actual unions offered great rates, others were at the bottom of my list. The largest credit union I looked at was surprisingly unimpressive, but the one I decided to go with is a fairly large company as well. My second choice, however, was one of the smaller credit unions. In other words, size and background didn't offer any clues to service. Also, if you're only looking for a checking account, you would choose a different bank than me. And I didn't look at credit rates at all. If I'd cared about interest rates on car loans, mortgages, or face lifts, I might very well have come up with a totally different conclusion altogether. In other words, there is absolutely no formula or rating system I can suggest. Spend weeks number crunching, or go with the one closest to your house. Which, by the way, I would have done if any credit union was anywhere near my house
I haven't made the switch yet and don't know when I will. Maybe in six years when I need more checks?
Since our current bank has actually been really awesome from the day we opened our account in 2007, this isn't a choice to be made lightly. I decided to research every credit union in Austin and rate them on a number of factors, including minimum balances and interest rates for checking accounts, saving accounts, IRAs, HSAs, holiday accounts, and CODs. At first I expected the three or four credit unions to effectively mirror each other. I soon learned that there are no fewer than 20 public credit unions in town, and each offers significantly varied services. Each one offered very high interest on one or two types of account, and downright dismal interest on others.
After weeks of being very bored with the entire project, I finally analyzed the data and made three conclusions. The first was that my current bank is fairly mediocre. The second was that Ing, with whom I already have a savings account, is superior to the credit unions in almost every way. And the third was that the "best" credit union in Austin, by my insanely unscientific rating system, was also the most well-rounded. By offering decent rates across the board it garnered the most points.
I don't think there are any tips I can offer anyone wanting to do the same except to do the research. Fortunately every credit union but one in Austin advertises its rates on-line. Some Credit Unions backed by actual unions offered great rates, others were at the bottom of my list. The largest credit union I looked at was surprisingly unimpressive, but the one I decided to go with is a fairly large company as well. My second choice, however, was one of the smaller credit unions. In other words, size and background didn't offer any clues to service. Also, if you're only looking for a checking account, you would choose a different bank than me. And I didn't look at credit rates at all. If I'd cared about interest rates on car loans, mortgages, or face lifts, I might very well have come up with a totally different conclusion altogether. In other words, there is absolutely no formula or rating system I can suggest. Spend weeks number crunching, or go with the one closest to your house. Which, by the way, I would have done if any credit union was anywhere near my house
I haven't made the switch yet and don't know when I will. Maybe in six years when I need more checks?
Tuesday, June 14, 2011
First Cooperative Paycheck
I got my first paycheck!
The business manager took pity on me and gave checks out a couple of days early. Which is not, generally speaking, the right thing to do. But really? I've been agonizingly curious about what a post-tax check would look like.
And it looks good.
I'd love to say that 10% is already in an emergency fund and the bulk is going straight to debt servicing, but Darling and I are still dealing with the fact that we've had almost no income for six weeks. So this paycheck is dedicated almost entirely to June rent, the next check will cover rent in July, and much of the next check is dedicated to paying the last of that really big annoying phone bill.
So, this time next month I'll get to wax ecstatic about the possibilities of a steady fair wage...
The business manager took pity on me and gave checks out a couple of days early. Which is not, generally speaking, the right thing to do. But really? I've been agonizingly curious about what a post-tax check would look like.
And it looks good.
I'd love to say that 10% is already in an emergency fund and the bulk is going straight to debt servicing, but Darling and I are still dealing with the fact that we've had almost no income for six weeks. So this paycheck is dedicated almost entirely to June rent, the next check will cover rent in July, and much of the next check is dedicated to paying the last of that really big annoying phone bill.
So, this time next month I'll get to wax ecstatic about the possibilities of a steady fair wage...
Saturday, June 11, 2011
Settling In
I finally seem to be adjusting to my new schedule. No more twenty minute waits for the bus to work, and I'm getting better at shutting the place down so that I'm able to get home 1:30-2:30 a.m., which isn't bad at all. I've found that Darling packs significantly more delicious dinners than I do, and he can do so while I'm wrestling with my hair at the last minute. I even arranged to hang out with friends on Thursday afternoon, squeezing them between a committee meeting and an evening shift.
Believe it or not, my first committee was really exciting. We had to clean up our renumeration protocol and re-arrange and set standards that have come up in our brief history. It was awesome discussing labor margins, the CPI index, fairness, and the FLSA and applying them directly to our reality. Doubly exciting is how we are going about reviewing our budget on a month by month basis: I've seen a lot of businesses plunge head first into debt, throwing borrowed money at ever-arising emergencies on an almost arbitrary basis. Success for these owners means that they can start paying themselves minimum wage while keeping up with endless payments. The pub doesn't have that luxury, and we are going to be so much stronger for it.
Also? I'm not just a server. Which is cool.
Believe it or not, my first committee was really exciting. We had to clean up our renumeration protocol and re-arrange and set standards that have come up in our brief history. It was awesome discussing labor margins, the CPI index, fairness, and the FLSA and applying them directly to our reality. Doubly exciting is how we are going about reviewing our budget on a month by month basis: I've seen a lot of businesses plunge head first into debt, throwing borrowed money at ever-arising emergencies on an almost arbitrary basis. Success for these owners means that they can start paying themselves minimum wage while keeping up with endless payments. The pub doesn't have that luxury, and we are going to be so much stronger for it.
Also? I'm not just a server. Which is cool.
Monday, June 6, 2011
Packing Lunch
The past several days I've packed my lunch for work and that has made a massive difference in my spending habits. The first day I had a cucumber and cream cheese sandwich, the next a big container of rice and beans, and on the third a peanut-butter and honey sandwich.
Imagine my surprise at never really needing these meals. Two days in a row the kitchen accidentally made food that I was able to call my own (a delicious grilled veggie sandwich and fresh salad, respectively), and on the third day the kitchen straight up made me an amazing veggie quiche out of leftovers. I didn't announce that I had brought my lunch or anything like that, there was just extra food that needed eating. I simply enjoyed my uneaten packed meals for breakfast the next day.
Not only have I saved money, but getting free food (and having a back-up) seems to relieve my appetite. Until this week I'd go into work planning to eat a nice salad. By the time I ordered, however, usually after a hectic and exhausting dinner rush, I wanted fat, sugar, and salt. I'd guiltily order one of three unhealthy menu items and polish them off.
In contrast, having knowing that I had a nice sandwich waiting for me was enough to get me through the rush, and not having to agonize over the health and financial merits of my dinner was a great relief.
I don't know if there's a moral to the story. Packing a lunch is just common sense 101. But it is one of those things we forget, after a while, let slide as an amateur move.
Imagine my surprise at never really needing these meals. Two days in a row the kitchen accidentally made food that I was able to call my own (a delicious grilled veggie sandwich and fresh salad, respectively), and on the third day the kitchen straight up made me an amazing veggie quiche out of leftovers. I didn't announce that I had brought my lunch or anything like that, there was just extra food that needed eating. I simply enjoyed my uneaten packed meals for breakfast the next day.
Not only have I saved money, but getting free food (and having a back-up) seems to relieve my appetite. Until this week I'd go into work planning to eat a nice salad. By the time I ordered, however, usually after a hectic and exhausting dinner rush, I wanted fat, sugar, and salt. I'd guiltily order one of three unhealthy menu items and polish them off.
In contrast, having knowing that I had a nice sandwich waiting for me was enough to get me through the rush, and not having to agonize over the health and financial merits of my dinner was a great relief.
I don't know if there's a moral to the story. Packing a lunch is just common sense 101. But it is one of those things we forget, after a while, let slide as an amateur move.
Friday, June 3, 2011
May Tabulations
My monthly tabulations for May are pretty bizarre. I received my last couple of paychecks from my old jobs and worked a few restaurant shifts, but since I didn't get a paycheck from my new full time position, I brought home less than $600 despite working over 200 hours. Salary folks have not told me this is a normal, albeit frustrating, way of starting a new job.
So, technically speaking, last month my real hourly wage was just over $2/hour. It would have been slightly more had I not spent over $100 between commuting and work lunches.
Obviously I'll get paid significantly more than $2 for all those hours worked, and I'm looking forward to climbing out of this cozy little hole I've dug. But the fact remains that I spent more than half of what I earned this month. One wouldn't even think this is possible without the use of a credit card.
The first thing I did after tallying up my bus fares for the month was buy a $30 monthly metro ticket. I didn't want to do that at first because my official plan is to ride the train to work and bike back, which shouldn't cost more than $24 a month (and the bus ticket doesn't work on the train). Considering I've only made things worse on the bike front (don't ask), and have ridden the train to work twice so far, it makes sense to go ahead and invest in the bus ticket.
The very next thing I did was pack a dinner to take to work with me, which took all of six minutes. I will be doing this every night for the rest of forever.
Today I also made a payment on the bigbadbill and paid a hundred dollars to my neglected student loan company, to whom I only sent $75 last month. In July I should finish paying off the former, and come August I will commence hacking away at my student debt again.
So, technically speaking, last month my real hourly wage was just over $2/hour. It would have been slightly more had I not spent over $100 between commuting and work lunches.
Obviously I'll get paid significantly more than $2 for all those hours worked, and I'm looking forward to climbing out of this cozy little hole I've dug. But the fact remains that I spent more than half of what I earned this month. One wouldn't even think this is possible without the use of a credit card.
The first thing I did after tallying up my bus fares for the month was buy a $30 monthly metro ticket. I didn't want to do that at first because my official plan is to ride the train to work and bike back, which shouldn't cost more than $24 a month (and the bus ticket doesn't work on the train). Considering I've only made things worse on the bike front (don't ask), and have ridden the train to work twice so far, it makes sense to go ahead and invest in the bus ticket.
The very next thing I did was pack a dinner to take to work with me, which took all of six minutes. I will be doing this every night for the rest of forever.
Today I also made a payment on the bigbadbill and paid a hundred dollars to my neglected student loan company, to whom I only sent $75 last month. In July I should finish paying off the former, and come August I will commence hacking away at my student debt again.
Thursday, June 2, 2011
June 2011 Net Worth
So, financially, May could have gone worse. Possibly.
It started with a new job which rescued me, quite suddenly, from the trials and tribulations of tip-based part-time work. I soon discovered that this job also saved me from earning daily cash, which I needed more than ever to commute back and forth and buy lunch from work.
So, after my last day at the restaurant, I found my coffers running dry. I went to the bank once, then again, to withdraw thirty dollars at a time. I cleaned a house and proudly clutched the twenty dollar bills, convinced they would last me until...wait, where did they go?!
After feeling totally broke for several weeks, I finally got paid yesterday. And the check was nearly a thousand dollars less than what I was expecting. I misunderstood the payroll person when she tried to explain how the system works. We get our paychecks twice a month. I started the day after a paycheck, and wouldn't get paid until the second pay period I'd worked. Which I assumed meant my first paycheck would cover a full pay period as well as the first two weeks of part-time training. What it really meant was that there is basically a two week lag between hours worked and pay earned. I'll earn the money earned between the 15th of March and the 1st of June on the 15th of June.
The end result is a big drop in assets to $2,212.42.
At the same time, our debt increased substantially due to a really big phone-related bill. We owe $10,210.47
This brings our net worth to -$7,998.05, a decrease of $1,104. Not what I was expecting for the month of my awesome new job. I had been planning to pay rent with the first check, cover that idiotic bill with the second, and launch my official new budget in July. Now we might not get a chance to clean up my budget until the holiday panic sets in.
It started with a new job which rescued me, quite suddenly, from the trials and tribulations of tip-based part-time work. I soon discovered that this job also saved me from earning daily cash, which I needed more than ever to commute back and forth and buy lunch from work.
So, after my last day at the restaurant, I found my coffers running dry. I went to the bank once, then again, to withdraw thirty dollars at a time. I cleaned a house and proudly clutched the twenty dollar bills, convinced they would last me until...wait, where did they go?!
After feeling totally broke for several weeks, I finally got paid yesterday. And the check was nearly a thousand dollars less than what I was expecting. I misunderstood the payroll person when she tried to explain how the system works. We get our paychecks twice a month. I started the day after a paycheck, and wouldn't get paid until the second pay period I'd worked. Which I assumed meant my first paycheck would cover a full pay period as well as the first two weeks of part-time training. What it really meant was that there is basically a two week lag between hours worked and pay earned. I'll earn the money earned between the 15th of March and the 1st of June on the 15th of June.
The end result is a big drop in assets to $2,212.42.
At the same time, our debt increased substantially due to a really big phone-related bill. We owe $10,210.47
This brings our net worth to -$7,998.05, a decrease of $1,104. Not what I was expecting for the month of my awesome new job. I had been planning to pay rent with the first check, cover that idiotic bill with the second, and launch my official new budget in July. Now we might not get a chance to clean up my budget until the holiday panic sets in.
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