Layout:
Home > Archive: April, 2005

Archive for April, 2005

My .04 cent raise - update!

April 27th, 2005 at 02:22 am

Ok, so here's the story. I totally chickened out after writing that email...so I basically sent a retraction saying that I was sorry to let my emotions get the best of me and that I didn't want to pursue it. My supervisor is cool - his response made me laugh. I guess I'd be more angry if that was my raise for the year, but it's an almost certainty now that I'm going to get one of the producer jobs (there are TWO openings now!). At least I know that's at least $11 dollars an hour. Not the most I've ever made, but more than I make now, so oh well.... I had a conversation with the janitor at the station who used to be an EMT and also a police officer! We had a nice venting session about how little we make now in comparison to the past. I feel bad for him - he's 48. I'm only 28, so I figure I have time to work up to the big bucks, lol! Anyway, here's the reply I got from my supervisor:

Sorry...but you're right in assuming it's not me. I actually had no idea what you made. ...just a little history though...don't know if it will make you feel better or not...I worked here for 2 years before I made more than $10,000 a year, and I wasn't making as much as you until I had been here 7 years. After 16 years I'm only making a little more than you. Frown

If you're working here because you think you'll eventually make good money, you're in the wrong place. But, if you take advantage of all the learning opportunities, you can go somewhere else and make better money.

...also, don't take the .04 cent thing as personally as you are...It does suck, but I'm pretty sure it's based on some sorta formula...X number of months(less than a year remember) gets Y percent raise. It's a corporate thingy, not "Amy is only worth an extra .04 cents". Hope this helps more than it adds fuel to the fire...but if you DO go into "disgruntled worker" mode...remember...I ALWAYS LIKED YOU!!! : ) Have a great night!

The biggest insult of my life! con't....

April 26th, 2005 at 09:07 am

Ok, I just sent off an email to my supervisor.......Hope this doesn't come back to bite me in the a$$.... Here's what I said:

I apologize in advance for not saying anything in our meeting, but I needed a chance to pull my thoughts together. I wanted to ask about my "new compensation". I don't want to ruffle any feathers, but I also don't want to keep quiet about something that is really bothering me.

I was really happy to get a such a good review, but I am really disheartened (not to mention completely insulted) by my four cents an hour raise. In all honesty, it would be much less insulting to get no raise at all. I get the impression that it's not your decision, so I am not aiming any of this at you, but I really don't know who to talk to about this.

I am hoping this is all a mistake, because I know I am worth much more. I come in here each and every night and really bust my tail to do a good job. I am not here just to get my job done and go home - I truly care about the show and making it the best it can be. I have been 100% reliable, not even calling off when I am sick. I have made it my priority to learn and grow so that I can be an even bigger asset to this company. I am giving my all, yet I don't feel that I am being appreciated in return. Seriously, I mean no disrespect, but I am so completely dumbfounded by this situation that I don't even know what else to say.

What should I do? I am a professional and I refuse to let this affect my job performance, but I cannot bear to let this go without some kind of resolution or explanation. Surely I am worth at least that much.

Thanks,
Amy

The biggest insult of my life!

April 26th, 2005 at 01:37 am

I am SOOOOOO pi$$ed off right now!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! My supervisor called me last night (he works days, I work nights) and asks if I can come in tonight for my review. Ok, no problem. I just got back, had an excellent review, no problems, and everyone is happy with my work. I have never had any issues, and people are constantly telling me that I am really good and constantly going above and beyond, etc. So, at the end of my review my supervisor says, "I don't know what you're making now, but here is your new compensation" (and shows me the paper). The higher ups decide that, not him, so I don't blame him for this. But, my new "compensation"............$9.42, exactly FOUR CENTS higher than my previous hourly wage. I have NEVER EVER been SO insulted in my entire life. I go in there every night and bust my a$$ for 4 f'ing cents. I cannot believe it. I didn't say a word about it, just smiled and signed the damn paper. I am not a confrontational person which is why I chickened out about saying anything. I was so mad I came home and burst into tears. I can't believe I even work for such a piece of $hit company. Hell, I made almost this much when I worked at McDonalds. Anybody out there who is reading this, don't ever work for the television industry if you expect to make any money. It is not worth the college education, unless you're the "on air" type. God, 4 cents. I can't even believe it. I would have been less insulted if I wouldn't have gotten a raise at all. Pathetic.

Some more possible extra $$.....

April 24th, 2005 at 12:08 am

Yay! We just finished putting up nine auctions on ebay - some of hubby's toys. We researched what was actually selling first, so we are fairly confident that the items we chose to list will sell, and at a decent price. Plus, I added another book to half.com. It's a huge reference book and I listed it at $50. Others were selling the same book for $75 and up, so I'm hoping someone will see mine as a bargain and snatch it up!

We got our higher interest credit card statement in the mail today. Thanks to the inspiration I've garnered from this site, we've taken our balance from $1525.34 to 1361.66 in one month's time! That may not sound like much, but we've been in the minimum payment trap for so long that it amazes me to actually see our balance drop!!! I can't wait until our state tax return comes - that's another $300+ to put towards it!

Looking at the #'s tonight....

April 23rd, 2005 at 02:46 am

I was just looking over out budget (although I hesitate to call it that - it's not really.....)... Anyway, it looks good so far! We have not spent over the amount that we said we were going to spend on any one thing. That is VERY important for us, cause we are living off of one income and there is no extra. If we slip up, we have to pull out the credit card. And I REALLY don't want to do that!

As for my goal of bringing in extra cash....well....it's a slow process. So far I've only brought in about $30 extra:
$15 for attepted blood plasma donation
$11.26 for books sold on half.com
$5.00 for a pinecone survey (HUBBY GOT ACCEPTED - YAY!!!!!!!!!!!)
______
Total = $31.26

I really need to up that amount! I am hoping to be able to donate plasma again soon, plus I'm still waiting to see if I get accepted to writeforcash.com. Also, hubby says we are putting some of his toys up for auction on ebay this weekend! We plan to put all of this extra towards our high interest credit card.

Scatter brained!!!

April 22nd, 2005 at 02:07 pm

Ugh!!!! I am SO scatter brained lately. I do and say the stupidest things before I can catch them. The other night I put frozen lima beans on the stove.....without any water!!!! Then I put chicken in the oven. I forgot about it and was freaking out that I burnt it all. When I went to check...it was still frozen. I had forgt to turn the oven on. This is so not like me! I have had so much on my mind lately about finances, weight loss, my *maybe* promotion, hubby's job situation, etc that I haven't even been able to sleep well. It's driving me crazy..... My job performance has been less than ideal and when people talk to me I find my mind wandering. I need some serious TLC this weekend! I feel burnt out and I need to get my act together. We are going into May sweeps at work which means nobody can take vacatin time. I wish I could have a break. My brain just won't shut up.... Thought after thought keeps coming at me five million miles an hour. My brain is on hyper overdrive. Ok, sorry for the vent, but I feel better now! Nothing new to discuss regarding finances.... More to come!

Another sale!

April 21st, 2005 at 01:42 am

Yay! Just made another sale on half.com. That's another $6....woohoo!

Sticking to that darn budget....

April 21st, 2005 at 01:36 am

Haven't journaled in a couple days so thought I'd drop in. Nothing really new to report in the way of money, which is why I haven't posted. I am worried about our budget though. Hubby started with the personal trainer and this diet is going to kill us. He has to eat 6 meals a day, including 185 grams of protein. I try to budget out no more than $80 a week on groceries, and that includes dog food and hubby's allergy medicine. Now that we have to keep so much meat in the house, I'm not sure how we're going to do it. His trainer wants to start him on those protein shakes too but those things are SO expensive. Sigh..... We are going to try to make it to Sunday without buying any more groceries. Otherwise, our budget goes out the window... I'm not sure if we can make it.

Other than that...nada! I haven't sold any more books on half.com and haven't been back to the blood place (still bruised). I am also waiting to hear back from writeforcash.com - I hope to be accepted soon! We need extra money! Hubby does have a job interview tomorrow though! Ultimately he wants to be a firefighter (hence the trainer) but he really needs something in the meantime. We have no idea when there are going to be openings in the fire department. So, I am crossing my fingers! It's really decent pay for the south too, so I am hoping by some miracle that he gets it. And, maybe this makes me a bad person, but I am secretly hoping that he gets and loves this job so that the firefighter idea and the trainer go out the window...... Ok, sorry. I know it's been a dream of his, but who wants their hubby to have such a dangerous job? Ok, getting off my soapbox now. More to come!!!!

You've made a sale!

April 18th, 2005 at 06:25 am

Oh my gosh! I was so excited to log onto my email and see the unread message "You've Made a Sale!" Easy, easy, easy! Half.com - I love you! Lol! Ok, so it's only $6.50, but I could get used to this! Man, I donated SO many books to charity a while back. Now I kinda wish I would've kept them. Oh well. I will definitely keep my eyes open at garage sales and thrift stores. Now I'm really motivated to get the rest of my old books out of the shed and post them. I really love the fact that there are no listing fees. I don't even have to worry if they don't sell. I have nothing to lose and everything to gain - Yeah!

Half.com

April 17th, 2005 at 08:50 pm

Half.com is great! I love how easy and fast it is to list things (unlike ebay where I am forever writing descriptions, taking pics, etc). No listing fees - just a comission taken if your stuff sells. Cool - plus they reimburse you for the shipping. I only posted 11 books, so I'm sure I'll only make a few bucks. I have some more in the shed I need to go dig out too. Maybe I'll do that later! Ooh - I LOVE making money! Lol!

Ticking some more things off my list!

April 17th, 2005 at 07:45 pm

I've spent some time surfing the web today and have completed a couple more things from my Friday list.

First, I submitted my app for writeforcash.com. I am very excited - it sounds like a lot of fun! I hope I get accepted! $15 an article isn't bad for someone like me who just wants to do it as a hobby (and for extra cash, of course!).

I went over to wahm to check out some of those at home call center companies. I figured it would be a good suppliment to my income..... I came away feeling like it's not going to be the thing for me. People said LiveOps is horrible - the people are horrible and the way they do business is horrible. Ok, then...forget it! WorkingSol is supposedly really good, but they are swamped with applications and aren't taking anyone right now. As for the rest, well, in general, the consensus is that they are mostly things like trying to sell magazines to people who are entering sweepstakes. No thanks......

Now I am going to spend a little time checking out half.com and amazon.com because I have some books I can sell.... I was going to do ebay because I've done a whole lot there in the past, but I've heard that these other sites are better for books. So, off I go! I'll report back later!

Comic Books

April 17th, 2005 at 06:42 pm

Ok, not so fast! I should have done more research before getting excited about selling the comic books.... We looked into it and most do not sell at all, and the ones that do sell seem to go for very little money. Basically these books need more time to go up in value. So, it's a no go. Boo.... And I was thinking it was going to be a quick few hundred bucks. Oh well. Hubby even called a comic book shop and the guy said that comics that go for decent money right now are from the 50's and 60's. Hubby's are all from the 80's and 90's so.......maybe in about 20-30 years, lol!

Sunday

April 17th, 2005 at 04:49 pm

So, my poor to-do list from Friday has been sorely neglected. I did pay bills, which felt great to get out of the way, but haven't accomplished anything else yet. Mostly I am concerned about getting my gym membership cancelled, but I am such a chicken. That has to get done tomorrow!

I've decided not to go to the blood plasma place again until my bruised arms look normal again. They look awful, and it's bad enough that it's going to be in the 80's this week and I can't wear short sleeves. My left arm is dark purple from my inner elbow all the way down to my wrist. Never in my life have I seen a bruise that bad, or that big! I am hoping once they clear up, they won't bruise next time as long as it doesn't infilitrate again. We'll see.....

Today I worked on my money plan for May. I know I should make an actual budget, but somehow it is just easier for me to list out out the paychecks/unemployment payments and their dates and then list next to them what will be paid out of each one. I don't allow for frivilous spending in my money plan, so any extra will go toward that high interest card. And, something very cool came out of making my plan. I realized that the $300 for hubby's personal trainer actually fits into the budget. That means that when our $300+ tax return arrives from the state, we can apply the whole thing towards our credit card! I am shocked at how seemingly fast it is going to be to pay that thing off! It's amazing! I now see the light - all it takes is a little effort. Before, any extra money we had just went to frivilous spending and eating out. Not anymore!

And, great great news!!!!! My hubby is going to sell off his comic book collection on ebay! He says that most, if not all of the money we make can go towards the CC!!!!! EEK! I really hope they sell - that is going to be awesome!

Well, that's all for now....more to come!

I love making extra $$!!

April 15th, 2005 at 05:21 pm

Yippee!!!! I signed up for Pinecone (Thanks J!)! Ok, well I signed hubby up anyway. Can't wait to see if he gets accepted. $5 per survey is awesome!

Speaking of little money makers, I did some research on an at home business opportunity called Disciple's Crosses. Basically you buy the startup kit and make these cross necklaces. You get reimbursed for the materials you buy, plus you get paid $1.25 per cross from the company or you can sell them on your own. It sounds legit according to a whole lot of threads going on about it over at wahm.com. I thought seriously about it, but then I ended up deciding that I probably shouldn't get into something crafty that will frustrate me. It was exciting to find a legit home based business like that though, so I am going to see if there's anything else I can find more suited to my talents. {Edited later to extend caution to anyone who reads this and thinks it might be a good idea... I've read more and although this is "legit" it takes quite some time to get paid and they are not reliable. Not worth it in my book}

Anyway, I've got to get some sleep or I am going to pass out, lol! Sleep

Friday's Goals...

April 15th, 2005 at 04:39 pm

I am already feeling lazy and I don't want to complete my daily goals. It is Friday, after all! Here's what's on my list....Anything I don't get done I will move to Monday (or maybe do over the weekend if I get motivated enough):

Friday's To-Do's
[list]Cancel Gym Membership
[*]Post my books to sell on half.com or amazon
[*]Put in application w/ writeforcash.com ~ DONE! (can't wait to see if I get accepted!)
[*]Put in applications for at home call center work (as seen on wahm.com) ~ (after researching, have decided this is not a good option for me.....)
[*]Pay Bills! ~ DONE! (yay! all bills due in the month of April are PAID!)[/list]

Can you tell I'm brushing up on my Vb code? Smile

Oh yea - got my paycheck - $873.42. Enough to pay bills, hubby's trainer, buy groceries and.....drumroll please.......put $13 more dollars towards our high interest credit card! That makes $192 this month! WOW!

Also, good news! The A/C in our car is broken (not good when you live on the gulf coast) but my parents are paying for it for an anniversary present! Yay! They are sending us a check for $200..... Hopefully there'll be some left over! Big Grin

Happy Friday!

April 15th, 2005 at 01:23 pm

Happy Friday!!!!!!!!!!! Big Grin

And, it's the 15th, which means pay day! I am very anxious see to my paycheck. I am not on salary, so it varies depending on how many hours I work. There should be quite a bit of overtime on there, plus my Easter pay. Since I don't really have a choice but to work on holidays (the news never quits) I get paid double. It is nice! I have quite a few bills plus hubby's personal trainer and groceries to pay out of it, so I am praying there's going to be enough $$ to cover it all! I should know in about an hour.

So, what's on tap for today? I do have a list of things to accompish. I'll post it when I get home.

Good news on the "trying for a promotion" front. I heard through the grapevine that my competitor might be backing out because he doesn't want to work overnights. Um, sorry dude, but you gotta start at the bottom and work your way up. Plus, I also heard that the assistant news directer already told the 6a producer that it looks like I will be the one chosen! Anything can still happen, but it is nice to get a boost of confidence.

Well, that's all for now - more to come!

Blood money....lol!

April 15th, 2005 at 03:56 am

Geez oh man....... Donating plasma was an experience! I was totally not expecting the way it all went down. First of all, I got there about 9:10am. I didn't leave until 12:45pm. EEK! I was very uncomfortable when I got in there because obviously the other people in the waiting room needed that $20 A LOT more than I did. We're talking some scary looking people. They even have a security guard posted in there, so you can imagine what kind of riff raff they get. There was some creepy guy trying to hit on me... (and I quote "You cute, what yo name?). But, it got better!

It's kind of a long process your first time because they examine you and check your urine to make sure you are in good health. I wasn't expecting that, but it was ok. The nurses there were SO nice that my comfort level went up immediately. Oh, but did I mention that I had to sit in the waiting room for an hour before they even called me? Not expecting that either. Then you go to the screening room where they prick your finger to check for iron and ask you all the sex and risk questions to make sure you're not at risk for AIDS. No, thank you, I am not a man who has had sex with another man since 1977........ Lol! Then you go to another waiting room before you actually get into the bed and get hooked up to the plasma machine.

So, once I got back there, they got me all hooked up. Not bad - there's only one needle in your arm - the machine goes in cycles - draws your blood and seperated the plasma, then once the thingie is full it returns the rest of the non-plasma blood elements back into your arm. That's where the trouble came in...

The incision point infiltrated.... That means that because my veins are small, they couldn't handle the rate of return and the fluid was building up in my tissue. It literally looked like there was a golf ball under my skin - all the nurses said they had never seen it that bad. Great. They pull out the needle and put on an ice pack. Then I get asked if I want to continue by using my other arm. I'd get $5 extra cause they had to stick me twice. Sure, why not? They slowed down the rate of return on the machine and go me going again. Again, I went through 3 or 4 cycles before it happened again! Damn! And, because I did not finish my donation, they would only give me $10 instead of $20, but they did give me that extra $5 for sticking me twice. So basically I wasted 4 hours of my day to get $15 and two swollen, nasty bruised arms. Hmmmmmm.................

So, would I do it again? I guess what's keeping me going is that $180 dollars a month. You can go twice a week - the first time you go in a given week you get $20, the second time you get $25. That's $180 dollars a month, or $2160 a year. Hmmmm... that would pay off those CCs pretty quickly. So, yes, I am going to try it again. The nurses were super nice and $20-25 for an hour or two of my time isn't bad. They told me if I drink a ton of water before I go, I shouldn't have the same problems again. Plus, they can slow down the rate of return even more. So, heck, I am going to try it again and see what happens. If I infiltrate again I will probably stop going - not worth it in my opinion.

So, there you go! That was my experience! Not the greatest, but not so bad that I wouldn't try it again....

Confession time...

April 14th, 2005 at 02:45 pm

I have been avoiding mentioning this is my journal so far EEK!, but it is a huge money nightmare that has to be mentioned. I guess if you look at it the right way it's an investment but.... Ok, enough beating around the bush. I am allowing my hubby to spend $300 for 3 months (that's $300 each month) to go to a personal trainer. What am I, crazy???? I know, I know, but after he got laid off he decided that he wanted to change careers. He was a graphic artist and went to a very prestigious art school for 4 years. Problem is, the job market stinks. The phrase "starving artist" is SO true! It's hard to get and keep a job in that business. He's fed up with it and gets no satisfaction out of it anymore. It's sad, because he's REALLY good, but he just wants out. He doesn't really have the business savvy (or the desire) to go freelance, so that's out. He's always wanted to be a firefighter, so that is the goal he is working on right now. That's why he needs the trainer. He's out of shape and doesn't really know how to go about doing this on his own. There's a very rigorous physical test that he'll have to pass to get accepted. So.....$900 (that we don't even really have) goes down the drain. I am bummed, but I am trying to be a supportive wife. $300 a month is actually cheap for a trainer in our area. He called around and most people charge between 500-800! Whoa, baby! So.....yikes!!!! I already have it budgeted for this month (he's starting Monday). It's coming out of my overtime + holiday pay from Easter that will be in my check on Friday. (I get paid double for working that day) The next month I'm hoping we'll have our tax return back, so it can come from there. As for the 3rd month, no idea yet.... Yikes! We've already agreed that as soon as he feels comfortable doing it on his own, the trainer gets dropped. Hopefully it's sooner rather than later! Then, in the summer he might start taking EMT courses....So....good investment I guess, but watching that money disappear is going to be so hard.

Well, I need to get going! My work for the day is done! Yay! I am going straight to the blood plasma place after this. I admit, I have my doubts and am scared (I am willingly letting someone put needles in me?!) but I figure I'd try it once. If I sleep, it'll be the easiest $20 I ever made, lol! If I sit there super bored for 3 hours, well, I may have to reconsider doing it again! Anyway, I'll post later about how it goes!

Maybe hubby is coming around....

April 14th, 2005 at 01:24 am

Wow - hubby blew me away tonight. He used some of his splurge money to buy me flowers! I was surprised and when I asked him why, he said it was because he saw my goal list on the desk for Friday and he feels bad that he has nothing to contribute. He even said he might sell some toys to help out (he collects action figures). Truly impressive....

CC debt - GO AWAY!!!!

April 13th, 2005 at 04:39 pm

So, I posted a message here about whether I should start a savings account or put all money towards CC debt. The overwhelming response was to go for the debt. Jefferey has an excellent article that points out that nothing is really a savings if you have debt. It's just a pool of money you can dip into if you need to. So, I am about to go put another $100 towards my high interest card! I am so excited! Thank God for online bill pay making this possible! It's kind of like a game now - let's see how fast I can pay that thing off! Go Amy, GO! Smile

On a roll!

April 13th, 2005 at 04:25 pm

Yay! All but one of the items on my goal list for today are done! I skipped over cancelling the gym because, well....frankly I'm dreading it! I know it's going to be a hassle and I'm embarrassed about having to call. I've already thought up a little white lie to tell about why I'm cancelling, but I just can't seem to do it. I know it's a cop out, but I moved it to Friday's list. Tomorrow I will be getting home late because of donating plasma (yay, $20!) so I will be going straight to bed (hence, no goal list). I have already started working up Fridays' goal list on paper and I will post it then. Yay - I'm on a roll!

Half way through the week!

April 13th, 2005 at 01:49 pm

I have a lot on tap for today (see about 2 post down for the full list). Something else I am doing to improve my money situation that I haven't mentioned yet is that I am trying to get a promotion. I am currently a video editor for a morning news show and I am going for a producer job that is opening up. I think I have a really good shot at it, but I do have some competition. My biggest competition is not very good, but management really likes him. Not good for me! But, everybody already working on the show wants me. Regardless of who wants who, of course I think it should come down to will do the best job. And, I think it's me. I've been working my tail off and putting in lots of overtime to polish my skills. I am ready! It means a lot to me, and honestly, it's not about money (although it will be nice). I love everything about the job, and if I get it I will finally be at the level I should be after going to college for 4 years to work in this business. I got laid off from a video production company in early 2002 and have not been satisifed with a job since. It is my time!!!! I don't know when they are going to make a decision, but the person who's leaving has their last day set as June 10th. That's not very far away! I have been on pins and needles for the last month about this! Supposedly they are going to let each candidate produce a couple shows and then hire whoever does the best job. When this is supposed to happen though, I have no idea! Cross your fingers for me!

Bills...bills...bills!

April 13th, 2005 at 01:30 am

So, hubby's unemployment came today ($288) and I paid our phone bill and I socked $24 more dollars at our higher interest credit card. Not a huge amount of money, but it felt good - I can't remember the last time I paid a CC more than once a month. The rest of the money is set aside for groceries, gas, and misc.

On a whole other note, a plea for the mods! I wish dearly that we could use smilies, colors, bold, italics, etc in our journals. It would be so helpful in seperating out some of all the info I'm piling in here. Anyway, I digress... {edited to say that you can! I'm so proud for figuring it out all on my own, lol!}

Can I just say that I feel great?! It's not like my financial situation is really any better than it was yesterday, but I am thrilled to know that I am working on it! Things are getting done and I am determined to see this through! I can't wait until the day that I have zero debts and all I have to pay is my normal bills. I think the angels will come out of heaven singing that day, lol!

Goals for 4/13

April 12th, 2005 at 05:32 pm

So, I got my haircut - looks great! The cut including tip cost $20. Then I went to Goodwill to buy clothes and walked out with 4 shirts, 4 pairs of pants, and 4 home decor items - and I spent $40. (Both are coming out of my splurge money from hubby's CD/DVD selling extravaganza).

Because I got home late, I need to delay some of my goal items till tomorrow (I work nights and sleep days in case you were wondering). So, here's the list of things I NEED to accomplish tomorrow:

Goals for 4/13!!!!

- Check on gym membership and attempt to cancel

- Call Gas, Water, & Electric companies and see if I can get on a budget plan ~ DONE
(Gas - have to call back in July...sent one of those email reminders to myself to arrive on July 1)
(Water - they don't offer any kind of balanced billing)
(Electric - enrolled online. Payment will be $91 per month starting next bill - that will be a HUGE help!)

- Call phone company and see if/how we can lower our bill ~ DONE (not much I can do w/o giving up our pkg deal which includes our ulimited long distance & DHL)

- See about lowering CC interest rates ~ DONE (hubby did this since they're in his name...they said no! Prob because of our crappy credit)

- Set up ING savings account ~ ON HOLD (waiting to see responses to my thread about whether I should just sock everything at CCs for now until they're paid off)

Alrighty - off to sleep for now!

Goals for 4/12

April 12th, 2005 at 02:19 pm

Goals for TODAY!!!!

- Email HR about health insurance & 401k ~ DONE (coming back a day later to say that they did not respond to me! grrr! Maybe the lady was out - I will give the person the benefit of the doubt and wait a day or two...)

- Have hubby call his cell phone and get a cheaper plan ~ DONE! (Yea! Took it from $50 down to $24!)

- Call blood plasma place to see if they are accepting donors ~ DONE (they are! no appt necessary so I am going to go on Thursday! $20 for the first time, $25 for the second! Easy - sit there for 3 hours and read and get paid for it!)

- Deposit my "fun money" into the bank so when it shows up I can open an ING savings account ~DONE


I am holding myself accountable for getting these things DONE!!! That's 6 phone calls, one thing for hubby, and one trip to the bank. I can do it!
{edited to say that I got home late and need to get some sleep, so I moved some items to tomorrow's list!}

Let's do it!

April 12th, 2005 at 01:39 pm

Thank you Jacquelyn for the support and tips! www.savemoneygames.com sounds interesting! I am going to check it out when I am done here! As for the gym membership, I found out that I can get out of it but I get penalized $50... I guess that's better than paying $29 a month from now till January. I am going to look into it!

So....it's day 2 on what I am calling my financial turnaround! I just sent an email to HR asking for info on our health insurance and 401k. That is one step in the right direction! I work overnights so it's very difficult to get with them about stuff like that. Hopefully once I find out how much, I can work it into my budget (that I plan to create soon!).

On a whole other note, I am feeling so alone in this money crusade. My husband wants to be financially stable, but he's not as willing to make sacrafices to get there. For example, he went and sold a ton of CDs and DVDs and got $400!!!! He gave me half and he's going to splurge the other half. I plan to start a savings account with $100 of mine and he knows it. But do you think he offered to donate anything to help? No! I am much better about giving things up, but he is one of those people who thinks you have to have money to have fun. I'd prefer to see the whole $400 go towards debt, but.... It's tough! Sometimes I give in to hubby's peer pressure and spend when we shouldn't. I'm hoping when he's sees I'm serious about turning our situation around, he will pitch in and help. I really don't want to have to nag at him!

So...what else? Last night I went through the boards here and got some money making ideas. I wrote them down at home so I'll have to add them later. I would like to definitely add some extra income, even if it's only in little chunks. Every little bit helps, right? It's things like writing articles and donating blood plasma, but I am up for just about anything (ok anything legal, lol!).

Today I am spending a little money on getting a haircut. Seems unnecessary and I wish I didn't have to spend the $$, but it is truly out of control. I haven't gotten it cut in a long time and it's looking shaggy. I am definitely going to an el cheapo place though, but I guess that's not really a sacrafice when that's what I've always done.

Well, I'm sure I'll have more musings later but that's all for now!

Time to take action!

April 12th, 2005 at 03:09 am

I have two immediate goals:

- Speak w/ HR and get health insurance set up

- Take $100 of my "splurge" money and start a savings account (Hubby sold a TON of CDs and DVDs and split the $$ with me. I am going to use $100 on clothes because I've lost weight and have no spring clothes that fit! The other $100 starts a savings!)

I am off to read and learn more on these boards! More tomorrow!

Let's make this clear...

April 12th, 2005 at 01:53 am

So, as I read back over what I've written so far, I realize I sound like a hopeless ditz. I don't know why I can't be sensible about money. I am a smart person! I always did well in school and even graduated from college with honors. I am very levelheaded and well liked. Sorry....just had to let that out. I don't want anyone to think I'm a total loser. When it comes to money, yes, but overall, I promise I'm a good person!

GOALS!!!

April 12th, 2005 at 01:44 am

Let's talk about goals! It's one thing to spill my guts about the mistakes we've made, but it all means nothing if we don't have goals. My goals seems so unnattainable because there are so many, but here's a shot at it:

- Get Health Insurance!!!!! (I am scared to death something is going to happen and we'll be in trouble! We haven't had it because we need every penny from my paycheck, but I'm just going to have to bite the bullet and go for it!)
- 401k!!!! (I want to at least contribute what the company will match - and hubby needs to get on board to as soon as he gets a job. We have very little savings for retirement - less than $2K I think)
- Stop living paycheck to paycheck!
- Start a savings (we have NONE)
- Pay off debts (2 CCs, 2 collections, vet bill)
- Start contributing to dad again! (we owe him so much and he's been very understanding due to our situation, but the guilt is killing me!)
- Make a budget and follow it!

Whew - how do we even begin? We barely make enough to cover our bills, let alone start chasing these goals. But, I am going to sit down and figure out how it can be done. Anyone with advice, I'd love to hear from you!

Let's get into the nitty gritty!

April 12th, 2005 at 01:30 am

Well, I hope nobody minds if I got into specifics about my money, but hey, this is my journal, after all!

April Bills (will mark off once they're paid!)

Car Insurance....$111...PAID
Rent...$795...PAID
Phone/DSL Bill...98.63...PAID
Amy School Loan...On Forebearance (owe approx. $4000 plus ?? interest)
Hubby School Loan...On Forebearance (owe approx. $11,000 plus 4.17% interest)
Gas Bill...$102.30...
Water Sewer...$0...PAID (ok, well, we must have overpaid at some point)
Credit Card #1 (C)...$40...PAID (owe $963.34 plus 14.15% interest)
Credit Card #2 (P)...$179...PAID (owe $1470.34 plus 21.24% interest)
Cell Phone...$56.20...
Electric...$88.37...
Dad...0...(we owe him approx $15,000-20,000 from when he was trying to help us dig out before we went w/ bankruptcy)
Gym...$29... (year contract - unbreakable or I would!)
State Tax...$75...PAID
Federal Tax...$25...PAID (on payment plan - now owe $892 plus interest)
Vet...??????? (God knows - dog had surgery, but vet is nice, knows our situation, and hasn't even worked up a bill yet. I am anticipating around $500)
Collector #1...$138.50... (will pay $138.50 this month and next and then be done!)
Collector #2...$50... (owe $265.55, on payment plan of $50 per month)


<< Newer EntriesOlder Entries >>