There is nothing more that I can do about my job situation other than what I am already doing. It will end when it ends. Instead of obsessing and hoping that there will be more money all I can do is work with the money I know I have.
I finally just decided to allocate my remaining paychecks on:
1) Building a Dental Fund, I will have insurance soon but dental insurance is iffy and I have a lot of repairs. I'm thinking 800-1000 would be a good start.
and
2) If there's something left over, I'd like to pay off enough on the car (~$900) so that there wouldn't be negative equity should it require a repair that is not covered by my warranty and so costly that I'd just need to trade it in for a new one.
Now that that is settled in my mind I have realized that I have to take steps toward my next goal which is being more healthy in general. Since I've been somewhat successful at money and often tell myself that I can't afford food that I want to cook, I am going to call my own bluff.
For the next week beginning today I am going to eat in. If I conceive of something I'd like to eat out I will just make the at home equivalent instead ensuring that it has nutrients and protein. This is great financially because in most cases it will be about half the cost.
At the end of the week I should I have proved to myself that I can eat healthy for what I can afford comfortably for groceries.
Today I have already talked myself out of eating a croissant or cookie from a coffee shop by subbing it with a PB & J Sandwich. And I will be making a cheese pasta dish at home with a side of beans instead of ordering a little bowl of mac and cheese from Panera.
With this switch I have saved myself from spending about seven dollars and insured that I am not a hungry raving mad lunatic. I think this change might get addictive...
A week controlling what I can by eating in with healthy substitutions
January 29th, 2014 at 07:17 pm
January 29th, 2014 at 08:06 pm 1391026005
Healthier is oatmeal, breakfast cookie recipe. Problem is it makes so big a batch.
January 29th, 2014 at 11:58 pm 1391039880
January 30th, 2014 at 06:04 am 1391061868
I took my part-time gig to pay bills, this job doesn't pay much but is within walking distance. I don't take long-term temp jobs that I know will set me back career wise/money wise. If the gig doesn't pay enough to cover commuting expenses plus bills there's no sense when I know I can be paid more.
I do that survival hustle already in between jobs. I live off my unemployment, savings and short-term jobs until something comes along that is worth my time to commit to for a few months to a year. Its better for my sanity to do that as opposed to being locked into a contract that I know doesn't pay me enough to get by. This works because I don't have children and the combo of finances works for me to get by (all bills paid, food in belly) until the next job that I take where I know I will have extra to met financial goals.
I did the math the other day. If I had stayed at the original temp job I had I would would have made 20K less than I have in the past few years. If I hadn't had paid off my credit card debt, paid for my wedding or the medical emergency I had, I would have almost that in the bank right now.
If I had stayed that money wouldn't have been available for me to do any of those things. So as I see it its all relative and every situation is different. I just keep on trucking doing what I know is best for me. I am getting older and growing tired of it but I'll keep on keeping on for as long as I can. I figure I am doing something right if I made it this far.
January 30th, 2014 at 06:09 am 1391062186