(1) My resilient garden: tomatoes, strawberries, raspberries
(2) The persistent warts on my fingers
(3) My to-do list
(4) My credit card debt
(5) My belly
At least raspberries made the list.
So here it is: The last 4 months have sucked balls, but I'm ready for a turn-around. I've been working out regurlary in an effort to crack down on #2 & #5 (I feel so much less stressed when working out regularly, not to mention it's nice to see the inches slide away). I've already begun to notice that clothes are fitting a little better. My posture is improving because I can feel my abs again, so I will count that as a success. I think I may be ready to set up an appointment with a dermatologist to crack down on these warts, because truly, one has been on my pointer finger for over TWO YEARS and I'm sick of attempting to CompoundW that shit off. I believe it has been frozen over 20x and not died, so we may be talking surgery.
But back to the sucking part. If I had to sum it up in a forum that I recognize to be quazi-public (and therefore, I monitor myself), I would say: My boss lied. Big, mega lies. Then he worked to cover his lies. As a result of his lies and his unsuccessful attempt to cover them, he simply eliminate the position that he had promoted me into and this resulted in a loss of income (see item #4). HR was present for all of this, and my name is fully cleared of any wrongdoing; however, this didn't un-do what had been done (eliminating my position). I am now in my original position and he claims publicly that I am a "highly valued employee," but doesn't speak to me in meetings. Much of this seems gender-based, as I notice that he is much more engaged with male employees and trainees. He tends to ask them more direct questions. When he hears responses from multiple sources, he will cite the men before the women.
I had thought that I was out of the woods so far as work-related-interpersonal-stress was considered, and had consequently quit going to yoga months prior to this. In fact, I hadn't been working out much at all and when I look back on it, it's probably because I wasn't very happy. Work was sucking far before any of this went down, and with other life stressors piled on top of it, I was a sad panda.
There have been times that I've considered throwing in the towel & looking for a new sub-field of employment. I really enjoyed corrections & think that maybe that is a group of folks that I could really jive with. But I don't think this is so much about me, as the environment I'm in. And I do really enjoy the clients I see here, so I'm reluctant to leave that.
So here I sit with a long to-do list, some significant motivation to once again cut back on expenses & reduce debt, and a good start on working out. I've been swimming, running, weight lifting, but haven't gone back to yoga. Honestly, my studio is so small that I'm ashamed that my teachers might see how far I've fallen. Basically, I'm ready to rise up in a sort of righteous indignation & be a fuckin' hot bride. I get married in about 12 months & would like to be in a better place (mentally, physically) for that day. So it's time to make it happen.
Also, I would like to buy a puppy. That's probably impulsive...today I looked up golden retriever pups and they're $1,000. But I'm convinced that this would improve my quality of life. I might think on it for a few months.
Showing posts with label money management. Show all posts
Showing posts with label money management. Show all posts
Wednesday, July 25, 2012
Saturday, February 26, 2011
Money Management Part Deux
Just over a month ago I wrote about "the coffee crazy" (this insane habit I had of purchasing at least one coffee Every. Single. Day). I had extended my frugal ways with coffee to cover not eating out quite so often, and not shopping for clothes quite so much. I had imagined that my savings would look a bit like this:
It was hard to believe that anything less than total deprivation would lead to any meaningful sort of savings. As evidenced by my last blog (adorable vacation wear), I obviously did not deprive myself. I bought some great clothes, Valentines Day gifts for the significant other, and we went out to eat a few times. But I made some big and little changes: No more eating lunch out, no wine or dessert when we were out, and I questioned carefully every clothing purchase.
I discovered that saving on this level ended up with more of this effect:
It is hard to quantify this in a blog where I don't want to disclose my (a) income, or (b) savings. But imagine a healthy income--and imagine that I previously had been saving about 15% of it per month. Now I'm saving about 40%.
I looked at this money saved in one month and had a huge wave of relief wash over me. I can live the way that I wanted to live when I set out to get a doctorate. I can travel, I can shop, I can eventually own a new car and a new home, and I can do it all without going into huge amounts of debt. It is a very liberating feeling, and it all started with depriving Starbucks of a few of my hard-earned dollars each month.
The best thing about this is that I knew it all along but needed to experience it. Every financial magazine in the world tells you some version of this (in a nutshell: Quit pissing away your money on food and entertainment). But previously I've been hanging out in the Contemplation stage of change.
(For those not familiar--Prochaska & Diclemente developed a model of change in which after studying how it was that persons with addiction gave up their habits--it goes like this:)
Precontemplation(Not yet acknowledging that there is a problem behavior)
Contemplation (Acknowledging that there is a problem but not yet ready change)
Preparation (Getting ready to change)
Action (Changing behavior)
Maintenance (Maintaining the behavior change) and
Relapse (Returning to older behaviors and abandoning the new changes)
Here's hoping for NO RELAPSE!
It was hard to believe that anything less than total deprivation would lead to any meaningful sort of savings. As evidenced by my last blog (adorable vacation wear), I obviously did not deprive myself. I bought some great clothes, Valentines Day gifts for the significant other, and we went out to eat a few times. But I made some big and little changes: No more eating lunch out, no wine or dessert when we were out, and I questioned carefully every clothing purchase.
I discovered that saving on this level ended up with more of this effect:
It is hard to quantify this in a blog where I don't want to disclose my (a) income, or (b) savings. But imagine a healthy income--and imagine that I previously had been saving about 15% of it per month. Now I'm saving about 40%.
I looked at this money saved in one month and had a huge wave of relief wash over me. I can live the way that I wanted to live when I set out to get a doctorate. I can travel, I can shop, I can eventually own a new car and a new home, and I can do it all without going into huge amounts of debt. It is a very liberating feeling, and it all started with depriving Starbucks of a few of my hard-earned dollars each month.
The best thing about this is that I knew it all along but needed to experience it. Every financial magazine in the world tells you some version of this (in a nutshell: Quit pissing away your money on food and entertainment). But previously I've been hanging out in the Contemplation stage of change.
(For those not familiar--Prochaska & Diclemente developed a model of change in which after studying how it was that persons with addiction gave up their habits--it goes like this:)
Precontemplation(Not yet acknowledging that there is a problem behavior)
Contemplation (Acknowledging that there is a problem but not yet ready change)
Preparation (Getting ready to change)
Action (Changing behavior)
Maintenance (Maintaining the behavior change) and
Relapse (Returning to older behaviors and abandoning the new changes)
Here's hoping for NO RELAPSE!
Friday, January 21, 2011
Money Managment and the Coffee Crazy
My student loans are coming due in February. Eek! Every graduate student knows that this moment will come...and in some ways it is a relief. I won't have to dread it any more.
Prior to this loan repayment business I've been squirrling away money for yet another trip to Hawaii (July--woot!), shopping for more "grown up" professional clothes (possibly, blogs to follow on this adventure), and investing in my health in a preventative way. By this I mean purchasing primarily organic produce and meats, paying for gym and yoga studio memberships, and in general just investing in my body.
The truth is, though, that my student loan debt is the only debt I've had in my life. I paid for my undergrad--which was private--by working my ass off (30ish hours a week) and finishing a semester early. I'm from a family in which debt is unacceptable. I've never held a credit card balance for more than 2 months.
This business of "unacceptable" debt isn't a bad thing, it has kept my head in a responsible place. I've made good decisions. But it has the capacity for making me a little crazy.
Background: My great-grandmother was from Germany and had a general mistrust of the government and banks. She hid hundred dollar bills in her house--you could find them under couch cushions, between the mattresses, etc. My grandmother had a similar frugal attitude due to her experience of having nothing during the Great Depression. My mother is incredibly frugal and thrifty as a result of her upbringing and caring for a family ranging from 4-7 on one income.
And me? I occasionally get into a place where--often for no apparent reason--I begin a manic evaluation of every item in my home to decide what I might be able to sell on Craigslist. Anything can tip me in this direction...maybe hearing a financial piece on NPR, maybe hearing a friend talk about their difficulties with debt, maybe spending "too much" on a cardigan I've been coveting for months. Once I am in this place, I am not rational. My boyfriend jokes that during these times we need to "bolt the cat down," or make him (the cat) work the corner for his kibble.
My psychologist hat goes on for this issue, and I think, "How can I make sustainable change? How can I set goals for myself that are realistic, timely, and managable?" The answer for here/now......? The coffee culprit!!!
I spend at least $2.00 a day on coffee. At least. That is if I purchase one drip coffee per day. I often purchase two. On weekends, my boyfriend and I go out for a latte as our "special treat." Those range in cost from $4 - $6. If I ONLY drank one $2 coffee daily, this would come out to an expense of $730 per year. That number is conservative. I often purchase my boyfriend's coffee for him, or double up on drip on "hard days" at work. I would estimate that I spend in the range of $1,000 - $1,500 a year on coffee.
Before you get all judgy, I must explain...I have an emotional attachment, and possibly psychological & physical addiction, to coffee. I have been drinking it since I was 5 or so. I would sneak into the lap of adults at the card table and take sips of coffee while I learned pinnochile. This led me to be a card shark at a young age, and later, a neurotic adult with a love of coffee. As a teen I would pour a cup and chat with adults because it made me feel more grown up. As a college student I got a job in a coffeeshop to cut my expense. During my shift I got a free drink (QUAD Americano, Yeah!!) and any other time it was 1/2 price.
For Christmas I asked for a thermos to nip this in the bud. I am happy to report that I am on month 2 of not having purchased a single coffee on my own dime. I purchase drip & make it every morning. For Christmas my boyfriend & I recieved Starbucks gift cards that were >$60 in value, so we've been using those for our "special" treats on weekends.
On another front, I think that yoga has chilled out my autonomic nervous system and that my tolerance for caffeine is slipping. If I drink too much I can't sleep. This is new for me and I'm cool with it.
Just like any other task taken on, I believe that I'm at the point where this has become habitual. The savings might not seem monumental, but when you add them on to things like, oh, we are also no longer eating lunches out during the week (we literally ate out every. single. day...) it really adds up.
All in all, this is a pretty monumental success on both financial and presonal levels. I think my mom and grandma would be proud. Also, I think it is better than trying to sell the cat on craigslist.
Prior to this loan repayment business I've been squirrling away money for yet another trip to Hawaii (July--woot!), shopping for more "grown up" professional clothes (possibly, blogs to follow on this adventure), and investing in my health in a preventative way. By this I mean purchasing primarily organic produce and meats, paying for gym and yoga studio memberships, and in general just investing in my body.
The truth is, though, that my student loan debt is the only debt I've had in my life. I paid for my undergrad--which was private--by working my ass off (30ish hours a week) and finishing a semester early. I'm from a family in which debt is unacceptable. I've never held a credit card balance for more than 2 months.
This business of "unacceptable" debt isn't a bad thing, it has kept my head in a responsible place. I've made good decisions. But it has the capacity for making me a little crazy.
Background: My great-grandmother was from Germany and had a general mistrust of the government and banks. She hid hundred dollar bills in her house--you could find them under couch cushions, between the mattresses, etc. My grandmother had a similar frugal attitude due to her experience of having nothing during the Great Depression. My mother is incredibly frugal and thrifty as a result of her upbringing and caring for a family ranging from 4-7 on one income.
And me? I occasionally get into a place where--often for no apparent reason--I begin a manic evaluation of every item in my home to decide what I might be able to sell on Craigslist. Anything can tip me in this direction...maybe hearing a financial piece on NPR, maybe hearing a friend talk about their difficulties with debt, maybe spending "too much" on a cardigan I've been coveting for months. Once I am in this place, I am not rational. My boyfriend jokes that during these times we need to "bolt the cat down," or make him (the cat) work the corner for his kibble.
My psychologist hat goes on for this issue, and I think, "How can I make sustainable change? How can I set goals for myself that are realistic, timely, and managable?" The answer for here/now......? The coffee culprit!!!
I spend at least $2.00 a day on coffee. At least. That is if I purchase one drip coffee per day. I often purchase two. On weekends, my boyfriend and I go out for a latte as our "special treat." Those range in cost from $4 - $6. If I ONLY drank one $2 coffee daily, this would come out to an expense of $730 per year. That number is conservative. I often purchase my boyfriend's coffee for him, or double up on drip on "hard days" at work. I would estimate that I spend in the range of $1,000 - $1,500 a year on coffee.
Before you get all judgy, I must explain...I have an emotional attachment, and possibly psychological & physical addiction, to coffee. I have been drinking it since I was 5 or so. I would sneak into the lap of adults at the card table and take sips of coffee while I learned pinnochile. This led me to be a card shark at a young age, and later, a neurotic adult with a love of coffee. As a teen I would pour a cup and chat with adults because it made me feel more grown up. As a college student I got a job in a coffeeshop to cut my expense. During my shift I got a free drink (QUAD Americano, Yeah!!) and any other time it was 1/2 price.
For Christmas I asked for a thermos to nip this in the bud. I am happy to report that I am on month 2 of not having purchased a single coffee on my own dime. I purchase drip & make it every morning. For Christmas my boyfriend & I recieved Starbucks gift cards that were >$60 in value, so we've been using those for our "special" treats on weekends.
On another front, I think that yoga has chilled out my autonomic nervous system and that my tolerance for caffeine is slipping. If I drink too much I can't sleep. This is new for me and I'm cool with it.
Just like any other task taken on, I believe that I'm at the point where this has become habitual. The savings might not seem monumental, but when you add them on to things like, oh, we are also no longer eating lunches out during the week (we literally ate out every. single. day...) it really adds up.
All in all, this is a pretty monumental success on both financial and presonal levels. I think my mom and grandma would be proud. Also, I think it is better than trying to sell the cat on craigslist.
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