Thursday, January 31, 2013

How is the year so far??

One month down....11 to go.  How is 2013 treating ya?  I am amazed how many changes are going on so quickly into the year and how many are coming down the pike.

Paychecks - we all know the tax situation.  I figured out that on a "regular" paycheck of mine, it is about $75 less.  G-man will get his first "normal" paycheck on Monday, so we will see what the end result is.  Of course, our medical insurance went up slightly, our FSA went down (due to Federal changes, although we are still putting more aside as if it didn't change).  All of this is still resulting in some tweeks to the budget.

Finding a New Job -   I have been looking and I am disappointed in the quality of the jobs out there. There are a lot of very entry level jobs.  Alot that I have no qualifications for (I am not a butcher, sorry).  And some that are just more of what I have done for 15 years.....grunt work for someone else.  There is a free service at the local library where a "professional" will look at your resume, so I am planning on setting up an appointment.  Can't hurt to have another set of eyes.

However, I have applied for my first job!  It was only a few days ago, so nothing to report.  It is an event planner/fundraising coordinator type position for a major university.  Actually, it is only a few blocks from G-man's office.  IF that worked out, he would look to change his schedule to days, and we could carpool.  :)  Major savings on gas!!!  But for now, I will wait to hear and continue to look.

Count down to free time! - As of June, I am out of the school volunteer business (at least for awhile).  I am ready.  This past month has been busy due to things out of my control.  I am in the process of handing over the reigns for some events to a new person.  I am looking forward to not constantly running.

House stuff.  *sigh*  I am a little worried on this front.  Our tv in our room is acting funky (cold medina.....sorry, had to do it).  The power button is about to fall out, and it doesn't like to turn on and off in general (the remote won't do it....)  This is a 17 yr old tv.  If it dies, it isn't getting replaced right now, unless we can get something on Freecycle.  The fridge made a noise the other day.  The stove top....2 burners are hit or miss on how they work.  We already had the one scare with the furnace.   There is NO WAY we can save up enough to replace ALL of those things this year.  NONE.  Even draining our EF, it won't happen.  So I am just being gentle to everything and hoping they hobble along a bit longer.

Kids.  They are going to be 11 this year (maybe we will find out they are wizards!!!).  The move to the middle school in September.  EEEEKKK.  And Sassy is "growing up."  As in, becoming a young lady.  As in, the boobie fairy has sprinkled some dust.  Nothing major yet....but changes are happening.  We have started to have some more mature talks, but the BIG talk hasn't happened yet.  We are closing in though.  EEEEKKKK.

Clothes.  This year is also going to be a major PURGE year for me personally.  I think part of my attitude towards what I have is influenced by the quality of what I have.  I am getting rid of alot of stuff that has holes, I don't like anymore, doesn't fit. I am tired of keeping it because I have nothing else.  So, I "splurged" and purchased some new underwear.  12 pairs (6 colors, 2 of each) for $19.  I ordered it and it is on its way.  When it arrives, all the old stuff gets tossed.  As will the socks that have holes or are stretched out.  "Foundation" garments are next on the chopping block.  I have $75 in GC to Kohl's for some new things.  Probably Saturday I will go (ALONE) to freshen things up.  It is probably bad that I have stuff that is older than my children......

This is getting too long.....stopping now!!!




14 comments:

  1. Congrats on your first application. I'd say, give them a total of 5 business days and call them up or send a follow up email. Most places will quickly sort through resumes and earmark those they have interest in right away, discarding the rest. So by 3-5 days, they should know if you've made the initial cut. And ha-ha with the wizard reference. Time to hit up Pinterest for a good school-acceptance letter, eh?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. If it's a public university, it will have an end date for applying. There's usually no point in inquiring before then as they have to accept applications through that date.

      Delete
    2. Private university....Ivy league.

      Delete
  2. I've been splurging on some little things to upgrade, also. $25 shelves for our kitchen, $15 shelves for our bathroom (we have a lot of people using the same bathroom and people pile clothes in there); that sort of thing and smaller. I'm throwing out more than I'm bringing in, in an attempt to declutter and streamline.

    Recently everything's been breaking around here, too. We have gotten, I think, THREE great TVs from freecycle. People get big-screens and don't want tube TVs anymore and we take 'em. If one stops working right, we can just get another one free!

    Enjoy the time-crunch relief from less volunteering, and good luck with the job search. I'm also not happy about the smaller paychecks. I think many people didn't know that was coming, but everyone should know it by now.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I am "assuming" if our old tube tv dies, we could get another tube tv on freecycle. Like you said, people upgrade. As long as it fits on the dresser (where the current one is), I am good with it. If we can't get a free replacement....it doesn't get replaced. We have a tv in the living room....we do like to watch tv in our room for a bit before bed, but the world won't end if we can't.

      Declutter and streamline.....ahhhhhh. so nice.

      Delete
    2. And check Craigslist. I've unloaded a couple tubes for $20.

      Delete
  3. You would be great at that job! New undies. Always nice.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I think I could totally ROCK the job....I just need to get my foot in the door.

      Delete
  4. Thanks for sharing about your year so far, sounds like some good stuff is going on! Our year has been good so far, lotta birthdays for us this time of year, so that has been a little crazy, on the budget and the sanity. And I totally hope that your kids turn out to be wizards! :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. What a crazy post that would be if my kids ARE wizards!!! Although Kings Cross Station is a bit far from my home.....but c'mon, to get to ride the Hogwarts train!!! How freaking cool! :)

      Delete
  5. New unmentionables and unloading the free workload at school....it's enough to put a spring into any gal's step!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I will be trying out my new unmentionables today....happy Friday to me!

      Delete
  6. Good luck with the job search. University jobs take FOREVER.
    Purging the clothing is painful but necessary. I got rid of SO much clothes but seriously i got tired of being reminded of all the things I can't wear anymore!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. P.S. I think new undies are an important thing to regularly freshen up. They make you feel GREAT and you can get a cute pair for less than $5.

      Delete