It's been a while since I last posted, over a month. Sorry.
But things are going well for the most part.
The weather is finally warming up and all of our flowers are blooming, trees are sprouting leaves and we're already mowing the lawn. I love it!
My sports team wrapped up its last week of practice yesterday. Our last game is tomorrow. I'm looking forward to the break. We have a last team meeting next Tuesday to discuss our summer and next fall's plans, then I'll also be helping coach one of our men's teams as they continue training for their games. But my own team is done for a while and that is a weight off of my sometimes overly-burdened shoulders. I do it to myself, I know. But looking forward to some downtime.
More exciting, my boyfriend offered to take me on vacation for my birthday last fall. So I'm cashing in that trip next week to go to Austin, Texas. He's already bought us tickets. Best of all, his sports team qualified for the national sweet 16s of our sport for his team's division down there. So I get a vacation and get to be a fan to boot! So excited! And I've only got to pay for food and fun. :)
It's been in the 90s down in Austin this past week. Yeah!
On the career front, that job I'd heard about from my old boss opened up and I applied for it. Without going into more detail, it's a much bigger job that I initially expected, but I'm definitely capable of handling it and am now waiting - trying to be patient - for the calls to interview. A good friend also applied for it, so he would be competition, but I know that my old boss never meshed personality-wise with my friend (who also worked there), so that gives me an advantage I believe. Although I'm staying away from any pettiness and we both just wished each other the best of luck and have been checking in with updates when we've heard them.
I've heard my old boss has been busy and is hiring his interns first before he starts the hiring process for the full-time position. It's hard to wait though. I have to think I'll get in for an interview. I've got the experience, more than most for education and I'm ready to hit the ground running, in addition to great references including the blessing of my current boss.
In addition, a well-to-do alumni of my boyfriend's sports team also put in a good word for me with one of his professional contacts at my old company, with directions for his contact to pass along a great recommendation to my old boss on my behalf. I'm hoping it lights a fire and keeps me in the front of the line for my old boss as he sorts through the applicants.
Keep your fingers crossed.
On the debt front, I'm still plugging away. Although I will confess to slacking off and spending too much money lately on lunches at work and some shopping, going out. Ugh. I know. I just updated a big chunk of my balances on the sidebar and as soon as some pending payments post this weekend, I'll update it again.
Okay, it's nearly 6 on a Friday and it's time to go home and relax.
Have a great weekend!
Friday, May 9, 2008
Tuesday, April 1, 2008
Tulips and Crocuses
There is still some leftover snow piled up in our yard, but I saw our tulips and the new crocuses I planted last spring starting to sprout up.
Yeah for Spring! It inspires me to keep growing too.
Yeah for Spring! It inspires me to keep growing too.
April 1st!
Happy April Fool's Day!
I only tried one joke today and it backfired. I e-mailed my boyfriend to tell him I thought I was pregnant. I then e-mailed him a second time and said "April Fools!". But rats, he got the second one first!
Oh well.
I'm waiting for my auto loan auto payment to go through tonight before I update my sidebar again. I did add the $2.55 in interest I earned to my emergency fund though. I'm just letting it sit there and be happy.
My sports team starts outdoor practices tonight. And it's cold and soggy. And I'm not doing well at my running goals, still feeling quite tired from the flu and what not. We have our first games this weekend, but I'm not too worried.
On the career front, no word yet on the new position at my old employer. But I think I did a good job at the volunteer work this weekend, so I feel positive about that and interacting with my old boss in a positive and hard-working situation.
I'm struggling at the current job because I'm daydreaming about the new job. Besides setting myself up if I'm not hired (sad!), I'm procrastinating on my current work load. It's just so boring. But I'll buckle down and get stuff taken care of here. New job or not, I'll be in a better place if I've got less hanging over my head.
I only tried one joke today and it backfired. I e-mailed my boyfriend to tell him I thought I was pregnant. I then e-mailed him a second time and said "April Fools!". But rats, he got the second one first!
Oh well.
I'm waiting for my auto loan auto payment to go through tonight before I update my sidebar again. I did add the $2.55 in interest I earned to my emergency fund though. I'm just letting it sit there and be happy.
My sports team starts outdoor practices tonight. And it's cold and soggy. And I'm not doing well at my running goals, still feeling quite tired from the flu and what not. We have our first games this weekend, but I'm not too worried.
On the career front, no word yet on the new position at my old employer. But I think I did a good job at the volunteer work this weekend, so I feel positive about that and interacting with my old boss in a positive and hard-working situation.
I'm struggling at the current job because I'm daydreaming about the new job. Besides setting myself up if I'm not hired (sad!), I'm procrastinating on my current work load. It's just so boring. But I'll buckle down and get stuff taken care of here. New job or not, I'll be in a better place if I've got less hanging over my head.
Friday, March 28, 2008
30.5
I didn't even think about it on the 25th, but I'm now 30.5 years old. My half birthday was Tuesday.
Two and one-half years to pay down all my bad debt!!
I'm ready. :)
Two and one-half years to pay down all my bad debt!!
I'm ready. :)
Keep Your Fingers Crossed - Career Update
Good news on the career front.
The job that I hoped would be approved at my old employer has been approved. My old boss just let me know it will be posted in the "next week or so".
I like my current job. Been here 3.5 years, but I feel a bit stagnant and I don't see a place to grow here. I would just remain in the same position, getting salary bumps and wouldn't be able to grow into any higher position without going back to school for a further advance degree in either business or science. My boss is only 10 years older than me, so that's not an option either.
I like the people I work with here, they are all very nice people and overall, it's a good place to work. Just not for me anymore. I miss my old job and the idea of being there full-time would be a dream. I was previously a full-time intern for two years after being a part-time student worker in grad school for one year, three years total. I'm also sure I'd be picking up similar and much-loved work as I had when I finished there. Which would be awesome!
So I'll be applying for that as soon as it opens. My competition could be fierce, but I know I have a great shot. And I'm ready to negotiate a better salary as well.
It won't be very fun to tell my boss here that I'm considering leaving, but I know she'll understand.
And good timing, but I'll be doing some fun volunteer work with my old boss and coworkers this weekend so I can remind everyone about how hard I work, good attitude, and gain some crucial place in their minds when it comes to hiring time.
So keep your fingers crossed!
The job that I hoped would be approved at my old employer has been approved. My old boss just let me know it will be posted in the "next week or so".
I like my current job. Been here 3.5 years, but I feel a bit stagnant and I don't see a place to grow here. I would just remain in the same position, getting salary bumps and wouldn't be able to grow into any higher position without going back to school for a further advance degree in either business or science. My boss is only 10 years older than me, so that's not an option either.
I like the people I work with here, they are all very nice people and overall, it's a good place to work. Just not for me anymore. I miss my old job and the idea of being there full-time would be a dream. I was previously a full-time intern for two years after being a part-time student worker in grad school for one year, three years total. I'm also sure I'd be picking up similar and much-loved work as I had when I finished there. Which would be awesome!
So I'll be applying for that as soon as it opens. My competition could be fierce, but I know I have a great shot. And I'm ready to negotiate a better salary as well.
It won't be very fun to tell my boss here that I'm considering leaving, but I know she'll understand.
And good timing, but I'll be doing some fun volunteer work with my old boss and coworkers this weekend so I can remind everyone about how hard I work, good attitude, and gain some crucial place in their minds when it comes to hiring time.
So keep your fingers crossed!
Another month gone, another step forward
It's hard to believe it's nearly April.
And supposedly it's also spring, but we've still got weather forecasts for snow. A surprise six inches fell late last week, but it's nearly gone again. We broke a record for snowfall this season in our city. Over 100 inches. We can see the lawn now, but the leftover snowbanks where we had to dig out could be there until May.
I'm eagerly awaiting the grass greening up and our spring flowers starting to poke their little heads out of the ground. I hope the crocuses I planted last fall made it.
I updated my sidebar today, except for my car (because that payment doesn't drop until the first of each month) and I'll wait until the first also for to update my networth.
I stretched my tax refund quite a bit. As I already mentioned, I paid off my Credit Card B and have moved Card D into my sights (Pow! Pow!). I jumped on my payments the other day when I got paid, using my snowball plan with minimums on all of my cards and then hitting Card D with my remaining debt payoff. I have yet to call Card B and threaten to close it (so they give me a non-business version and a really good rate for later transfer-game options), so I checked it just to verify it's paid off in my head. And what did I find? They knocked me for $8.61 as a finance charge, calculated off my past balance from last month. I was pissed, but hey, $8.61 I can handle. I'm calling them this weekend though. Grrr.
Confession time. For Easter, I had a breakdown at Target and spent some unnecessary money on unneccessary stuff. I got to the checkout, realized my idiocy and that my balance on my debit card wouldn't cover the total. So, I had to use my "emergency" card out of my wallet. And I immediately had buyer's remorse and beat myself up emotionally. Stupid, Stupid, Stupid. Now I didn't purchase anything rediculous or anything that I can't use or won't use, but I did buy myself some treats that I don't really need. But I went home and as soon as I had a chance, I paid off that charge on my card from my last stash of my tax refund. That money should've been used to pay off in my snowball. So I tripped. I'm back up again and I'm back on track.
Overall, I did knock all of my cards down a bit!
In other good news, my boyfriend and I signed up for our CSA subscription! We each paid $157 towards an every-other week produce delivery for June through October. I'm really excited to see all the organic and farm-raised yummy goodness we'll have. Plus we each get $75 of that back from reimbursements from our health insurance companies!! And I know we'll save more than $75 in not having to purchase produce at the grocery store (less healthy and delicious) and the farmer's market (more expensive). I'm really excited about this.
Also, we picked up a few inexpensive seed starter kits. We've got baby tomatoes, hot peppers, sweet peppers, petunias and coleus plants sprouting for our little vegetable garden and flower gardens. This will save us money since we won't need to purchase potted plants.
This week I also received my new "designer envelope system" that I ordered from the Dave Ramsey store. I listen to his show often at work. It's funny, but the stories inspire me, sometimes they break my heart. Anyway, this month I was trying to work on truly implementing my budget, zeroing out and keeping my cash-spending for food, etc., down and kept track of well.
My struggles with this are that I have a hard time (read here: too busy and somewhat lazy) to get to the bank to get real cash out. I'm a paperless girl! Everything I do financially is online, outside from writing a check each month to my boyfriend for rent (and if I could do this electronically, I totally would!). So I was trying to use my debit card. I even have a sticker on it with my two-week totals for what I should be spending (I get paid bimonthly).
Worth noting - people kept commenting on my sticker. The bartender at my team's club bar/restaurant where we have our socials and meetings commented how smart I was. :) A barista at Starbucks (I have a weakness for White Chocolate Mochas ... only 1-2 times a month!) said it was the first time she'd seen that broken down into two weeks. :)
Anyway, I decided it was worth the $20 cost ($10 S&H sadly) to purchase the envelope system. I'm going to likely try to use my debit card, but keep track on the handy log sheets. If that doesn't work, I'll make the switch to just cash. I do like the "system" though. It's actually a nice red wallet. There's room for my checkbook and register, card slots for my debit card, etc., a zippered coin pocket and the envelopes with logs on each to write down your balances. I had a nice red wallet and a little coin purse before, so I've combined and pared down everything into my new wallet. I like it so far. I'll admit that I hide the imprinted side where it says "Financial Peace University" though. I don't want to explain this to my boyfriend ... yet, anyway.
Our team season is starting, so I'm getting busy busy. And I really need to get my butt moving and running. I am so out of shape and I'm still fighting the remnants of my flu.
All in all, I'm pretty good though.
And supposedly it's also spring, but we've still got weather forecasts for snow. A surprise six inches fell late last week, but it's nearly gone again. We broke a record for snowfall this season in our city. Over 100 inches. We can see the lawn now, but the leftover snowbanks where we had to dig out could be there until May.
I'm eagerly awaiting the grass greening up and our spring flowers starting to poke their little heads out of the ground. I hope the crocuses I planted last fall made it.
I updated my sidebar today, except for my car (because that payment doesn't drop until the first of each month) and I'll wait until the first also for to update my networth.
I stretched my tax refund quite a bit. As I already mentioned, I paid off my Credit Card B and have moved Card D into my sights (Pow! Pow!). I jumped on my payments the other day when I got paid, using my snowball plan with minimums on all of my cards and then hitting Card D with my remaining debt payoff. I have yet to call Card B and threaten to close it (so they give me a non-business version and a really good rate for later transfer-game options), so I checked it just to verify it's paid off in my head. And what did I find? They knocked me for $8.61 as a finance charge, calculated off my past balance from last month. I was pissed, but hey, $8.61 I can handle. I'm calling them this weekend though. Grrr.
Confession time. For Easter, I had a breakdown at Target and spent some unnecessary money on unneccessary stuff. I got to the checkout, realized my idiocy and that my balance on my debit card wouldn't cover the total. So, I had to use my "emergency" card out of my wallet. And I immediately had buyer's remorse and beat myself up emotionally. Stupid, Stupid, Stupid. Now I didn't purchase anything rediculous or anything that I can't use or won't use, but I did buy myself some treats that I don't really need. But I went home and as soon as I had a chance, I paid off that charge on my card from my last stash of my tax refund. That money should've been used to pay off in my snowball. So I tripped. I'm back up again and I'm back on track.
Overall, I did knock all of my cards down a bit!
In other good news, my boyfriend and I signed up for our CSA subscription! We each paid $157 towards an every-other week produce delivery for June through October. I'm really excited to see all the organic and farm-raised yummy goodness we'll have. Plus we each get $75 of that back from reimbursements from our health insurance companies!! And I know we'll save more than $75 in not having to purchase produce at the grocery store (less healthy and delicious) and the farmer's market (more expensive). I'm really excited about this.
Also, we picked up a few inexpensive seed starter kits. We've got baby tomatoes, hot peppers, sweet peppers, petunias and coleus plants sprouting for our little vegetable garden and flower gardens. This will save us money since we won't need to purchase potted plants.
This week I also received my new "designer envelope system" that I ordered from the Dave Ramsey store. I listen to his show often at work. It's funny, but the stories inspire me, sometimes they break my heart. Anyway, this month I was trying to work on truly implementing my budget, zeroing out and keeping my cash-spending for food, etc., down and kept track of well.
My struggles with this are that I have a hard time (read here: too busy and somewhat lazy) to get to the bank to get real cash out. I'm a paperless girl! Everything I do financially is online, outside from writing a check each month to my boyfriend for rent (and if I could do this electronically, I totally would!). So I was trying to use my debit card. I even have a sticker on it with my two-week totals for what I should be spending (I get paid bimonthly).
Worth noting - people kept commenting on my sticker. The bartender at my team's club bar/restaurant where we have our socials and meetings commented how smart I was. :) A barista at Starbucks (I have a weakness for White Chocolate Mochas ... only 1-2 times a month!) said it was the first time she'd seen that broken down into two weeks. :)
Anyway, I decided it was worth the $20 cost ($10 S&H sadly) to purchase the envelope system. I'm going to likely try to use my debit card, but keep track on the handy log sheets. If that doesn't work, I'll make the switch to just cash. I do like the "system" though. It's actually a nice red wallet. There's room for my checkbook and register, card slots for my debit card, etc., a zippered coin pocket and the envelopes with logs on each to write down your balances. I had a nice red wallet and a little coin purse before, so I've combined and pared down everything into my new wallet. I like it so far. I'll admit that I hide the imprinted side where it says "Financial Peace University" though. I don't want to explain this to my boyfriend ... yet, anyway.
Our team season is starting, so I'm getting busy busy. And I really need to get my butt moving and running. I am so out of shape and I'm still fighting the remnants of my flu.
All in all, I'm pretty good though.
Thursday, March 13, 2008
Kinda of neat
I have a facebook account which I use to keep in touch with a lot of my old friends and teammates. My boyfriend and I also have a running scrabble game on it.
But this week, I found Dave Ramsey on it and there is even a Dave Ramsey "Baby Steps"Application. Kind of fun. In my own geeked out paying down my debt way.
But this week, I found Dave Ramsey on it and there is even a Dave Ramsey "Baby Steps"Application. Kind of fun. In my own geeked out paying down my debt way.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
