A trip inside the heart and mind.
Posts tagged money
Jobs for everyone
Jul 18th
This has been a good week for Melanie and I. Financially, things are about to get a little easier for us and that’s always a blessing.
For starters, Melanie found a job at an Uncle Louie G’s that opened right near her house. The pay is only decent, but she gets tips which, so far, are pretty damn good. As the weather gets warmer and volume picks up, she should be able to get a nice amount of money together for the car she so badly wants to get.
In other news, I finally got the full time Merch position at work. Besides the extra hours, I also got a raise and will be able to get benefits such as health insurance and holiday/vacation/sick pay. Now, I’m not going to be doubling my income or anything, but I will have a bit more padding that will allow me to stress my bills a little less than I have been for the past year, or so. All of this is way over due, but I’m thankful I stuck to my guns.
Decisions made and confusion cleared
Mar 26th
Well, I’m just a tad bit less stressed out than I was in my last few posts. I’ve had time to think and, after talking things out with Melanie and sorting through the facts, have figured everything out for now.
In terms of the Citi position, I’ll let that play itself out and see what happens. In the mean time, I’ve decided to remain in the new position at work. I’ve already received a raise for it (almost 10%) and will, hopefully, be getting more hours very soon. If I can get 30% – 50% more hours, I’ll be ok and can, possibly, stop the bleeding of money that’s been going on for the past few months.
The key here is that I’m getting more money and I’m a lot less stressed. It just took a while to sort everything out.
I have to find that perfect balance
Mar 24th
I’m stressed and want to vent. If you’re pissed off by what you read, I apologize.
This whole job thing is getting a bit frustrating. After doing a “phone screening” with Citi bank, today, I am now waiting on a branch hiring manager to get in touch with me. While this is good news, in many ways, it also poses a problem: Can I take a job like that knowing that I won’t get to see Melanie more than two days a week, at most?
We’re both at different points in our lives and it’s hard to blend those points together, sometimes. I want to do what’s right for me and make enough money to sustain myself, yet I know, deep in my heart, that I need time with her. Maybe I’m just a stupid kid in love, but it’s what I am.
So, what do I do? I don’t know, to be honest. I’m stressed beyond belief trying to figure this one out. A middle ground solution would be to let the Citi situation play itself out and see if I even get a job offer, but, at the same time, not go back to the position I love at work and stay in the spot I am currently in. I can, probably, work out a pay raise and extra hours from it, though it’d officially be part time and still not like my work.
The problem with that idea is the lack of benefits and I need benefits. I don’t know what to do. My mind is racing a mile a minute and I’m not ready to leave the starting line. I have to figure this gigantic puzzle out and make a major life decision when I’m simply not ready to do so.
I’ve heard your advise. I know what most people will say, so please leave it be. No matter what I choose, people will be pissed off and say I’m wrong. It’s a lose – lose situation and I know it. Lucky me.
Half way there, but not enough
Mar 12th
Well, when an employee quits or gets fired, there’s obviously an open position within the store. As I mentioned in my previous post, a co-worker of mine quit and, by doing so, vacated a full time spot. I decided to apply for it. I got it, but I didn’t. Allow me to explain.
When a store wishes to open up a position for application, they have to go through the corporate offices. Unfortunately, there is a freeze on the hiring of full time employees and the company refused to budge. When I was told of this, I was also notified that they hope to have the freeze removed within a month or two. So, I was presented a decision. Do I wait in my current role and apply when the spot opens or do I take the part time position in the new department and apply for the full time when the chance is given to me?
I did some thinking and talked to a few people, though I mostly talked it over with Melanie. In our discussion, it became clear that I would have a much better chance of getting the full time position if I knew what the job entailed, so it would be much better to use the available part time role as a training for future possibilities.
This is such a tough choice to make. I’ve become an essential part of the machine in my current department. I’m also friends with the supervisor and he relies on me to help keep things moving. I’m leaving that all behind and part of me feels a bit guilty about it. I know I have to do what’s right, but I like being the “go to” guy and I feel a strong responsibility to keeping things moving the way they are.
This is a decision for me, though. I’m doing it and hoping for the best. I’ll go from working with my hands to doing tons of paperwork and researching possibly lost items. The real benefit isn’t in the work, but the possibility of full time pay and the freedom on the weekends to spend time with Melanie and play softball with my room mates. Wish me luck.
Minor changes in life
Mar 5th
I’ve been making some minor changes in my life. I thought I’d share. Lucky you.
Firstly, I’ve decided to let my black nails go. It’s not an easy choice, but I think I’m past that phase of my life, finally. It’s not significant to anyone besides myself, but it is what it is. I’m sure Yogi Bera would be proud of that line.
I’ve also decided to cut all spending for the next two months, at least, as much as I can. After my purchase, and subsequent review, of MLB 2K9, I’m done. I need to start saving again and this is the only way I know how. Melanie has been supportive, though I hope she and her parents can tolerate us going out to paid activities less for a little while. It’s just something I have to do as I struggle to make ends meet. It’s the economy we live in, I guess.
The job improvement search continues
Feb 9th
I could say that the job hunt is continuing, but I already have a job, so I’m really looking to just improve my job situation. I’m pretending that makes sense and so should you.
I’m still not getting the hours I want, at Best Buy, and it’s starting to annoy me. I can’t save with the limited amount of hours they do give me and, even worse, I can’t stop the bleeding of cash. I’m continually losing money because my expenses are simply greater than my shrinking income.
I’m still looking at banks as my way out of this abysmal situation. I’ve applied twice at Sovereign Bank (second app was today for a full time position. I included my resume, this time) and I plan on applying at Wamu and Chase in the next few days. It’s not my dream job, being a bank teller and all, but it’ll pay the bills and give me room to advance my career. I guess, sometimes, you have to sacrifice passion for money. It kind of sucks.
Wish me luck, guys. I really need it.
Settling in
Feb 5th
I’m not sure how many people know, but my room mates and I were very concerned, during the past few weeks, that we would be able to stay in the apartment we’re in now once the lease expired next month. It was a stressful time on top of every thing else I had to deal with on my own.
Well, after discussions with the landlord, we’re going to be staying, so now we can really settle in. We finally got ourselves a kitchen table. Our kitchen area is small, so we never bought one out of concern we’d buy one for the size limitation we currently had and then not need it a few months later. It’s nice to have a place to sit and eat, finally.
We’re also doing small things here and there to make things more homely. A set of coat hooks down by the front door and such add nice finishing touches to the place and make it that much more comfortable to be in.
Money is still very tight and I’m not getting nearly enough hours at work, but at least I’m ok…for now.
A quick nod to Sovereign Bank
Jan 30th
I have to give a quick thumbs up to the customer service at the switch center for Sovereign Bank.
I recently decided to switch banks since my previous bank doesn’t have any branches near me enough for any quick runs to the ATM, and such. I chose Sovereign because there’s a branch near me, near Melanie, and at every CVS, so it’s pretty easy to avoid ATM fees wherever I go.
Well, in setting up my account (my sister, who works for the company, did most of the work) I’ve had the pleasure of dealing with their “switch center”. This is a line of their customer service specifically created to assist new customers with setting up their new accounts and direct deposits. They have been very kind and helpful in getting everything covered. It’s been amazingly comforting. What’s even better is there’s no menu system when I have to call them. I just get forwarded straight to a human being. Sweet.
Thank you, Sovereign Bank and thank you to my assigned rep, Debra.