Hey It's A Job!

As I posted previously, my weekend job paycheck has been delayed.  I did get some partial payment with the promise that I would be paid in full by the beginning of March. Just as I had expected! Just in time for my vacation.  Since I don't have direct deposit, the money will be waiting for me when I get back.  The book keeping situation is just about fixed.  The trainers wife took a few days off from work and sorted through the books.  No money missing, just someone who slacked off and got shoddy.  Oh well, it is working itself out.

Probably my biggest complaint with the weekend job is the food situation. I am not reimburse for food like I was with the other job. In fact, I find myself falling into the bad habit of buying my meals.  I have to remember to either stop at the grocery store and pick up food or remember to pack leftovers from home.  I do have an alloted shelf in the food cupboard and no one eats the things I leave in the fridge, but it's just not my home kitchen if you know what I mean. I stay in a "real' house on the grounds complete with a kitchen that has pretty much the basics in terms of pots, pans and cooking utensils.

Today I have a few hours off in the middle of the day-a rare treat!  I'm baking a couple sweet potatoes and a couple chicken thighs to have as my Sunday Lunch.  I'll have a nice lunch and when I get home tonight, maybe I'll have some soup or scramble up a couple eggs.

I am not thrilled with my primary job still not putting me back to full time hours.  The trade off is they still do pay for their portion of my health insurance and I will get some vacation time, but I'm still on a reduced schedule.  I had hoped that by this time, I could be looking at a regular schedule.

The Downside to My Weekend Job

1) It's not that close to home, so I am traveling a bit each weekend.
2) I am gone from home two to three nights on the weekends, my weekend social life has changed.
3) I sometimes don't leave the facility at all until it's time for me to pack  up and go home.
4) I miss sleeping in! I'm up and working by 7:15 AM.  I like having a day where I can lounge around in my PJ's-not happening right now.
5) Despite being here for almost three months, I'm not that familiar with the surrounding towns.  I need to make a greater effort so I can find a way to incorporate my weekend shopping and not have to give up a week night.

What I do really like about this weekend job.

1) The people I work for and work with are all very nice. We "fit" well together.
2) I get use of a house with washer/dryer/cable TV-which means I get all my laundry done and I get my cable fix on the weekends.
3) My poochies can all come with me and I don't have to find animal sitters.
4) The pay is not bad, not tremendous, but not bad.
5) I get a sense of great satisfaction seeing a job well done. There are tangible results to my work here.


On the days I do have some time off in the middle of the day, I'm trying to plan it so I get out and about and off the property. It's pretty easy to crash on the couch and watch cable.  I'm trying to go out, find the local stores, do some of my errands (food shopping less perishables, errands, etc) while I'm here.  I do miss having a day to "do nothing",  a 'day off' has become a rare and precious thing.  I did speak to the trainer and once I come back in March I did tell him that to keep me sane, I would need to adjust my schedule a tiny bit. I do need a day at home every few weeks where I can sleep in, where I can cook something up in my oven, where I do the little chores around the house that I'm not getting to after work.    I'd rather have the peace of mind knowing I've gotten my To Do list under control (my To Do lists are notorious for having lots of little things on them).  As long as I schedule this into my weekends, he is good with me being "off" a day.

BUT I am grateful that I still have both this part time and my full time job.  Vacation is in 10 days counting.   I called my friend in the UK, her husband is getting better, not great, but better, and they are still both delighted that I am coming over.  I am very glad that I made the decision to take the trip (cost be dammed).  People are far more important than money!

Hope you all are having a great weekend.

A Week Behind Each Payroll~

I spoke with our payroll person yesterday and yes, the fact I moved from salary to hourly has meant that my pay cycle changes. I'm not sure I understand why-previously, I got paid on the 1st of the month (covering the 16th-31st) and on the 15th (covering the 1st-15th). When I was salaried I got paid that week for that week. Now that I'm hourly, I will be a week in arrears due to the date they transmit payroll to ADP. I'll get paid this 15th for last week and this week, they transmit payroll the middle of next week and that week won't be on that check. I'm trying to remember if my payroll person had this conversation with me and I forgot it (or more likely blocked it out) or if we did not. I've got to pay better attention to these things. I've got to ask questions, I've got to take better care of myself.

What I don't get is why I can't get paid as hourly the same as I did salary in terms of what should be in my paycheck. I'm just not seeing the reasoning behind it. All it means is right now I have less money in my account than I would like and some bills will have to wait until the 15th to get paid (thank goodness they are not due until well after the 15th). I don't want to dip into my E-Fund to "make up" the difference because I'm not feeling disciplined enough at the moment to "restock" the E-Fund from my new payroll schedule. I will just do without.

The only bummer to all of this is I really needed to go grocery shopping to get food for my weekend job. I was "assigned" a food cupboard so I can keep a stash of food at the farm and not have to eat out. I'll shop out of my own pantry for now and just pick up the minimal amount of other food. Ah well....

The Weekend Update

Other than fighting a miserable cold, the weekend went OK. Not great, but OK. I had my Thanksgiving meal with my lovely neighbors (good company, good food, good time) and I was able to organize my small space-yeah for me.

This past weekend was my first weekend at yet another job to supplement my income. That too went OK, not great, but OK. I don't have a routine down yet, (I like routines) it was a new situation for me and I forgot to take into account my meal situation. When I work as a groom, my meals are paid for as part of my work. The barn sitting gig does not offer meal reimbursement. I ate a huge diner breakfast on Sunday that was sufficient for my lunch and breakfast, but I'm going to have to remember to pack food for my other meals or be spending $40 a weekend on meals out.

I have to get my head into a schedule and my new routine. Not feeling all that well on Saturday afternoon, I spent far too much time in between work duties drinking tea and stewing over my situation. When I don't feel well, I get very down on myself, my life, my past choices, my current choices, my circumstances-in other words-I kick myself when I'm down and get depressed about life and finances.

This mentality is not good and can lead to self destructive behavior. I don't know the area very well, so at least I did not go shopping (less a trip to the CVS for cold medicine and the Dunkin Donuts for Coffee on Saturday). I watched a lot of HGTV and TLC and also got into the DIY/Home Improvement show envy. Not good. I did get my laundry done without having to spend $10-$20 at the laundromat as I usually do. Sigh, I'm just glad today starts a new month, so I can start off a new foot with a better frame of mind.

Somethings to Be Grateful For

As I posted a couple weeks ago, I had a reduction in my hours at my full time job. I was not happy about it. I was able to pick up a couple shifts at my second job, but was facing December with extremely limited options for additional income.

I also did not fret (too much) or panic (too much) or let it get to me (too much) for about 10 days. I used the time to do some much needed re-organization of my home,to think about my next steps, and my needs and wants. One of my needs was to get the new to me dogs current on their vaccinations, my elderly friend does not have records on her dogs medical history, other than rabies.

A few months ago I signed up as a mystery shopper. Assignments in my area have been far and few, but one that did crop up was a mystery shop for a vet clinic. I have a dog that needed a vet examination. I took the assignment. The clinic is not in my area, and to make the situation even more interesting, the vet I had lives one town over from me (small world!) and wanted to know why I came to this particular office (did he think MYSTERY SHOPPER?!). I told the practice that this dog had a prospective new family in the area close to the clinic and I wanted to make the transition from my home to their home as smooth as possible. (OK, so it was a little white lie, I don't have a home for Poochie 2, but I AM looking for one!). The cost of the visit will be reimbursed to me and I'll get paid enough to more than cover my gas to and from the clinic. Poochie 2 is now current on her vacciantions and I did not have to pay for it. One need off my list. If my shop is accepted, I can take one of my other pets to vet facility for her annual exam and vaccinations. That particular facility is a practice I used to use and I could go under the guise I was thinking about transefering back to that practice.

I also was asked this AM if I would be available now through the end of December to "barn sit" for a trainer I know via my groom job. He needs someone to live in the caretakers apartment and be on site for the animals, the work is minimal, he just needs someone on site at night. I told him I had already booked out a few weekends for other work, but could happily help him out. This works for him, it works for me and the pay will be a big help for the month of December. Plus the caretakers apartment has a washer and dryer, I can do all my dog and personal laundry! Whoo Hoo!

I am not sitting on my heels, I am still pursuing alternative income streams, but I am grateful for the opportunities that have come my way these past couple days.

The Alternative Income Sources

I technically have two real part time jobs. One is working as a groom at a horse show barn, the other is I'm supposedly a real estate agent. I do have my license, but I have no clients and my real estate office has been dead quiet. Even the agents I used to help by doing admin work are not calling me, they have no clients and thus no income and unable to pay me. Those $20 and $30 little quick jobs were nice mad money in my wallet (movies, nice bottle of wine, spare cash).

The real estate gig is disheartening. I knew it was going to be slow going, but this whole economic down turn has made real estate a non existent second job. I've already decided to renew my license and associated fees for next year, I'm hoping things will take an upswing, I'm not holding my breath, but I have this gut feeling I need to keep my license active.

The barn/groom work is winding down for the late fall and winter. The school kids are involved in school sports, the shows are fewer and being held in indoor arenas (and I'm allergic to the horses, hay and indoor dust, ACHOO) and not as many people compete in the winter. I have a shift scheduled in two weeks, I may be needed one more time between then and Christmas. It's gonna be a tight second income month come December.

My other part time gig is photographing houses for mortgages companies. Again, given the state of the economy, not a lot of mortgages or re-financing happening. I picked up my first photo opportunity since the beginning of September. I earned $950 in 2007 doing that work, and I pretty much have earmarked any funds earned by doing the photo shots for my Credit Union Emergency Fund.

I'm looking into ways to diversify my income stream. I've not tapped into any advertising options for my web site (other than ad sense and the odd pay per post), I can probably do that. Just make the time, sit down and get the income stream moving.

Oh well, I'll keep trugging along!

Sooo Much Rain, Sooo Little Work

The remnants of the Hurrican blew through New England on Saturday. My area got 5.5 inches of rain on Saturday afternoon alone. This also ment the event I was supposed to work was cancelled. I hate that. Cancelled work means reduced or no pay. Since we were already at the barn and getting set to go, I did get some compensation, not alot, but some. The decision was made to "abandon ship" because of the storm. We ended up unpacking the trailer and a couple of us got pizza for dinner (our boss bought it for us, which was nice of him to do so.)

I'll have to find a way to make up the "budget shortfall" this month.

At Least It's Income Part 2

As far as I know, there has been no resolution to the scheduling issues at my second job. If real estate were booming, I'd say "screw it" to the other job and focus on getting a sale or two. Real Estate is not booming and the two clients I have are both sitting tight (IE-not spending any money) right now.

SUPPOSEDLY, the powers that be had or are having their monthly meeting,it was supposed to be on Sunday. I've not heard anything further, I am still on the schedule for work in early September, and I did work this past weekend. There is an advert in the local papers help wanted section for barn help and I don't recognize the phone number, I think it's the number of the new assistant. It's a cell phone number and not a land line.

What irks me is that NO ONE is communicating with us about the changes. No one. I like this place, the hours suit me, it's close to home, blah, blah, blah. I just want to know are we status quo or are things changing. I did post last week I ran into one of the trainers at the Dunkin Donuts, I was walking out, he was walking in and I literally grabbed him said, hey wait a minute....One of the other girls who does similar work to mine at the barn happened to be there as well. As I said he got an earful. My complaint was I just needed to know about scheduling. His response was he did not think there was an issue. So we shall still see what the outcome is.

I have picked up a couple photo opportunities for the mortgage company that does on line appraisals. I have four scheduled over the next three days. At least it's some money in and what ever happens with the barn work, happens.

Well, At Least It's Income

I am currently being bounced around the schedule for my part time second job. And I hate that. I think the new assistant to my "boss" is looking for a way to get rid of some of us. We are not sure why. The head trainer came back, tanned, rested and ready for the fall show season and totally unaware that there was an issue. Until we cornered him at Dunkin Donuts one morning and said "Hey-What's up?" and then gave him an earful. He happened to be at the right place at the wrong time. We explained our concerns and he did tell us he has his monthly meeting planned with the owners, the resident manage and his new assistant later this week and that this situation will be resolved.

For right now, I'm still on the schedule as planned. I even got asked to cover a shift this weekend, which I said yes to.

I hate looking for additional work.

On The Schedule for September

I did swing by the barn and I'm on the schedule for working one weekend in September. For now, I'll take that as a positive sign. The schedule is "subject to change depending on entries, etc)



The main trainer will be back to work next week. I think I'll plan a little get together once he's gotten back into the work groove.

Second Job Concerns

If you've been reading my blog you know that I have a second job. The second job provides me with the extra income that I ear mark towards my new to me car payment (that has an insane interest rate because of the BK). I work about 1-2 weekends a month and for the past few months I've been able to cover most if not all of my car payment. I like the job and the people I work with and for. It suits me on a number of levels.

Until this month. The trainer at the barn I work at has a new assistant. She's young, talented, thinks very highly of herself, but her people skills, well, stink. He has given her the duty of co-ordinating us worker bees for shows and events. I met with her last weekend and told her that my preference is for local shows or barn coverage because I have animals of my own at home and it is not cost effective for me to have to pay for animal sitters to cover away shows. If there is a big event and I'm needed for a weekend trip, I need notice so I can arrange my schedule and see if I can get animal care. Let's just say, she pretty much told me that she's not sure if she can use my services in the future. Not sure? It has not been a problem for the past 4 months, in fact, the head trainer seemed to prefer that I do the "home work" instead of the "road work". This new assistant has also managed to annoy a couple other workers, one being the resident barn manager (by resident, she lives on the property and oversees a majority of the day to day operations of the property) who does NOT answer to the trainer and especially to his assistant.

I ran into the resident barn manager at the local coffee shop and she asked if I was going to do barn coverage at the end of the month when the head trainer takes a group of kids off for one last weekend of shows before school starts. I told her I did not think so, I had not been scheduled by the Newbie,but had been asked by the trainer in late June. I said I was not sure If I still had employment because I was not really available for travel. The look on her face was that of surprise. Walking that fine line, I told her I can understand if my travel limitations were an issue and that the facility needed road grooms, but I've not turned down a work request yet, so I was surprised at the statement of the Newbie especially when I was hired, it was full well known my travel limitations. The resident manager did say she's had some issues with the Newbie not understanding the chain of command at the facility and that it had caused some disruptions.

Ah well, we shall see how it works out. I did work this past weekend, but at the barn. I was supposed to be scheduled for some work the end of August and in early September, but at this point I guess I'll wait and see. If I can touch base with the head trainer I will, I know he's off on his summer vacation (hence the Newbie filling in).

It's Official, I am a Technology Inept-At Least On Blogger

OK, so I was correct, trying to schedule the Auto Posts did not work. I do have some nice posts in the drafts folder that I will re-upload later today.

I will say the weekend was busy. I love this second job, it gets stressful at times, but there is great satisfaction seeing a job well done. The folks I work with are very nice, we had a very nice hotel (and I made great use of the hot tub to soothe my sore back and feet) and I was happy to get home last night. I am going to have to invest in some good supportive boots for this job. The pair I have are old and have lost foot support-or maybe I'm getting old :).

Hope everyone had a safe and happy holiday weekend.

The Month Starts Off on A Good Foot

It's only July 2nd, but some good things have been happening, so I am pleased. I entered a raffle last month at a local kitchen supply store and TA DA, I won one of the prizes. I also got a message on my mobile phone from someone who is looking for some help in organizing their home office.

Organization, I do it very well and I will talk to this person about re-organizing her office and files. I don't know if she wants a one time flat fee job or a stop in a couple times a month and help to organize. Either way, this is a good thing. I'll earmark the money towards next months car payment.

Plus, I have this weekend of work at my "second job" and the folks I'll be working with are a good group. The weather won't be beastly hot, we have nice accommodations, my own animals are taken care of.

I did try to schedule a couple posts to "auto post" this weekend. Not sure if it will work, the last time I did that, I posted all on the same day and not on the scheduled days. Sometimes I am such a technology dork. If there is no posting during the holiday weekend, it's because I can't AUTO SCHEDULE.

I Need To Change My Outlook

I reported yesterday that I picked up enough hours on the "second" job to cover July's car payment. I'm thrilled about that as one of my on going goals is to cover the car payment. I also realized I looking at this whole second job thing the wrong way. Instead of being bitter about no shifts for June, I am thankful I have shifts for July and that I could "budget" half of my July shift income towards Augusts car payment in case I don't pick up additional shifts in July and who knows what will happen for August.

Look at the glass half full instead of half empty. Novel concept isn't it?

Good Second Job News~for once!

The good news is I picked up some shifts for the road groom work the beginning of July-at least 3 if not 4 days!. Woo Hoo! That means my goal of extra income to cover the car payment will be met. I don't think I'll make my June goal, but I'm not giving up the ghost yet, I may get to work the last full weekend in June, that is TBD, but July is confirmed.

The other good news is I actually have a serious real estate client. They want to buy a small house as an investment, have a decent amount of money to put as a down payment and have already been working with a reputable lender. They have done this before, purchase a second home as an income producing property, so they know the ropes. We looked at some properties on Saturday and will look again this upcoming week or weekend. Keep your fingers crossed on this one, it could be a quick sale and a quick close and I'll earmark those funds earned for the Efund and Car Note fund.

The Second Job Is Tiring

And not just as tedious = tiring,, but I am really tired. As I've posted before, my "second job" on a very part time basis is to help a local horse trainer when he goes on the road. I'm one of two people designated as a cross between a groom and a road manager for his clients. The clients range from teenaged kids to adults. The way this trainer has his barn set up, the "clients" do a lot of the work preparing their own horses for the show, the "road crew" helps and assists and makes sure the clients keep to the schedule for warm ups, ring time, and all that jazz. With several rings going on at once, you have to juggle who goes where and when.

This past weekend was my first full working weekend and I am tired. Physically tired. I had forgotten just how much physical work was involved in this type of job. I got home last night, fed my dogs, put my feet up long enough to catch part of the news, took a couple Advil for my aches and pains, and I slept up until the alarm went off this am. I'm usually up before the alarm, not today. I happily slept in. The good news is between this past weekend, covering some time at his barn (yeah local!) this upcoming weekend, and the property photo shoot work, I've made enough money to cover my car payment for the month of May.

I just wish I could count on this work as a regular income source, it's still going to be more of an on call thing and the next working weekend won't be until sometime in Mid June. It is what it is. Now to get all my laundry done.......

The Second Job Update-Part 500

I've blabbered on in a number of posts about my quest to find a second job. Part of my dilemma is location, part is fussiness and part is money. My prospective job at a local horse farm has not panned out as I had hoped. I had hoped to be well into my second month of part time work. Twas not to be.

BUT-I did pick up a part time position working for the same horse trainer as a" road groom". It involves some travel, lots of getting up early to be on the road, lots of Dunkin Donuts coffee, and working outside in all sorts of weather, but most of the upcoming events are within a two hour drive of home. The pay is pretty good, the hours are long and I have to work with young ladies and gentlemen way younger than I. It makes me feel old, I did this type of work when I was 17 years old.

It is a temporary solution to my second job hunt, working two to three weekends will give me enough cash to cover the car note. I will have gas expense (I have this thing I need to use my own car if possible) and probably end up packing my own lunch (one can only eat so much road food). That's OK by me. It's a job.

Actually, now that the weather is getting better, this won't be such a bad second job. I'll still be looking for a steadier position close to home (or hope and pray for a couple house sales!).

The Second Job Prospect Looks More Promising

As I've posted before, I have a potential second job working at a horse farm near my house about 2-3 weekends a month. It would be the ideal part time job for me in terms of time, energy, income, location, etc. But I am to replace someone who is going to be moving and her moving plans have been pushed back, twice. As much as I would really like that job, my other obligations (car payment time) make it so that I can't wait much longer at all. My friend who owns that farm and is the head trainer knows that I can't hold out forever.

I did touch base with another friend of a friend who is looking for occassional weekend help in the equine field as well. We have agreed to talk this week about some weekend work depending on their travel schedule and my needs. I think this may work out.

Why I'm Jumping Back into the Credit Market

I had a comment on one of my blog posts about the new to me car purchase, and since I was planning on blogging about this very comment this weekend, I'll just jump in and post now.

Just out of curiosity, but why are you looking to get back into a high interest loan for a car, as opposed to purchasing a small, cash-only used car from a private party?

Very valid and a great comment and I'm sure others are wondering the same. I have decided to go with a car loan for a decent vehicle for a number of reasons.

1) I need to re-establish credit to start boosting my FICO score (which is currently really low.......). I had planned on getting a secured credit card and using it for things like my gas purchases and pay off in full each month and hope to qualify for lower interest rate loan later this year. Instead, it's a car loan about 5 months earlier than planned. Frankly, you have to start somewhere. It might as well be a car loan.

2) The current car repair was not expected, I figured an oil change, yearly tune up, and front end alignment ($250) would get me through to the summer. The projected repairs on the car push the bill over $1,000, and that is without further investigation as to why the car seems to be drinking oil. It was "in my grand plan" to save up for a decent down payment for a new to me car. This current repair bill just changed my plans. I don't want to sink $1,000 in a car that is only worth about $700-$950. Up until this past year, I had little to no repair cost in my current car, just regular maintenance (oil change, the occasional brake job, new tires, etc).

3) I had hoped to already have a real second job in place to offset the car payment. The prospective job has been put off until late April/early May, but I've been looking at alternative sources of income if this job is not to be (Virtual Assistant work, I am a Notary Public and can do loan signings for title companies, doing some back office work for a couple other real estate agents in the agency that hold my real estate license, etc). I've had second jobs on and off most of my adult working life and have usually used them to pay for "extras"-hobbies, vacations, and now it's a car. Arse backwards yes, I have a car loan, now I will get a second job. There are a number of local businesses that have started to advertise for summer help, the hours (and probably the salary) are not as good as the job at the horse farm if that does not come to fruition, but hey, it's a job! I totally admit, I've been sitting on heels waiting to see what happens at the horse farm. I could have gotten my act in gear earlier for a second job and this would not be as much of an issue, but I did not and only have myself to blame. I need to stop being sooo fussy.

4) I talked to both my credit union and my bank and both said the same thing, they could refinance me in as little as 6-9 months if all my installment payments are current (mortgage, student loan and car) and the rate would be competitive for the market. They did say I would not qualify for the "red carpet lease and loan terms" (less than 5% interest rate), but at a much better rate than 14.9%. My bank is a small local bank and they could not even offer me a car loan at any rate until my FICO gets above 600. One advantage to a local bank and credit union is the personal touch and the fact they know me as a person and not just a credit report. While I may be spending my raise on a car, I will still be able to keep to my projected savings plan. A second job or alternative income source will be snowflaked to the car fund account. I hope to be able to accelerate loan payments. Depending on the final price, the additional interest I pay may not be that much.

5) And simply, I do not have enough money saved to do a cash purchase on a used car that fits my criteria (age, mileage reliability, space requirements), I've been looking at that option as well for a motivated seller. The last two cars I bought from private parties both ended up costing me a lot (even with my mechanic looking at them prior to sale) in repairs and aggrivation. One repair hit 5 weeks after I bought the used car and was $700 to fix. This makes me a little leary of a private purchase, once bitten, twice shy as they say. The two cars I've bought through a dealership have had minimal upkeep and cost. At least with a dealer, I have some sort of a warrenty for the next couple months.

I did a test drive last night of the two vehicles that made my final cut. I did my Kelly Blue Book and Edmunds research on both (both private party and dealer price) and I started the bid process on one of them. I'm not interested in a dealership extended warrenty (you can actually find warrenties on line at less than half the dealer price) if one is needed or wanted. Plus I was surprised at how much wiggle room there was, especially on one vehicle. I think in this current economy, even car dealers want to move inventory and are willing to negogiate on price.

So we shall see! Thanks for the feedback!

BB

Loan Investigations Continue

The other dealership called, I have been approved for a loan with similar terms and conditions (15% instead of 14.5% and a max of $19,000 instead of $18,000). I called the credit union I just joined and since the account is so new (like two weeks), and I have the BK, they could only approve me with similar terms and conditions as the dealerships. It was not worth pursuing with them at this point in time,

They did say if I did on time payments for my three loans (mortgage, student and now car) they could do a refinance in about 9 months at a much more competitive rate, 6-7% because of the BK. Except for a couple blips when my fiscal life fell apart, I've always paid my mortgage on time and the same with my student loan. That is a good thing. I did not know you could refinance a car loan, this is all news to me. I'm learning a lot about my new adventures into automotive financing.

I spoke to one finance manager and she said I was approved for the following reasons:

1) I had all my documents that they required~being organized and following directions helps!
2) I have longevity in my job (2 years with this employer, 5 with my previous and 7 with the one prior to that).
3) I meet a minimum salary level.
4) I own my own home and have lived there for almost 8 years.
5) I had a car loan in the past, it is marked paid in full and in good standing (even with a couple late payments) with a reputable lender.
6) No car repossession or turn in and no mortgage foreclosure or preforeclosure marks on my credit report.
7) I don't owe anything on my current car.
8) My budget falls within their guidelines for granting credit.
9) Depending on what vehicle I select and length of loan, my payment will be between $300 and $375 each month. High, but doable, especially if I can re-finance later this year to a lower rate.

I am still amazed that less than four hours after my application for credit was submitted, I've been approved by two lenders. I am just floored.

I will do a test drive at each dealership this evening and make my decision after I drive the cars and sleep on it.

Now I really have to pursue a second job-no freaking excuses anymore. I still feel like I should go home and have a whiskey.

The Second Job Woes

As I've posted earlier, I have a tentative job offer to work 2-3 weekend a month at a horse farm local to me. This job would be ideal, it would pay enough to cover most of a new to me car payment, it's fairly close to home, the hours work out well for me, there is some flexibility if I need it for a weekend errand or three and I like the people I would be working with. I would be replacing a current employee who has made plans to leave the area. She was supposed to leave this month, but has pushed back her leaving until some time in late April if not early May.

Sigh, not good for me at all. I was starting to count on that job. It really would have been perfect for me on many levels and since a new to me car is a priority, I'm having a hard time justifying putting off a second job search much longer. The biggest drawback is weekend only second jobs are not easy to come by or the pay is dismal to the point of I'd have to give serious consideration to work in a place that the pay was so bad AND to give up my weekends as well. Yes, I need and want the additional money, but I know from past experience I need to at least like the place I work at if the pay is going to be low.

The real estate market is still painfully slow, as expected. I'm hoping the spring season may bring out a buyer or two and the commission could be put to good use (car, E fund, etc).

What I really need to do is just get my butt in gear, stop whinging and find a second job so I can get my new to me car.