After getting the notice that my hours were cut I went shopping. Yes, shopping. I stopped at Target and spent $90 on "stuff". That sounds worse than it really was. $75 was on a new vacuum. I've had bad vacuum karma this past year and I finally decided to just buy a new vacuum. Cut hours or not, my current vacuum situation at home was getting desperate. I'd been borrowing my neighbors vacuum a couple times a month for a good deep clean and using my little excuse for a canister vacuum in between. It was just not doing the job. I walked into Target to get some toiletries, saw the vacuum on sale (I had also checked it out online first) and I snapped it up and dropped it into my cart. I had been planning on buying one this upcoming weekend, I just pushed the purchase forward by a week.
I know am the proud owner of a vacuum that has sucked up more dirt and dog hair than I realized was still in my carpets. I have a cleaner and fresher smelling house. I truly feel a lot better now that I can vacuum at 2 AM, really I do. Just so you know, I also like to iron. I iron my pillow cases.
I also made some phone calls and picked up about 5 days of "extra work" at my second job, some of it is on weekends, some of it is on weekdays, it's piece meal, but it's extra work. It is a help right now.
My boss has not sat down with me to go over my new schedule. I really need a schedule so I can find ways to make up my cut hours. Part of our discussion last week was that I agreed to the temporary reduction in hours provided I had some flexibility in setting up a schedule, which he agreed to. He is out of the office today and tomorrow, so what I'll probably do is set my own schedule and give it to him. What I don't want to do is have to work 5 days at abbreviated hours, I'd prefer to have at least one full day off during the week if I'm going to be working on the weekends. This will give me a full day to run errands, schedule doctors appointments, get laundry done, all those fun things.
I have made the decision to not make myself too crazy this week about the change in my work schedule. I was getting really bitter on Sunday about that and some other stuff that has been going on in my life. I have some ideas floating around, I'm keeping my ears and eyes open for other opportunities, but I'm not panicking and trying to get this all sorted out NOW. I think a little "off time" this week will do me a world of good. I have some books and dvd's to go on half.com or e-bay, I'll list them this week. I'm going to finish the redecorating of my bedroom, I'm going to really clean and organize my house (Fall Cleaning or Spring Cleaning if you are in the Southern Hemisphere!), and then I'm going to sit down and write out the things I need (personal, home, work, car) and the things I want, look at my budget and take it from there.
Without crunching all the numbers, I should be able to meet all my fiscal obligations with the reduced hours. No extras or very very few extras, but I should be able to meet my fiscal obligations without having to dip in to my E-fund. I'll double check all that this weekend as well and make sure I don't have any surprise bills in the near future.
Tuesday, November 11, 2008
Monday, November 10, 2008
Bouncing Back Just Got A Whole Lot Harder
I've not had a good couple weeks. First the $400 car repair, then craziness at work, then some craziness at home and finally, more craziness at work.
My business is directly affected by the economy. And now it's affected me. Because of a sharp downturn in our business, my work hours have been cut. Yup, cut. I'm not happy about it at all. Not happy because for the past couple months, we have been working like little crazy people to attract new business and work with existing clients. Just to keep it simple and straight, that strategy did not work and we did not get our new business and we ended up losing a couple clients as well. Then yet another closed door meeting and me getting lots of information for the powers that be for said meeting.
I was told my "work was valuable " to the company, and this is a "temporary reduction in hours", but non the less, still a reduction. I now have about 12 hours a week I need to fill with gainful employment. Sigh.
A couple things have run through my mind the past couple days. One, I am grateful I still have a job (at least for now), Two I am grateful I am able to keep my health benefits and Three I am kicking myself for some less than smart spending on my E-fund, but grateful that I still have an E-Fund.
What's going to happen next? I have to work out my reduced hours schedule with my office, I have to find out when it actually takes effect (this week, next week-my boss was rather ambiguous about the exact start date). Today, the only upside to this whole thing is that maybe this will force me to really get creative with my "plan" to work for myself or to get creative with alternative income sources. There are lots of downsides to this, but I just don't want to write about them today.
Just for giggles, here is what my favorite on line astrologer had on her web page today.
Monday November 10 – Moon into AriesMoon Meditation:
“Sassy wins the day…”
The Sun links first to Uranus and then to Saturn over the next 24 hours. If you’ve just had a big change in your life, today’s going to help you to take it all onboard and start to inculcate the ramifications. Which is a multi-syllabic way of saying we can all now start to get more used to some of the changes in the air (and I’m not just talking about the US presidential election, but you can bet Barack Obama’s really sucking up the change and acclimatising himself right now!)
My business is directly affected by the economy. And now it's affected me. Because of a sharp downturn in our business, my work hours have been cut. Yup, cut. I'm not happy about it at all. Not happy because for the past couple months, we have been working like little crazy people to attract new business and work with existing clients. Just to keep it simple and straight, that strategy did not work and we did not get our new business and we ended up losing a couple clients as well. Then yet another closed door meeting and me getting lots of information for the powers that be for said meeting.
I was told my "work was valuable " to the company, and this is a "temporary reduction in hours", but non the less, still a reduction. I now have about 12 hours a week I need to fill with gainful employment. Sigh.
A couple things have run through my mind the past couple days. One, I am grateful I still have a job (at least for now), Two I am grateful I am able to keep my health benefits and Three I am kicking myself for some less than smart spending on my E-fund, but grateful that I still have an E-Fund.
What's going to happen next? I have to work out my reduced hours schedule with my office, I have to find out when it actually takes effect (this week, next week-my boss was rather ambiguous about the exact start date). Today, the only upside to this whole thing is that maybe this will force me to really get creative with my "plan" to work for myself or to get creative with alternative income sources. There are lots of downsides to this, but I just don't want to write about them today.
Just for giggles, here is what my favorite on line astrologer had on her web page today.
Monday November 10 – Moon into AriesMoon Meditation:
“Sassy wins the day…”
The Sun links first to Uranus and then to Saturn over the next 24 hours. If you’ve just had a big change in your life, today’s going to help you to take it all onboard and start to inculcate the ramifications. Which is a multi-syllabic way of saying we can all now start to get more used to some of the changes in the air (and I’m not just talking about the US presidential election, but you can bet Barack Obama’s really sucking up the change and acclimatising himself right now!)
Friday, November 7, 2008
Updating the Blog Roll
I'm going to be updating my blog roll next week. Some folks have stopped blogging, some have changed URL's, some have gone private. I'm happy to put your blog on my list, just leave me a comment and I'll update next week.
Just Really Busy This Week
And I'm also stressed. We've been busy at work. Lots of meetings, lots of planning and strategy sessions, lots of communication with clients, lots of closed door meetings, lots of phone calls, lots of Betty I need this report redone NOW! Yikes to say the least.
I'm not sleeping well and eating well sort of went out the window. Does rice with salad dressing count as a real meal? I did make some adequate soup the other day, froze some, have some for meals. I am just tired. And I'm working the second job this weekend.
I've been MIA at the gym for a couple reasons. The main one is that I let my trial membership expire due to the changed work schedule. The other is I've just not gotten back to the gym to renew. I was assured that I would not be charged an initiation fee when I 're-join'. I do hope that is the case. I really miss "my time" at the gym and the routine of cardio, weights, quick shower and a sauna. The physical benefits are great, but the mental ones even better!
I did go to a conference last weekend and it was glorious. It was in a warm and sunny place. The conference went well, I had a great dinner on Saturday night with some really nice people, I shopped only a little (and bought two holiday gifts). The best part is almost the entire trip was paid for or reimbursed by work for me. I had a check in my hands two hours after submitting my travel/expense form. The other upside was I went to bed really early both Friday and Saturday and SLEPT- a lot. And took a nap on Saturday. And slept on the plane.
My animals are feeling really neglected and my one dog showed his displeasure by chewing things he should not have chewed. Oh yeah, he also decided it would be fun to "mark" on my couch and my bed. To mark means to pee. I was really annoyed last night. I got home, he was loose and he "marked". I almost lost it. I had to pack up all the laundry and bedding and find a laundromat that was still open. I did make it to my regular place, but they have changed their hours, closing an hour earlier. I did get everything washed and most things dried (my down pillows are going to have to be re-washed and re-dried). I did end up spending about $25 to wash, dry, fluff, fold everything in the large commercial washers. Not exactly the way I wanted to spend my Thursday night, but there ya have it. Tonight I tackle my ironing pile....
I'm not sleeping well and eating well sort of went out the window. Does rice with salad dressing count as a real meal? I did make some adequate soup the other day, froze some, have some for meals. I am just tired. And I'm working the second job this weekend.
I've been MIA at the gym for a couple reasons. The main one is that I let my trial membership expire due to the changed work schedule. The other is I've just not gotten back to the gym to renew. I was assured that I would not be charged an initiation fee when I 're-join'. I do hope that is the case. I really miss "my time" at the gym and the routine of cardio, weights, quick shower and a sauna. The physical benefits are great, but the mental ones even better!
I did go to a conference last weekend and it was glorious. It was in a warm and sunny place. The conference went well, I had a great dinner on Saturday night with some really nice people, I shopped only a little (and bought two holiday gifts). The best part is almost the entire trip was paid for or reimbursed by work for me. I had a check in my hands two hours after submitting my travel/expense form. The other upside was I went to bed really early both Friday and Saturday and SLEPT- a lot. And took a nap on Saturday. And slept on the plane.
My animals are feeling really neglected and my one dog showed his displeasure by chewing things he should not have chewed. Oh yeah, he also decided it would be fun to "mark" on my couch and my bed. To mark means to pee. I was really annoyed last night. I got home, he was loose and he "marked". I almost lost it. I had to pack up all the laundry and bedding and find a laundromat that was still open. I did make it to my regular place, but they have changed their hours, closing an hour earlier. I did get everything washed and most things dried (my down pillows are going to have to be re-washed and re-dried). I did end up spending about $25 to wash, dry, fluff, fold everything in the large commercial washers. Not exactly the way I wanted to spend my Thursday night, but there ya have it. Tonight I tackle my ironing pile....
Wednesday, November 5, 2008
Why I Read My Supposed Junk Mail- I got Slammed by my Own Phone Company
It's not because I have some sick fascination with letters, it's because many times legitimate letters and bills can be disguised as "junk mail'. Like the letter I got yesterday from Sprint welcoming me as a 'new long distance customer".
New customer? I don't have long distance phone service from anyone. I had it turned off about 2 years ago when I discovered that I got better rates using a calling card for my inter and intra state long distance phone calls. The basic Sprint fees alone were $7.99, less any usage charges. For $8 a month, I get something like 300 minutes of talk time on my calling card. I really don't use my land line all that much. 300 minutes of talk time can last me a very long time,like a couple months.
I called Sprint ASAP and they told me that my local carrier, ATT, set up the long distance. I did get Sprint to cancel the account, telling them that I never authorized any one to set up an account and I sure as hell did not and would not be responsible for any charges. I then called ATT and sat on the phone for 30 minutes while the "customer service" agent insisted I set up the Long Distance service. I told him that I never did, I used a calling card, and my last Long Distance company was MCI. The customer service agent said if I dialed Long Distance on my phone, I'd be using Sprint, unless I had all Long Distance turned off. I sighed and said, Yes, exactly, I can not dial ANY long distance inter state or intra state, I HAD the Long Distance turned off, you, ATT have without my permission, signed me up for Sprint Long Distance. I want a block put on my line. You, ATT, have slammed me. If you are not able to put a block on my line, then lets get a manager who can. It's very simple, I don't want ANY long distance service unless I call in to authorize it.
I was not in a mood to deal with ATT. I've had to call them several times and each time it was a miserable experience. First, they wanted to sell me all sorts of calling plans and services I don't want, and then they want to know why I don't want these "fabulous" plans. I guess they have a hard time understanding the phrase-No, I'm not interested. Their revenge-to slam me!
The funny thing was the last time (like last February) I called ATT I was assured that the notation on my bill stating Sprint was my chosen carrier was a default statement and I was assured I did not have any Long Distance Carrier.
I'm not happy with the waste of 40 minutes of my time calling Sprint and ATT. I know I had a block on the line to begin with and pretty much, ATT over rode the block as a 'service' to me it's 'valued' customer.
The lesson here is even though that envelope may look like junk mail, you do have to take a few moments to open it and read it through. Had I just glanced at it and tossed it in the recycle pile, I would have had an account and related fees I never authorized or wanted.
New customer? I don't have long distance phone service from anyone. I had it turned off about 2 years ago when I discovered that I got better rates using a calling card for my inter and intra state long distance phone calls. The basic Sprint fees alone were $7.99, less any usage charges. For $8 a month, I get something like 300 minutes of talk time on my calling card. I really don't use my land line all that much. 300 minutes of talk time can last me a very long time,like a couple months.
I called Sprint ASAP and they told me that my local carrier, ATT, set up the long distance. I did get Sprint to cancel the account, telling them that I never authorized any one to set up an account and I sure as hell did not and would not be responsible for any charges. I then called ATT and sat on the phone for 30 minutes while the "customer service" agent insisted I set up the Long Distance service. I told him that I never did, I used a calling card, and my last Long Distance company was MCI. The customer service agent said if I dialed Long Distance on my phone, I'd be using Sprint, unless I had all Long Distance turned off. I sighed and said, Yes, exactly, I can not dial ANY long distance inter state or intra state, I HAD the Long Distance turned off, you, ATT have without my permission, signed me up for Sprint Long Distance. I want a block put on my line. You, ATT, have slammed me. If you are not able to put a block on my line, then lets get a manager who can. It's very simple, I don't want ANY long distance service unless I call in to authorize it.
I was not in a mood to deal with ATT. I've had to call them several times and each time it was a miserable experience. First, they wanted to sell me all sorts of calling plans and services I don't want, and then they want to know why I don't want these "fabulous" plans. I guess they have a hard time understanding the phrase-No, I'm not interested. Their revenge-to slam me!
The funny thing was the last time (like last February) I called ATT I was assured that the notation on my bill stating Sprint was my chosen carrier was a default statement and I was assured I did not have any Long Distance Carrier.
I'm not happy with the waste of 40 minutes of my time calling Sprint and ATT. I know I had a block on the line to begin with and pretty much, ATT over rode the block as a 'service' to me it's 'valued' customer.
The lesson here is even though that envelope may look like junk mail, you do have to take a few moments to open it and read it through. Had I just glanced at it and tossed it in the recycle pile, I would have had an account and related fees I never authorized or wanted.
Tuesday, November 4, 2008
To All My US Readers-Rock The Vote!
I'll keep it brief. If you are a registered voter in the USA, please exercise your right to vote and vote for the candidate of your choice today!
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