Update Time, I Guess

Anyone reading over in food-land will know this already, but I've run away to Mexico. My entire life (give or take) my father's been telling me that running away doesn't fix anything, but I'm pretty sure he's wrong.

It doesn't fix student loans, that I already know. You have to print out a piece of paper that tells them how pathetic you are, or call up your guarantor and tell *them* how pathetic you are, then get your forbearance extended. Which I need to do again, actually. And credit card bills also don't go away, but those are already pretty much totally forked.

Other problems, though? Almost totally gone. I can work. I've got ideas for *articles* coming out my ears, and a story slowly fermenting in the back of my mind. By the end of the month I should be covering my living expenses without dipping into my (from tax return) remaining "savings."

Of course, for however long I stay where I am now my expenses are something like $250/month housing, $40/month food, $10 a month getting money out of the ATM, and up to another $100 spent on who-knows what. 'course it's about $13 each way to get off the island and into a "real" city, but I don't want to go just yet.

So for now I'll work, build up some cash, learn enough Spanish to have actual conversations, and loaf on the beach. And maybe in a month or so I'll be ready to move on to a "real" town, with money in the bank, and a vocabulary of more than 200 words.

Or not. I might just stay here until they kick me out.

How My Slacker Attitude is Helping Me Get Stuff Done

Right now I am (still) trying to figure out what I'm doing next year. Am I wandering off into the wilds of Mexico and Central America, or am I going for a really long walk?

I've pretty much slacked this whole year. I'll admit it. I quit my job back in January, and until about two weeks ago had earned maybe $300. All Year.

So I know what doing nothing at all and feeling bad about it looks and feels like. I know what sort of things make me less likely to do something. I know what makes me *more* likely to do something. I also know the idea of daily production at a set rate gives me brain-hives.

As much as writing short articles for $3 each works for other people, and as much as I wish I could pay all my bills writing easy articles forever, I have to accept that I'm just not interested in writing 5000 words a day on office chairs. It's something I've been looking at for a while now, but I've reached the "Start making things happen now, or be stuck here another year" point.

So what have I done? I've:

• signed up at Commission Junction, so when I get my "real" site built I can put something on it. 
• Changed around my other blog, dropping the advertising network I've been using
• worked out an upfront to residual balance that works for me- every article I write for upfront pay, I write one for myself to toss up on hubpages or ezine arts, or my own webpage
• made lists of upfront costs, and what I need to do each of my two surviving plans for next year (bare-bones-style)
• written most of a halfway decent first chapter (longhand), and mentally mapped out where I want those characters to go.
• sketched out three or four new book ideas as they wandered past
• re-set my goals to match what I *really* want and can get now.

Most of that happened since Thanksgiving, so in about a week. Compared to what I've done over the last month, it's really pretty good. I'm also trying not to think about what I *should* be doing. I'm working on setting an alarm, and just doing what I said I'd do for that couple hours. 

Oh, and I've given myself permission to stop writing articles for upfront pay when I have enough to cover the month. So I don't have an endless stretch of 3 dollar SEO articles reaching out before me. As soon as I can pay the rent, put food in my stomach and gas in my car (with some for the tax man, of course), I can stop.

Makes writing them so much easier. Now instead of "Just three more and I don't have to write anymore today" it's "just $30 more and I can stop writing these things for the month." Remarkably motivating.

Which leaves me with my choice for next year. Do I "move" to Mexico, or walk from Georgia to Maine? Mexico will (probably) always be there and it's been on my list for about 10 years. The hiking trip's been on my list (way up near the top) since I was probably 14, so over half my life now. It will, of course, also be there later. But will I be interested in taking the time to do it later?

Either way, I need about $500 a month coming in without any real direct work from me. And *that's* what's really motivating me right now. Back to work time.

Ack, It's Wednesday, and Decision Time, Too!

I'm starting to think I need some kinda calendar or something, that beeps or throws stuff at me on set days of the week.

So... I'm trying to do a bunch of different things right now. I'm trying to get myself earning enough money to pay the bills. I'm trying to set up some kind of ongoing residual income stuff. I'm working on my budget (sad and seriously underfunded though it may be). I'm trying to make myself set up a website that I see a real need for, and that I've been planning and half-assing for *months* now.

But I'm also trying to do and work on and decide some other stuff, too.

I need to figure out what I'm doing for NaNo. I need to work on getting an idea ready, to the point I can finish this year.

Also, I've got a possible opportunity to do something really cool next year. It's got some serious up-front costs, though. To take this "job", I'd have to get all that stuff up there that I'm trying to do for and with money done. Like, now, so I can go.

Basically, a group I've been following has a pretty big volunteer set up going in Haiti. I've been interested in what they're doing since I first heard about them. But between getting down there and the extra equipment I'd need, it's something like $3000 before I even get there. And because they work *full* days doing demolition and rebuilding, I wouldn't be able to even *pretend* to supplement my income with crappy cheap article writing. It just takes too long. I'd have time to do something like work on a website (if I could upload at the end, so I didn't need the wifi the whole time I was working), or work (slowly) on fiction work.

No way to even pretend to put in full days writing web content for other people.

Of course, the while-you're-there expenses are pretty low, too...

I have three or four other possibilities.

There are a good dozen things I want to do, but most get cut off by monthly costs.

I've already decided that to work, the options have to all last (ideally) at least 4 months, cost less than $1000 per month, and not involve sitting on my butt in front of a computer all day.

The first option is, probably, the one with the lowest up-front cost. The trip to Mexico, followed by points south. Plenty of time to work with this option, and plenty to see as well.

The second might not even fit into the budget, I need to price stuff out more- Hiking the AT (with or without my fuzzy half brother). This is the *only* life-goal interest in the US that *might* fit my budget. Insurance (or not having insurance) could push the cost too high, though. Very easily. Also, pretty much no chance to do internet *or* writering stuff while hiking. Even the lightest of computers is heavier than what I want to carry for 2300 miles.

Third option I'm looking at (that would battle with even *applying* for the Haiti trip) is Thailand. It's expensive to get there, visa fees are high, but once over there prices are pretty solidly low, there's a large network of people doing "internet stuff" (and probably "writer stuff," too) to hook up with for in-person motivation and competition. Again, good work time availability, but also plenty of distractions.

Thailand is honestly sitting in a pretty distant last place right now. Depending on what my price research turns up (and if I can find insurance that'll cover an otherwise uninsured american hiking in the US) the AT hiking might be out, too.

So really, the choice (so far, I think) is between volunteering in Haiti (if I apply and get accepted) and starting a tour of the Spanish speaking (non-island) Americas.

I dunno....

Escape is Expensive

I'm starting to plan my escape. It's coming up pretty fast now, and I need to make sure it's still manageable.

I'm sure it seems irresponsible to some people (like my father) or dangerous (to just about everyone else), but really, travelling won't be that much worse, financially, than staying where I am. In some ways it's much, much better.

Just... this starting out bit is going to be expensive. I need to either fix my laptop or replace it with a super cheap netbook. I need a new camera, a small travel bag for my golf clubs (yes, they're coming with me), shoes, clothes, a backpack, insurance, tickets, and shiny new passport...

It's at least $1500 worth of stuff, and I keep seeing new things that would work really well, and be super useful. The worst part is, the things I need- clothes, for the most part, are more expensive when they're designed for women or travel. Women's travel clothes are, therefore, about twice as expensive. Pleh.

So, with all these expenses, how will I manage? I've got to start cutting. I think I know what I want/ need for clothes, and i'll start hunting the thrift stores for the few things I might be able to find- like a scarf, sweater, lightweight black skirt. I'll watch the interweb for sales on the clothing items I need/ want, and reconsider my shoe setup.

Still thinking about the laptop/ netbook thing. Parts to fix the laptop will be at least $200, a cheap netbook with decent battery life and nice low weight can be had for less than $300. Don't know which is better, but I'm sure I'll figure it out.

What did I mean when I said taking off could be better for me financially?

I won't have a car, or the expenses that come with it. I won't have traditional US-style lack of health insurance--travel health insurance covers accidents and whatnot, so if something happens I won't end up thousands of dollars deeper in debt. There may be tax savings, there's less to buy, expenses are (for the most part) lower. So long as I don't take up scuba diving my monthly expenses should be no more than what they are here.

And my work (such as it is) is already online.

Until then, though, I need to keep making my lists, cutting them down, and stretching out the extra bits of cash I can find in my budget. Funny, even with all the "expense" and gear the pre-trip expense is less than first, last, and deposit on an apartment.

Pleh and Double Pleh!

Staying in the US is expensive. Leaving is expensive too. Not as much over the long term, but with the list of things I either want or need to bring with me, it's looking kinda spendy.

Of course, some of it I'd be doing anyway. Things like renewing my passport, hunting down a 1 iron, getting a new camera. A bunch of it, though, is really travel-specific. I need to get a new backpack that's lighter and in better shape than the one I have now. I need a new laptop, or at least a new screen and refurb for the old one. I need sleep sheets, and travel vax, and clothes that are good for golf or touring. I need those golf-able clothes to be at least mostly something I'd normally choose to wear.

All together, including all that stuff up there and transportation to my starting point, I need about $1800 to $2500 worth of stuff. I can cut corners in a couple places, and some stuff I over estimated. Still- I want to be going again by the middle of January. That's not very long.

Oh well, the travel will be about the same cost as staying at home, I'll at least have *some* kind of insurance, and maybe I'll finally smoosh some Spanish into this brain of mine.

One major plus if I begin in Mexico? Spending the same on rent there as I do here will get me at least a studio apartment. No roommates.

10 Things That Can Kill a Tight Budget

When you're dealing with seriously limited funds the smallest slip can grow into a budget killer. Here are 10 mistakes, and possible solutions.

1. Returning things late. That $1 Redbox DVD was affordable for one night, but if you don't return it after the first night the cost creeps up. Library books have the same problem. Mark when they're due in a calendar, keep them in a central location, and make the library a regular stop when you're doing errands.
2. Not saving for regular maintenance. Cars, bicycles, and people all need regular work. Saving a portion each month means the money is there when the bill is, and you are less likely to put it off. Skipping regular checkups can lead to bigger, more expensive problems.
3. Buying prepared food and drinks. Unless your fast food lunch is a single sandwich off the dollar menu packing a lunch will be cheaper. Cooking at home will save money, but also time- no rushing to the car, through the drive-thru, and back to work. Coffee or soft drinks brought from home are less expensive, too.
4. Not "batching" trips. If the bank, library, grocery store, and dry cleaners are all in the same general direction make them one trip. Plan the shortest route that finishes all your errands and you'll save gas, but also driving time.
5. Not considering transportation cost. If there's a great sale on something you need, but the store is 15 or more miles away you may be spending more on gas than you're saving. This is also true for public transit. If there's a closer store, try shopping there. Save the "sale" store for when other errands take you in that direction, or for major stock-up trips.
6. Rent-to-own anything. The final cost of what you're renting will end up being several times what you would have paid if you just saved up and bought it. Use an air mattress until you can afford a real one, ask family and friends for hand-me-downs, or haunt thrift stores until your budget loosens up or you save enough to buy what you really want.
7. Replacing non-essentials when they break or wear out. If you have three pair of jeans and one wears through in the seat, just let it go. Likewise if your computer or other electronic toy breaks. Public libraries often have computers for use, and most other electronics aren't as necessary as we think they are.
8. Shopping hungry and without a list. Going into a grocery store unorganized and hungry is almost guaranteed to drive your bill up. Plan your meals, check your pantry, eat a snack, and make a list. A few more minutes before you start can save a bunch at the till.
9. Entertainment. You don't have to lock yourself in the house, but you do need to put limits on entertainment. If you like to hang out with friends at bars, give yourself a strict 1 drink limit, and make it the special. Don't rent movies every night, try borrowing them from the library. The library is also good for readers. If you're active and like the outdoors, try hiking or running on a nearby trail or greenway.
10. "Just looking" in stores. If you spend time in stores, and bring any kind of money, you'll usually spend something. Find something else to do with your time. Try a new hobby with low expenses or that uses things you already have-- drawing, digital photography, baking, running. Shopping, even just window shopping, should be limited. It's harder to be tempted when you don't know what's out there.

Is there anything missing, or that you think is more important than what's included here?

The Crappy Job Dilemma

Kind of thinking I've mentally gotten close tot he "any job, no matter how poorly paid or unpleasant" point.

For the longest time my roommate has been suggesting I try delivering papers. He does it and doesn't mind it, and it is (to him) good money. I've been less than enthused by the idea because it doesn't really pay that much ($150 or so a week, maybe up to 300 for a good route), and it's all 1099 work.

Well, that and it requires driving all over town in the middle of the night.

Maybe it's a chick thing to be concerned about that, maybe it's just a fear thing. Maybe it's that my car leaks gas and I'm not sure how many more miles it has left in it (it was, after all, $600) and I'm out of cell phone time until I top up.

My roommate doesn't do his own taxes, though, so I don't know how much the 1099 thing effects him. He also doesn't own a car- he's using the other roommate's, so he doesn't worry about the associated costs of driving around.

Otherwise, it's really not that bad a job- just driving around, dropping off papers. He doesn't do home delivery though- he's the guy that refills the boxes and drops piles of papers off at stores and hotels and whatnot. He's done in just a couple hours, though, so... I don't know. I should google it.

Really though, it's pretty seriously low pay. Figure nothing will cost less than $5 a night in gas alone, so that's $30 a week. Insurance would go up (eventually) which is another however much a month. Self employment taxes and needing to either file myself or pay for e-filing/ online tax-prep. Additional time spent doing paperwork, wear and tear on the craptastic car-o-doom, more regular oil changes (or oil changes at all) and eventually another car. When does the "just need to bring in *something* outweigh the expense of doing it?

Heck, if the average route is 40 miles of driving, and the fed expense rate is still 55 cents a mile, that's $22 a night in car alone- $132 a week. So I'm sure it's a good deduction (if you can take it) but it also means I'd have to manage expenses like a w00t 1337 winner to be making more than $0.50 an hour after expenses. And that doesn't pay the rent any more than 50 cents a day on adsense does.

Pleh. I don't know. It'd be better (mentally) than working at McDonalds. Dunno about financially.

Responsibility and Common Sense

They're two things in my life working at cross purposes right now. I *want* to act responsibly and pay all my bills. Right now, though, I can pay *none* of my bills, really. So how do I decide which of my responsibilities I can (temporarily) ditch, and which to keep up with?

It shouldn't be an easy decision, but it really is. Turn in the forbearance paperwork, and put off student loans. If I just don't pay student loans, they garnish wages, and can do any number of bad things to me. By not paying my credit cards, I (really) just trash my credit.

So, as I said. Responsibility or Common sense.

I have no great or immediate need for a good credit score. I don't see me wanting to buy a house any time soon, so there's no need to keep squeaky clean for mortgages. The only thing (other than my incoming calls) that might be effected by forking up my credit by paying credit cards last is my car insurance rate.

It still isn't something I want to do. I don't see me declaring bankruptcy. I can't afford to, it's not at all responsible, and honestly? It'd get rid of less than 1/5th my total debt.

Note to people out there- don't move halfway around the world, take on huge debt, then fork it up and drop out- it's forking expensive and damned near impossible to fix or pay for.

So... Right now I'm focusing on making enough to pay the rent, utilities, and pretty basic life expenses. Srsly. If I think about having to pay the rest of it, my brain tries to explode.

So I need to earn...

• $350 a month for rent
• $20 a month for internet
• $30 a month for food
• $50 a month for gas
• $40 a month for soda
• $20 a month for entertainment
• $40 a month for car insurance
• $50 a month for car fixing

So $600 will keep me fed and indoors. In an ideal world I'd also have $50 for personal random stuff, and $100 for paying back dad.

So my ideal is $750 a month. It shouldn't be this tough to find a $12,000 a year job, but somehow it is.

Anyway- I'm concentrating on surviving for now. I'll fix my credit when I can afford to, sad tho that idea is.

And you have no idea how crappy that makes me feel. Or how freeing it is.

On Priorities

Near the end of the month my *absolute current favorite* band comes within 500 miles of where I live. Near the end of the month Google is sending me a (sorta) fat wad of cash.

Naughty j would use that cash to see that band. Behaving j is using the cash to build websites to make more money so she can eventually see the band more or *in Europe* where the crowds are bigger, but also European.

Do I really want to be good? Nope.

Am I gonna be good anyway? Yep.

Why?

I want to live how I want someday. I want to be able to take off for Estonia because some random band is playing there, with out having to quit my job or wonder how I'll eat. I'm willing to behave for all of 8 months in order to cause international mayhem later.

'cause really? It's all about the mayhem.

Every time I write one of these things I realise how much easier those stay-at-home types have it. They just get a job and a 2 week vacation, and they're happy. Stuff tying them down makes them *happy*. Picking the sensible thing to do and then not feeling bad about it is easy for them.

Damn, I wanna see that band.

Start of Month Update- May 2010

I'm going to start doing updates- one at the beginning of the month, and a follow-up at the end. Here at the beginning of the month I intend to set out my budget, savings and debt pay-off goals, and any money making goals, with steps (hopefully) to meet them.

Then at the end of the month I'll give a quick breakdown of how I did, and any unexpected happenings- extra cash, bonuses, trips to the doctor, that kinda stuff. So here I go.

Budget-

At the moment my budget for May doesn't look good. I have about $250 in the bank, and I still need to pay rent ($350). Just about all "fun" is suspended until I have a job. I have $15 at ING right now that I'll be moving into my working account as soon as I can transfer it. I should have that available Friday.

Anticipated spending breakdown-

• $350, Rent
• $20, Internet
• $15, Gas
• $1, Lotto (scrounged change)

Bills that will get paid if/ when cash becomes available (in order of personal importance)

• $50, Fed Loan 1 (x2, then defer)
• $15, CC1
• $100, S. Mae (x3, behind)
• $300, Other Student Loans (if in repayment, est.)
• $365, CC3 (x2, behind)
• $235, CC2 (x2, also behind)
• $100, Dad

Estimated total to bring everything current is 2450, and that's without any savings and short about $50 in gas. Real total needed is $2500 after taxes. In reality, I will go as far down the list as possible, paying the current month's due only, plus $50 or $100 of the back amount. That brings my total needed to a more manageable $1850 (max), while simultaneously trashing my credit and keeping the fed from garnishing my wages.

Savings and Debt Goals-

These are pretty easy-

• Don't get in more debt
• Save $20 if I can
• Get all bills to within $200 of being current
• Get deferral/ forbearance paperwork sorted and sent in

Income Goals-

These are further broken down into two groups- Real Life Income and Online Income

Real Life Income-

• Get two jobs (probably server jobs) earning at least $250 a week each (at minimum wage, that's about 34.5 hours/ wk each) by 7 May 2010
• Increase each job to $300/ wk by end of May

Online Income-

• Earn average of $10/ day for month. Some will probably come from AdSense (<$1/day), some from Amazon. Most will probably come from freelance writing.
• Write at least 20 articles for each of 2 (pre-chosen) article publishing sites
• Claim (and write) at least one paid article each week from both AC *and* Seed.com
• Write 20 articles for informative website
• Set up, optimize, and begin posting on book review site
• Add a "recommended" page to food blog

Other Goals-

I have some other things as well that I need to work on. As with most things in life, they have something to do with money, but maybe not directly.

• Reconcile savings and debt repayment goals with actual life goals
• Make motivational calendar with "Move!" date on it
• Work out minimum budget for big golfing trip, moving slow and camping
• Come up with 15 story ideas and turn one into a finished draft >25,000 words
• Clean and organize room once a week on "day off"

Okay, I think that's more than enough to work on for one month. It's only about 30 days, after all, and a couple are already gone.

Deposit on my Last House is Gone

or: why do landlords feel a need to keep the deposit when you're moving out of state.

Previous landlord finally sent a letter with a list of what he took out of the deposit to my former roommate- I still haven't heard from him. Given that we moved out at the end of january, and it was the 22 of april before she got the letter, I'm not sure what he was up to.

Honestly, a bunch of his "charges" are BS, and a lot of what he's calling damage was normal wear and tear- much of it left by the people before us. Realistically, though, it would cost more to go back out there and fight him over the money than either of us is likely to see from it.

i don't know that i'll get the deposit back from the place I'm in now, either, and it's not even in an habitable state. The kitchen floor is just about ready to fall in, the table is on the spongiest part, and the pier holding the house off the ground is the high point in the floor. If I wanted to i could probably get out of the lease, but I don't know what I'd do instead right now.

In other news, I did not win the lottery and still don't have a job. On a more positive note, If I can get my loans in deferral, and simply kill my credit by not paying my credit cards for a while, I only need to make about 500 a month to stay indoors, fed, and with car insurance and all the comforts of rat shack- I mean home.

I'm slightly disturbed that that's my positive news, but well, sometimes ya just gotta take what you can get.

Super Single Girl Money Saver Number 2- Prepay Cell

I admit, I am not leashed to my phone. I've been known to misplace it for weeks as a time. The only thing I really use it for most of the time is the alarm clock function. But I have one, because, well, everyone does.

It's a cheap phone. It came free with two months' minimum service. The whole deal cost me $30 plus tax. It texts, calls, and alarms. It doesn't surf the web, I can't connect it to my computer, it does not have bluetooth. I don't need any of that. I've never yet had an emergency requiring internet access.

So for $15 a month, I get 150 minutes (incoming and outgoing both charged) or 300 texts (both directions, again), or some combination of the two. Wait, let me say that again, 'cause I don't think it really makes as much of an impact here...

$15 is my monthly cell bill.

I pay another $60 a year for a Skype number, voicemail, and all the stuff that goes with that, plus another $3-5 a month in talk time. Most calls I use Skype for, actually- they only charge for calls I make and the price is pretty reasonable.

So my total monthly phone bill is $25. At least one phone number travels with me everywhere in the world, and I can pick up voicemail from anywhere with internet and a computer.

This wouldn't work as well with a snazzy phone. It wouldn't work as well for my dad, who uses more data transfer in a day than I have in my entire life. The crackberry users would need a different service, but even they might save. There are prepay options that are $45 or so for unlimited use. There are ones for $30 that are close to unlimited. There's one that offers fewer minutes than my service does, for much less a month, but more per minute. And that's just in the US!

Best part is, when my minutes get low, or my "service end" date gets close, I can just not refill. I have a month or two after I run out of "service" to refill before I lose my number. So if I don't have $30, I can just let it slide for a couple days. I'm good right now until the end of May, as long as I can keep my family trained to call my (local) Skype number.

Note- Google wants me to change crackberry to BlackBerry, and actually offers it as a fix- down to capitalization.

Student Loans

My student loan servicing people called. They wanted to let me know that I'm no longer enrolled in school. I was surprised- I thought it would take them almost twice this long to figure it out. Only one of the loans starts collecting soon, and I need to start working on the "hardship" paperwork now, since they want $50 by the middle of this month. The rest either haven't caught up to me (unlikely), or have some more deferral time left.

Of course, if I go back to school part time, they all go back into deferral. But I just moved states, so that's not likely to fix anything just now. Indeed, paying out of state tuition would cost much, much more than just paying the stupid loans.

right now my estimated monthly payments on all my debts are about twice my (minimum) living expenses. Actually a little more. Cutting out all the fun stuff, all the wiggle room, and all the soda (sob), my monthly living expenses are only about $500. If my other loans only come out to $300 a month, I'll be paying more than $1100 a month on debt repayment- and that's just the minimums.

So I need a job. Or jobs. And someone needs to tell all these people hiring minimum wage, open availability, 10 hours a week that for a max of $72.50 a week they don't get open availability. Ugh.

Need sleep

Put up a craigslist ad for dog walking. Haven't heard anything yet. Hate selling, need to work on that. Joined pet sitting forum for free, going through information and archives.

Borrowing more money from dad, will pay the rent for the month, hold off wolves for another week or so. Hopefully I can at least pull some server job by then.

I'm going to hold off on updating/ swapping out the "progress" bars until i have a job. watching the numbers get bigger is depressing, and I only have to do it on statements one at a time. Don't think I could take it all at once.

Oh, and I robbed my food money to buy gas, so I need to put $20 back in the envelope.

Managing Acquisitiveness

I have a weakness for some things. I want to own them, hold them, know they are mine. Most of them are easy to avoid- I don't buy movies or video games if I don't go places they are sold. I admit I tracked down one ($8) game on Amazon. I can't afford to grow my sock collection, even though it's thinning out fast.

Some things make life feel empty without them, though. That's where I'm having trouble. Things like books, music, and social or cultural activities. So that's what I'm working on now.

Books-

I love books. New books, Used books, Old books. I love how they look, feel, smell. Heck, I even like how e-books don't take up any extra space in my bag on trips. But they're so expensive, and heavy, and a nightmare to move. Plus, I'm kinda furniture-lite ATM, so they're either expensive to store or a mess all over my floor.

I'm working on cutting back here. Well, cutting off actually. There is a perfectly good library system in the area- three of them in fact. I'm sure there will still be some expenses (late fees, inter-library loan, gas) but no where near what my book-a-day habit would run me. Plus, cookbooks are forking expensive and I don't usually make more than two or three recipes out of each.

Music-

Music is expensive, no doubt about it. CD's are spendy even if they aren't (sometimes difficult to find) Opera recordings. I also love watching "live show" recordings, and own a couple of a band I haven't seen in person yet.

And if buying someone *else's* music is expensive, learning to make your own is insane! I want to learn to play cello. Some of the most happy-making music I've ever heard is for cello. Well, and hot boys play it. But cellos are expensive to buy, and lessons are tough to find in some places and are private, so $30+ each.

I'm working on this one. Listening is easy to manage, though I don't get much choice. iTunes radio tuner offers just about anything I could want to listen to, including a station that plays opera *all day long*. I can watch videos and (sometimes) recordings of live performances over at youtube. Best though is that both of these keep rotating in new music I've never heard before. So while I wouldn't drop $80 on a recording I've never heard and might hate, there's a good chance someone will request it, I'll look it up, and I can add it to my life list of things to see live or (eventually) collect.

When cash flow opens up a bit (and I get enough stuff paid off that I don't feel like I'm wasting extra payments) I will probably try renting a cello, and getting lessons with that. The cost of the rent is usually lost (though some places will credit a percent of your rental fees toward purchase of an instrument from them), but buying a similar quality cello would be a long term savings goal, and I don't want to wait that long.

Social and Cultural Activities-

This is probably the toughest and easiest one at the same time. Going out with friends means some combination of gas, tickets, drinks, food, parking, and who knows what else. Concerts have expensive tickets, museums charge entry, movies- again the tickets. It's just expensive.

But there's a lot that's either cheap or free. I don't have to buy stuff when I go out with friends, or can just get a soda if we go someplace like a bar- as long as I tip the bartender everyone is happy. There's usually a free parking option for nighttime activities, so I can save on that, but during the day it's pretty much required- if I don't want to walk 3 miles.

The Charleston County Public Library system has free showings of the Met's operas. They also do movies, lectures, tax prep. It's a bit of a hike downtown, but wow, the resources. And Charleston has Spoleto. Paying for tickets would bankrupt normal people, but locals can sign up to usher. You have to work a bit, but you get to see shows with $50 or $100 tickets for free. Also, there's Piccolo Spoleto, a bunch of lower cost and free events, concerts, and shows. It's enough culture to kill a girl. And the local free paper has listings every week of cheap and free activities, low cost shows, art openings, and drink deals.

So I guess I just need to try harder. The most amazing things in life probably shouldn't be easy, not if you want them to be affordable too. Sometimes, though? I just want to be able to hold that book and know it's *MINE!*

The Job Hunt Continues

My bills are (yay, huzzah) almost totally taken care of through the end of the month. I owe everyone's great friend Sallie Mae about $100 between now and then, but I'm thinking she's just going to have to wait. Next item after that is rent again, and if I really need it my father offered to "help", which would add to the $1000 I officially owe him-- more like $1400 if you include the stuff he's bought me since I got back to town.

I had an interview for a minimum wage job last week, which I didn't get. I suspect nerves and a pretty much overwhelming in-person reticence is my undoing. While Valium might make me more outgoing, I don't think it's the answer here. I am simply a miserable sales person, of myself more than just about anything.

In a way it's good that I didn't get that job. It's in a good location, commute-wise -- between here and where I'd like to live -- but it would take up prime money earning hours.

I'm applying to other jobs. I'm rewriting my (less than inspiring) resume. I'm filling out applications and asking people I know (when I can convince myself it's not pushy) if they know of any opportunities.

And I'm keeping in mind that I don't want to live out here forever. I want to be closer in, eventually in the "downtown" area itself, when I move out of my current place (sometime between now and when my lease runs out). So I'm not looking any farther out of town than I already am because gas is expensive, repairs go up with commute distance, and I don't think this car will last long putting 50 miles or more on it every day.

Well, and I have better things to do with all that time and money. Like paying off bills, creating (cheap) interesting things with words or visual art, or chasing (cheaper) dreams.

So ideally I find something that has the shortest possible reverse commute from where I want to live, and nothing too horrible from where I live now. Which would probably be at the airport, or somewhere around there -- halfway between where I live now and where I want to live. Alternately, I can set myself up for a terrible commute now, and an amazingly short commute later.

The city I'm in now, also, is hiring for a career-type position. It's super competitive to get, high stress, "high" pay work- starting around $13/hr. But it's close enough to where I live that I could bike there, saving gas, and it would be a (somewhat long) reverse commute when I move to a more desirable area.

Really though? If I were offered a job that covered my bills (all of them) with 5-10% wiggle room and no need for overtime or a second job? I'd probably walk barefoot on hot coals everyday while dragging my car uphill, through snow, in wet cotton long underwear to get to it. For a while at least.

Site note- I haven't updated my progress (reverse progress?) yet. I know I said I would, the lack of delivery annoys me. I have code for new, much less tacky progress bars (like the ones you've probably seen on everyone else's blog) I just haven't placed it yet. It's easier to read, look at, update, and live with. I just have to put it in. I will let you know that the little tiny $1k E-fund is gone.

Super Single Girl Money Saver Number 1 -- Roommates

There are bunches of options out there for saving money. Some of them save a little over a long time (CF lightbulbs, buying less food), some of them save a lot all at once (buying the cheapest used car that won't get your license yanked), and some save a lot over a long time (routine car maintenance, Dentist check ups).

Most of them aren't fun. This Super Money Saver, though, seems to be the most dreaded. More than cancelling cable or cutting back on cell phone features (which I'll get to... eventually).

Living with roommates.

After Debt payments, my biggest single expense each month is rent. Really. And i live with roommates. If I didn't, it'd be close to beating out *the total* of my monthly minimums right now.

Like with anything that deals with saving money, you need to think about pros and cons. If you're not careful, or the potential roommate doesn't disclose everything, or the landlord is of the slum variety your living situation could suck. Lots.

But if you know what you're doing, and you're careful, and you don't let people pressure you into things without thinking it can be a great money saver.

Pros to sharing housing (not a bedroom, just an apartment)

• Lower rent (this is the big one)
• Split utility bills
• Some support if you don't know anyone else in the area
• Split chores

Not bad, right? Unfortunately, there is a nasty downside here, too.

Cons to sharing housing

• Different standards- slobs with neat freaks, private people with party animals
• Less privacy- You won't generally be able to make wild freaky monkey love on the kitchen table.
• Irresponsible or inconsiderate roommates- if they don't cover their part of the rent, you have to.
• Explaining to friends and family why you're living with "strangers"

There are more, but they differ with each situation and set of potential flat/ house/ roommates.

So how do you go about finding decent, employed roommates who's lives aren't so far off yours that you want to slam your head against the wall, or get an SO just so you don't have to go back there every night?

Most of it you need to do before even meeting them or looking at ads. You need to know who you are, what you need in your home, what you're willing to do or deal with, and what is a non-negotiable.

Disclaimer- I do not have such an agreement with my current roommates, and I've started a countdown to move out- in 10.5 months. This is a clear-cut instance of FAIL. I should have known it was going to go bad when they wouldn't even discuss a cleaning schedule or standards.

So you make up your list. Put crazy stuff on it- no cheetos or chocolate in the house during diets, people are responsible for the dribbles and toilet seat positions left by them/ their guests, no guests at all ever anywhere in the house, whatever. Put Stuff That Matters on the list- expectations of quiet times, smoking, pets, cleaning rotations and standards, responsibility for bills, kitchen or religious habits, overnight guests.

Wait, what? Quiet, smoking, pets you get, right? Maybe even cleaning and bills. But kitchen habits? Religious choices? Sleep Overs?

This is stuff you might not think of before looking for a roommate. It's stuff with a total ability to drive you nuts after. I live with two guys. One has his boyfriend (semi-committed) sleep over one or two nights a week. The other brings his Friend With Benefits over three or more nights a week and leaves her at the house while he works a 12 hour shift. They have a *lower* standard of clean than I do. I just want it to not look like a crack den and not attract more bugs. No pubes on the bathroom floor/ pee smell would be a nice bonus. They don't seem to mind that so much.

And don't even start on the religion thing. A flaming atheist and a serious, devout Christian should not live together. Just trust me on this one. It leads to bad things. And bodies. Likewise Kucinich supporters and people who vote for Palin should not cohabitate. People with day jobs and those on third shift are another example.

And, while I know this last one will probably draw a lot of crap, it's still true. People from different ends of the socio-economic spectrum should probably not live together. Likewise people who value education and those who scoff at learning.

I am doing most of those things now. We have an atheist, a pagan, and a (non-churching) Christian living here. I come from a background that values work and goals (even if I don't seem to be living up to those expectations), and which is admittedly very upper middle class white. Anywhere else it would just be upper middle class, but for some reason people in the south seem to make a big deal over dermal pigment. Don't get it, but whatever. My roommates were raised working class, lower middle class. They value a job, but have no interest in finding something that fulfills them, just in a paycheck and beer money.

Class is a big angry tiger everyone in the US tries to pretend isn't there. You can pretend it's not there all you want, but the manner you are raised- and the manners you're raised with- will make a big difference in who you can live with.

Now you've got your list of things you're looking for in a roommate. How about things you don't want? Only put total deal breakers on here. If I were someplace more liberal than South Carolina my list for this would still be pretty short- no one who can't pay rent, no cats, no one who watches Fox News and *likes it* for other than comedic value, no eaters of meat. Here that's cut down to just the first two.

Now you can go looking at ads. Much like finding an apartment for just yourself, start in areas you like, in your price range. People in the US use craigslist.org. You can search rooms/ shares by price and keyword. Vegan in Charleston, SC brings up no listings. In Los Angeles it brings up dozens. Check the ads that match, read them to see if the people seem like the sort you can get along with. If all's good at that point, contact them. E-mail or text, or whatever they say they prefer. Tell them about yourself, what you're looking for in a roommate situation. Let them know anything you're non-negotiable on, and that you're hoping to find people who'd be willing to have a (formal/ informal) roommate agreement.

You won't hear back from everyone. You might not get some places you think you'd love. Some people will freak out at the idea of a negotiated set of standards and ways to deal with stuff. Most Professional, Educated people should be cool with it tho. If they aren't, they might not be people you want to share rent with.

Important- Make sure the non-negotiable stuff is worked out before this! If you *cannot* be around smoke, make sure you're not moving in with smokers. If they keep kosher, you'll need to either have a pig pan or live without bacon cheeseburgers at home. Also keep in mind that anything on that list covers everyone, not just them.

• Once you find this roommate situation, you have to actually draw up the agreement. Everyone makes a list of stuff they would like to have (heating/ cooling limits, communication methods when things aren't working, cleaning rotation ideas, number of nights someone can sleep over before they need to start kicking in for rent and electric). All the negotiable stuff.

• Once everyone has their list go through and put everything you all have down in the agreement. If you all want an empty sink before bedtime, no loud noise after 10 on weeknights, and to watch the Amazing Race, those don't need to be bargained over. If 2 out of three want it, it's time to deal.

• Rank what's left on your list. Leave the crazy stuff off.

• Based on how important things are to other people, add items to the agreement. If one person ranks "toilet cleaned daily" first, you might want to agree- so long as they're willing to do most of the additional cleaning.

• Work your way down the lists until everyone's satisfied that whats *actually important* to them is included.

• Leave less important things to be dealt with as needed. It's a home, after all, not a prison.

Make sure you include in there some kind of conflict resolution method. Nothing sucks more than living with people, having a problem with them, and having no way to deal with it. Have a set weekly, semi-monthly, or monthly meeting to talk over stuff, deal with bills, and get all the business out of the way.

Roommates can save you a lot of money. Just make sure you jump in the smart way.

Oh, and if your roommate (like mine) complains about the power bill but never turns his or her computer off and keeps the house at 70F year round, just remember it's not forever.

A wild guess at my budget

My student loans are (mostly) still hanging out in who knows where, not repaying yet land. I hope they stay there a bit longer. As long as I don't have numbers for them, though, my budget is more than a little hypothetical.

So.... I'm breaking my budgeted expenses into two groups right now. I know they should be three or four, but for now they're just life expenses and debt expenses.

Life Expenses (in no particular order, monthly average)

• Rent- $350
• Internet- $20
• Food- $30 (already in my hands thru mid-august)
• Soda- $30 (this needs to go down)
• Gas- $50
• Car repair fund- $50
• Car insurance- $30 (paid 6 mo's, so sinking fund for sept.)
• Cell phone- $15
• Skype- $10 (about $60/ yr. +$3-5/ month in calls)
• WoW- $15 (yes, really)
• Misc. household stuff- $30 (guess)
• lotto/ fun- $20
• 10% oops- $65

Total per month- $715

There's a bunch of stuff I can take out of there, and a bunch of stuff that's just a wild guess. I don't spend more than $10, really, on the lotto/ fun category. I've no idea how much household stuff will run, now that we've got most of the stuff we need, and it's just soaps and replacements. And obviously, if I don't fix something soon WoW goes away. I could probably pull $145 off of that if I had to, but I'd be running really close to the edge.

And I wouldn't have any soda. That would be bad.

Debt payment/ repayment expenses (known so far)

• CC1- $15
• CC2- $265
• CC3- $365
• Dad- $100
• S. Mae- $100
• other unknown loans- $$$$$

Total debt payment- $845

That's without most of my student loans. Note- don't pay tuition with credit cards. Also don't pay for anything else with them, unless they are then directly paid off with cash from the bank.

So my total out going money (right now) is $1560, with $65 for oopses. In a state with 9% income tax on... everything... my take home will be between 72 and 76% of my gross. I need to make about $2100 a month to break even, without any other expenses. That's a little over $12, working 40 hours a week.

Now I just need to find a $12/hr job in a state with double digit unemployment, in less than two weeks. Yay? But that's a project for tomorrow.