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.

Dog walking, still thinking.

I'll get to the dog walking thing in a minute. First... I need a basic bill paying job. I'm spending part of this afternoon helping Mom finish setting up her blog, and part of it applying for crappy server jobs. Well, maybe not crappy, but server jobs. Which I don't feel confident at, but which pay better than fast food.

On to dog walking.

As soon as I have a name I'll put up an ad on craigslist. I don't know that I expect to hear from anyone the first couple of days. I still need to have the paperwork ready in case I'm wrong. So I need a client or "dog walking" agreement. And a questionnaire, vet release, and... there was something else. I know what my price points are-

• $10 for a 15 minute potty visit,
• $15 for a 30 minute walk (plus water refill,and whatnot- about 40 minutes total)
• $20 for a 45 minute walk, and
• $25 for an hour walk

They don't sound too low, or too high. Town is kinda flung out, so I need to figure out how to deal with people who live way out there. Do I start out with a more limited service area and expand into middle of nowhere areas when I have x potential clients? Or do I add a surcharge for driving way to hell and back?

And incentives- what's a reasonable rate to offer them at? 1 free walk after a referral has completed and paid for 5 walks, or is that giving away too much? 10% off a week's service?

And discounts for hardcore users- weekly rates, or discounts, or one free walk every however many booked and paid for? Puppy packages, food delivery, pet taxi, dog walking for new parents...

Mom was like "wow, that's a great idea", but now that I'm digging into the realistic side of things, holy carp there's a lot to do!

I guess I can treat Charleston as a training ground, then when (if?) I move to savannah, I'll have the know how to pull it off. Have I mentioned how well dog walking fits with running a hostel? Now I just have to see if I can do it.

In other news, I still have no job, no money, bills due, and rent to pay. Oh, and a huge house-sized hole my debt goes in. Pleh.

well, here's to jumping.

Job hunting and possible options

I still don't have a job. I'm still looking and not hearing back. I'm sure there's something out there, but most of what I'm seeing either needs experience I don't have, a degree I don't have (for $8/hr??!!), or is part time and requires full availability. Which is not happening.

So I'm thinking about shifting my focus. One of my roommates does paper delivery, and while it's not huge or great money, it's not bad, doesn't take too long, and is usually available. If I can get a paper route (yes, increased gas/ car expense), I can also look at an evening job. Papers in the morning, hostess in the evening, it would leave my whole day open- either for an eventual "real, day job" or for something I do myself. The two part time crap jobs would cover gas, rent, and most of my minimums until student loan repayment shows up.

Which leaves me with my current possible idea. I don't know how it would work out, though.

I'm thinking about starting a dog walking business. There are a lot of dogs in the Charleston area. And lots of people who work a lot. And, I guess, if I want to be really honest, a couple (bunch?) of people who already do dog walking or running.

Startup costs are pretty reasonable-

• Advertise on craigslist until have a couple clients (free)
• poo bags/ water bottles/ snax/ backpack to carry them all in (already have, free)
• gas to get to clients (~$2.60/ gal)
• printing cost of contracts, client info, report cards, vet release ($5-10)
• setting skype to send calls to my cell (or get another disposable cell) ($0.12/ minute or $30+)
• possibly a business license- have to check. ($30?)
• basic lock box (<$15 for cash box)
• spare leashes/ collars/ haltis (<$30, borrowing leashes for now)

If I can get a couple clients, then once there's more money coming in than going out, can add-

• insurance and memberships (starting at $150ish/yr)
• printer/ paper/ ink so I can print my own paperwork
• phone number just for business calls
• business cards and flyers to leave at vet offices, groomers, community boards and just for handing out.
• Basic web-site
• Better lock box
• binder, three hole punch, pencil bag for keeping organized during the day

If it starts doing well- to the point that I can make it into a "real job" then I can add-

• accounting software
• online scheduling and payment software/ service
• better web-site
• i don't know what else...

Obviously there's some pretty serious wear and tear on the car, and gas expense. I'd have to increase mileage on my car insurance too, which will make that go up... And I don't have the best car for advertising a business. I can do a little to make it look better, I'm just not sure how much can really be done to it though.

But there are deductions for business driving (I'll have to look into what's acceptable), and eventually I could save up for something better with better gas mileage.

I'd probably have to register a DBA, and get a separate bank account too... eventually. Wonder if the local FCU has cheap business accounts?

When you can't find a job that pays what you need, create one, right? I'd much rather walk dogs then clean houses. I'm better at it, too.

Has anyone out there done this? Is it a crazy idea? Is there anything I'm not thinking of?

Goals and Money

Money and goals, they're kinda tied together. For me they're stuck to each other because most goals require money in some way, even if the goal is something free. I want to take a long, long hike up the east coast. Walking doesn't cost much, food while hiking is cheap- even if I go bonkers and start eating cheese. Macaroni and cheese, ramen, beans- these are all cheap foods. Nuts, veggie jerky, and dried fruit are a bit more expensive, but not hugely so. But to take that trip I either need to be able to pay my debts and day-to-day stuff while I'm gone, or I need to have my debts paid off. That's a lot of money.

Other goals cost more. Travelling around the world is done by backpackers on budgets as low as $10,000 a year. Wild, innovative trips. Dream fulfilling, castle building trips. But again, you need to have money to go, and pay any bills left behind while you go. Vet school is... yeah, hugely expensive. It doesn't really allow for things like taking years off for travel, which is probably part of why I'm not 7 months from graduating like my past classmates are. Still paying for it though. Owning and running a cool hostel, giving travelers a chance to spend time someplace they couldn't afford to visit otherwise. Now that's a goal with some money attached to it.

Then there are people I've known through work at Walmart. One lady, who is very nice, had very low goals. I asked her what her dreams were, what things she wanted to do before she died. These were things that would make her feel like she'd lived a full life. All three were things that are *very* easy to do- with a little bit of money. Stay in a nice hotel, eat at a nice restaurant, go to a society party.

Those were her life goals. That was the coolest thing she could think of to ever do, ever. Having done all three, I gotta say, she can aim higher. Plus there is nothing worse than being the outsider at a society party. She could pay for the whole batch after a year just by quitting smoking.

So we started working on her. Why were those her goals? Is she sure she doesn't just want to be rich? It's better than trying to figure out where the rent is coming from, but it's not easy. I think she has more goals now. Bigger ones. Would she have been better off with smaller goals? Maybe. But you can hate your life just as much if you have low or no goals as you can if you have huge, world changing goals. And if your goals are bigger then possibly, just maybe, your self worth will go up too. After all, dreams and goals are things you reach for. Even the ones you don't think you'll ever get a chance to do.

So that's why I'm here. I want to be able to chase dreams. I want other people to be able to chase their dreams. I want my goals, and other peoples too, to get bigger and more exciting. I want to be free. And that's a goal too.

What are your goals? What are the dreams you dream when you're alone in the woods, or the library, or watching planes coming in over the highway, or curled up on the couch with your SO or dog?

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.