Mini Rant

yeah,

how does one go about finding a new job WITHOUT using their current boss as a reference.

backstory: i work as a receptionist/hall monitor for a not-busy-at-all national brokerage. i literally get paid to sit at a desk for 9 hours a day and read reddit, kr, cnn, whatever else it hasn't blocked that day, and answer the phone maybe 5 times all day. i'm not complaining, but dear jesus, i am bored. BORED. so bored.

ive applied for several jobs recently, even had a first/second interview with one but when it came time for the reference check, my current boss was on vacation that week, so she never returned their call. which in turn makes me look like an asshole. job 1. lost due to ineffectual manager.

ive applied for several positions with the company im currently working at (we are a contract position. i work for a staffing solutions at a large firm that does not handle their own office automation.) the problem here lies that the firm im applying with would be required to pay a "finders fee" for stealing me away from my current company.

well, i called my manager today to find out the logistics of that, specifics of my "contract situation" and whatnot. and was promptly told that "switching jobs like that just looks bad on your part. you havent even been here a year yet." so i told her that "yeah. i know. the last 3 jobs on my resume are all for less than a year" the response to this is "good to know"

DEAR manager, you hired me. you saw my resume previously. you made the decision to bring me on, knowing that i am highly overqualified for this position. i hold two bachelors degrees and am doing a job a retarded one armed monkey could do blindfolded. im over-fucking-qualified for this position. stop acting like a petulant child who was just told you cant have cookies for dessert and help me get the fuck out of here. i mean, you cant fault me for wanting to better myself, can you?

but, the real reason she's being this way is that it took a year to hire me. no one wants this job. its boring. she just doesnt want to be forced into find a replacement receptionist. one that everyone in the office will like. it's harder than it sounds. i work with a picky bunch of over-privileged insurance brokers. im the lowest paid person here and definitely not the least intelligent.

this just pisses me off. how can i get a job or even put in an application if i cant list my current manager as contactable? this looks AWFUL. and it is awful. i feel like im being forced to stay in a job im not happy at, that she's told me i seem unhappy in, because of sheer ineptitude. i dont make 25,000 a year in gross wages. i am disgusted with this entire situation right now.

i will clean up the formatting later. im about to leave work for the day. 

Checking Account Fun Times

I opened a new checking account today with ING Direct. I know that they were bought out by Capital One some time ago, but I was in need of a new checking account and I received an email a little while ago stating that if I opened a checking account and made 3 card purchases within 45 days, they would give me a $50 bonus. They also pay 0.20% interest on the checking accounts at the lowest level. I receive no interest on my current checking account and my closest bank is over 2 hours away. So I took advantage of this offer and opened the account.

What I plan on doing is having one checking account for bills and one for "fun money." The account that earns interest will be my "fun money" account. Hopefully I can talk myself into saving money if I can think of all the extra interest I will be earning by not spending it.

I also have a job interview on Thursday morning with a company where I would be doing almost the exact same thing I do now, but for hopefully more money and less I-want-to-kill-myself feelings because of my job.

My Student Loans and I, Part 2: Why I Will Be Paying On Them Until I Die

I have student loans with 3 separate companies: Nelnet, Edfinancial and a private loan through my first liberal arts college.

The first two sets of loans are currently in forbearance/deferment until March 2013 because I do not make any money. Or, I don't make enough money under the income based repayment plan to actually qualify to make any payments. I should probably start paying something on the loans regardless, but I never do. Do you want to know why? Because they make it impossible for me to access my accounts to actually make payments.

Things Student Loan Providers Do To Make Actually Paying Them Impossible:

1. The website is impossible to navigate.
Nelnet is a classic example of this. The website is set up that once you login, after all your failed attempts and reset password tries, it takes you to your profile page. Now, that's fine. Except that it's the only page you will be able to see ever again. Any time I click a link about "loan deferment or repayment options", the link just reloads the profile page. Time and time again.
Edfinancial also just locked me out of my account because I had exceeded the number of login attempts, after one try. And now, I will attempt to deal with them via phone. Let's see how that goes.

2. When you call their hotline, you have to wait at least 30 minutes before you even get to the option to speak to a person.
I just sat through at least 15 minutes of unimportant jibber-jabber trying to call Edfinancial to reset my password because you cannot do it online. The fact that it's 8:00 in the morning apparently has no effect on the number of people they have actually answering the phones, but I eventually gave up on ever talking to a person. I hung up. On top of the terrible hold music and excessive waiting times, the very first thing I heard when I called was a message about the scheduled payments for April 28. Well, that's all fine and dandy but maybe I just need to reset my password. Oh, there's no option for that. Gotta click Zero. Gotta wait on hold for 8 million years. Where's my pen? I need to doodle some knives stabbing voraciously through the hearts of student loan providers everywhere. Ah. Now I feel better. Except nothing is resolved.

3. You can only schedule your payments for 3 specific days a month.
I don't really have too much of a problem with that honestly, because I am a fan of having routine and structure. My problem lies with not being able to make extra payments. Let's say I was super frugal this month (use your imaginations hard here.) And let's say that I suddenly found myself with an extra 100 dollars I wanted to put towards one of my student loans. Well, I know myself pretty well at this point. The longer money sits in my bank account, the more likely I am to find something to spend it on. Something I don't need. Something shiny or boozy or full of words. Well, with Edfinancial, I have to choose one of three predetermined days to schedule my payment for. These are usually the 1st, 15th and 30th or something like that. What if it's the 22nd of the month? I have to sit on my money for 8 days and let it taunt me with it's ability to buy shiny boozy things? Yes, that is exactly what I have to do, which now means that my attempt at financial responsibility is ruined. Foiled again.

4. They don't send you emails, they send you an "online assistance alert."
Edfinancial just "emailed" me to let me know that I had a secure message waiting for me at Edfinancial's secure message center. This message is only available until 07/03/12. There was a "secure" link I had to click on to retrieve the message that my account is now locked due to one too many access attempts. The one that I attempted earlier. Essentially they send me an email to let me know that I have email. That I'm now locked out of my account. Awesome guys. Thanks so much. Cause I didn't know.

5. When you send any paperwork to them via fax you have to call back repeatedly to make sure they are doing their jobs.
I just sent my 1040 form for 2011 to Nelnet to confirm my underemployment. I had to call them to get a fax number. But, on top of having to call them to get a fax number, I now have to call them back in 2 days to confirm that they actually received the fax AND THEN, providing they have, I have to call them back 7 days after that to make sure that it was actually entered and everything is copacetic. Why you ask. Well, so do I. Yes, faxes are unreliable and yes, they are probably inundated with inefficient people and their shitty faxes, but really. I have to call you back twice, going through the whole automated phone system again so I can make sure that someone did their job properly. Another Awesome guys. And if it's not correct, then what. Do I have to call you back after I send you yet another fax and then cal you back again. Is this my life? Chasing down student loan providers for jollies. Because I really do have better things to do with my time.

Okay. The last 2 weren't really about paying them, per se; they were just minor grievances I have with my providers right now. I'll probably attempt to call Edfinancial again today, because I could really use the deferment again this year. I don't have an extra $400 lying around every month. I barely have an extra $100 some months. And then, there's the months that I eat a bunch of migraine medicines and go shopping, but those are few and far between and I'm trying to keep it that way.

The 401K and I: A Love/Hate Story

I currently invest in a 401K account with a complete 3% match by my employer, followed by a 50% match of the next 2%. This is not a great matching plan, but it's better than no match, or not being offered a retirement plan at all. This I like.

What I don't like is when I somehow manage to blow an extra $200 *cough*last month*cough*. Now I have to transfer what little money I put into my savings account back into my checking account. Just $100. Not nearly the $150 I was striving for originally, but now I guess I'm glad. Sort of.

Anyways, my new plan acts as sort of a punishment and a reward for myself, if that can make any sense whatsoever. Anytime I spend all of my extra money unnecessarily, I am going to up my 401K contribution by 1%. This is something like 7.00 each pay period. I figure if I can afford to spend $200 on god-knows-what, then I can afford to save an extra 7 dollars for my retirement. 15 dollars extra each month, or thereabout. It fluctuates depending on how many hours I work and how much overtime is on my check, but the average is the same.

Right now I have $490 in my retirement fund with Vanguard. I've only been funding it since January and no, I do not make a ton of money. But I live within my means, most of the time. I survive on what little I have and generally don't go waste a bunch of money on useless trinkets. We all have our bad days occasionally though. I just need to learn to keep them in check.

So, for now, Mr. 401K sits at a whopping 7% pre-tax contribution. Up from the 6% it's been at since February. He and I are going to be friends for a long time, I hope.

Car Problems... The Broke Person's Nightmare

I drive a 2000 Oldsmobile Alero with approx. 110,000 miles on it. This is fairly average for the typical American driver these days.

What they don't tell you, when you buy a car, is that things will eventually need to be replaced. When I drove from Alabama to Nashville last year with my car completely loaded with all my things, my brakes were squealing and squeaking so badly that I was scared to drive back to Alabama to get the rest of my stuff. I didn't. I left my car at my Mom's house and my uncle actually drove me down in his SUV to pack up the last load of my things because he heard the noises my car was making and was scared for me. I had completely worn the right back brake pad down to the rotor and it needed replacing immediately.

This is where it pays to have a mechanic in the family. He bought me the brake pad and replaced it for me, letting me know that I would DEFINITELY need to replace the right back rotor and the back left brake pad and rotor eventually. I said okay and went on my merry way. This was in August of last year.

Well, my back left brakes are starting to make the same grinding noise, especially when I am reversing out of the parking garage. This noise is echoed in the dense garage and it is embarrassing. My car is not that old nor is it ugly. I don't drive a beater, but good lord, could it make a worse sound that signals "hey. my car is a piece of crap, stare at it."

I think I'm going to have to suck it up and get the rotors and other brake pad replaced this weekend. But, seeing as how I AM a girl, most car repair/mechanics shops want to rip me off. I know this to be a fact. I once went into a Midas to get a $25 oil changed and walked out 1.5 hours later having spent over $80 on stuff they HAD to do that day that I was grossly overcharged for. Example: I had a screw in my tire. The cost: $25 to remove and repair. I also got a rotation with my oil change. They broke one of the lug nuts on my tire. Replacement fee: Another $25 that should have been on them, but somehow wound up on my bill.

I swore never to go back to a repair shop where I didn't personally know the employees after that.

This means that I will have to drive over an hour to go to my hometown where my uncle lives and my mom's friends have a repair/mechanic shop.

Although, if it saves me a few hundred dollars and lets me do laundry for free, I'm all for it.

The Broke Diaries...

Gas is getting ridiculously expensive. It is 3.69 at the two gas stations across from my house and 3.85 throughout the rest of Nashville. The fact that it is cheaper to fill up in my neighborhood disturbs me. This is not normal. I live near a lake. We get weekend warrior/vacationer traffic and things get taxed like crazy out there. But I'm not complaining. I filled my car up for a little under 33.00 this morning. I had about a quarter of a tank before embarking on the wallet drain, so it really wasn't that bad.

Still reading Deadline, but I'm almost done. I feel like the slowest reader ever, this year. There's no way I'm making my original reading goal of 100 books. I'll just have to recalibrate.

I also renewed my Xbox live subscription for 2 months for only 2.00! Now I can watch all the Hulu I want through my TV. I hate watching tv shows on my computer. Plus it's usually 10.00 a month for Xbox and I'm too cheap to pay for it, most of the time.

Oh and something that initially irritated me but may end up working in my favor: the Sheraton Hotel we stayed at in St. Louis put a hold on my debit card for any "incidental charges" we might accrue while we stayed there. So, I automatically deducted it from my checking account, not knowing how long the hold would last. It was only 20.00 and we never charged anything to the room, so it shouldn't have been a big deal. Well, it took over a week for the charge to fall off my account. So as soon as it did, I transferred the money from my checking to my savings account, because in my mind, it's already gone. Doing this like this is definitely helping my savings account grow, even if I have to deal with the inconvenience of the hold being placed on my money in the first place. That was a long run-on sentence if I ever saw one. Sorry.

And the office is down to only the Raspberry Ice Crystal Light Drink Mix and it is not delicious. It is a sad sad day here.

I Want To Grow Things!

This is the first day in a week that I haven't woken up with a massive headache and haven't needed to take any number of medications for it. I am excited.

It's also officially spring here and it's been raining for about 2 days now. After spending last weekend sick at home and going to the doctor twice in one week, I am ready to get outside and do things.

I am going to buy plants and planters and start an apartment garden! I want to grow peppers and tomatoes and whatever else on my little patio.

I also have plans to go to goodwill and look for a spice rack/cabinet thing for my kitchen and some mirrors. I want a square mirror for my hallway and a long mirror for my bedroom.

And I'm still reading through my second book this month. It has not been a great reading month for me, but I am pleasantly surprised with Deadline. It is the second book in a trilogy and no I did not read the first. I'll find it and read it one day. It's a miracle that I'm actually reading this. I am so behind on my reading goal. I may just have to give it up. Having a constant headache makes it hard for me to read, or even want to read.

Busy Day Is Busy...

March has officially started and you know what that means.. Spring will be here soon. Well, sort of. I live in Tennessee, where we never really have an officially colder than cold winter season. It has been spring-like here for about a month already. People are breaking out their spring clothes and it makes me want to go shopping.

Now, don't get me wrong, I love winter and winter clothes. I mean, I AM the girl who owns at least 3 pea coats, a trench coat and a leather coat with fur trim, but I can't help myself when I see all the awesome mint colored things that are popping up everywhere.

But, since I am a former retail worker that hates shopping, this sudden need for shiny things will not be satiated. I will continue to look at stuff on Zappos and Asos, but I will not purchase. Thrift store shopping is more my style anyway.

But, I do have a few BIG purchases/spending days planned. I am getting my car worked on this weekend. I have crossed the great threshold of 100K miles in my poor car and it's time for a check-up and maintenance. That won't be too expensive, I hope. I know that the transmission needs to be looked at and the coolant needs a flush, and maybe an oil change by then too. We'll see.

I am also driving to St. Louis next Friday for Radiohead! I am excited, since it's the first real "road trip" I've been on in what feels like forever. It's about 5 hours from here to there, so it'll be costly in gas and other random stuffs. But I have saved my $100 Rent.com gift card to help offset the cost of gas (I'm still totally buying the new iPhone, I'm just waiting for a bit on that.) and I still have my $10 Subway gift card from Christmas for lunch on the road. I think I have a $4 Starbucks gift card leftover from Christmas as well. It was originally $20 but I've used it a few times already.

I also have a new kitten! Lilly Moscovitz is almost a year old and yes, she came with that name. She's cute and fiesty and Mr. Zap really doesn't care much for her, but in his typical way of dealing, he mostly ignores her. He just can't be bothered. That's why he's my baby. Although the little hellion (Mr. Zap, not Lilly) did manage to scratch my eyelid last night while I was sleeping. He is a pillow thief, which is usually not a problem. Well, last night, he jumped over my head and misjudged a bit, dragging his back claw across my left eyelid. It woke me up. It still hurts, but it's not noticeable at all. Thank God.

And since I guess I'm supposed to recap my spending, or something, I definitely spent more money last month than I should have. Fast food and grocery stores are still my weakness. And Target. That place is like a sinkhole. I can't go in there and NOT leave with five extra things that were cute or on sale that I do not need. It's impossible. Must learn to stay out of Target.

And since I made almost 50 transactions on my debit card last month, I'm going to try something different. Limiting my transactions to 30 a month. If I can do this, it may help me spend less on fast food or Redbox or other unnecessary things that are only a dollar or two here and there. They add up fast. I know, I know. I would have so much more money if I didn't eat Arby's or rent from Redbox once a week, but sometimes I just want to get out of my house or out of the office. I may renew my Netflix, but I'm still thinking on that one.

Weekend Plans!

Today is Friday, thank goodness. Tonight for dinner, I am totally enjoying my FREE Papa John's pizza and 2-liter, thanks to the promo they did for the super bowl.

This weekend my plans include eating more free food and getting my boots fixed. I broke the cap off one of the heels on my black boots. I love these boots, but they are unwearable as is. They have been in the back seat of my car for almost 2 months because I cannot ever remember to take them to a cobbler to get them fixed. Tomorrow I am venturing to a reputable cobbler downtown and actually getting this done. I also need to have a leather purse repaired. I have ripped the lining since I tend to carry too much stuff.

We are also going to enjoy a free Blockbuster movie thanks to an email containing a free rental code.

Saturday, we are going out for dinner with the fam, for free, thanks to various gift cards and awards coupons for the restaurant. AND I think I am getting a new cat on Saturday, too. One of the cat's that lives at my other-mother's house is not getting along with their primary cat. I said I would take Lilly Moscovitz and try her out with Mr. Zap, see if they get along and all that cat jazz. So, she will be coming to live with me on Saturday, if the parentals can stand to get rid of her after all.

Saturday, I will also be installing my internet through AT&T and re-upping my XBox Live Gold subscription, because I ALSO have a free month of that I need to renew. Checking my email periodically often yields awesome things.

This weekend will be good. And filled with awesome stuff that hardly costs anything. Sometimes I enjoy living in a city where I can be frugal and still have fun.

Stupid Things I've Done This Week

Well, since I don't really have any fiscal or financial updates to talk about AND I haven't read a book in far too long, I'm going to tell you all about the many stupid things I've managed to do this week. And they are quite dumb, I'm not going to lie.

Stupid Thing #1: Not eating breakfast before the dentist.

I had a dentist appointment scheduled for 9 am on Monday to get the first of my fillings. Not a big deal normally, but when you do not eat breakfast before the dentist and they give you a lidocaine injection, it might does not end well. What should have been a 20 minute procedure took almost an hour due to me breaking out in hives and almost passing out in the dental chair. Both the tech and the dentist were a little freaked out by how quickly I blotched up and got dizzy. They made me lean back with the little alien oxygen nose mask on for what felt like forever. I finally felt better and about the time for the fillings to be completed, I started almost having a panic attack. I could not breathe and started getting dizzy again. This is a very awkward feeling when there are two peoples hands in your mouth and it's full of cotton balls. They were finally able to finish the first two of my five fillings and I sat in the chair for another 10 minutes waiting for the wobbly woozy feelings to pass. Then I paid my bill and drove myself home. STUPID. I should have made someone come get me. I made it home okay, but it was not a good idea, at all.

Stupid Thing #2: Lost my lip balm.

This actually occurred earlier in the week than the dentist, but I didn't find out until I got home from the dentist. I lost my Burt's Bees lip balm at some point over the weekend. I think I may have left it sitting on my desk at work, where the night cleaners probably found it and then threw it away. This is not a big deal, I know, but it's still almost 3.00 worth of lip balm that I just lost. This irritates me. One tube of that stuff lasts me several months and it's not cheap. Ugh. Good thing I bought the four pack last month. Now only three left to go.

Stupid Thing #3: Ordered AT&T U-verse internet package.

I don't have internet at home. I have been "borrowing" it from a neighbor, (or the bar across the street, I'm honestly not quite sure), for quite some time. Well, this connection is no longer available and it has made me sad beyond belief. This is because I have managed to become a TV junkie this year. I watch about three shows regularly and will watch about a dozen more if given the chance. The Walking Dead is the TV show I would watch if I was trapped on a desert island and could only watch one show. I am fine with not watching something the very day it comes out, but I need to watch it within the next day or two; otherwise, the office chatter will ruin it for me. Plus, The Walking Dead is awesome. And I think I have a secret crush on Shane. He is my favorite. I also watch Grimm. This show has quite a few people from the Buffy-verse attached to it, namely David Greenwalt. I loved Buffy and I love this show. I also started my MA in English with an emphasis on children's literature quite some time ago, which I WILL finish someday, so this show is right up my proverbial TV alley.

And while I am proclaiming all the greatness of the TV shows I have gotten myself addicted to, the downside of this new-found internet connection is that AT&T uses a proprietary modem, which they charge $100 for. This seems like a bit much for something that doesn't cost that much in the stores. AND I already own 2 modems. One for DSL (from about 800 years ago) and one for cable internet connection. Neither of these will work, apparently. So, they get my $100 for another modem to add to my collection. But the internet itself is only $20 a month and it will be included with my cell phone bill. This will put my total AT&T monthly charges somewhere around $110 including taxes and fees. I can handle that. I may regret this decision in the near future when gas prices rise above 4.00/gal, but right now I am okay with it.

Rent.com Visa Gift Card

I received an email from Rent.com. It was letting me know that I should be receiving a $100 Visa gift card in the mail within the next two weeks! That's very exciting since I signed my lease over five months ago and had completely forgotten about the Rent.com bonus.

Now the question is what should I buy with it?

I know that I should be more financially responsible with that and use the money to pay a bill or buy something I need with it, but I am of the camp that says "found" money should go to something fun. I am already budgeting for groceries and bills. This extra money will give me an opportunity to buy something I really want but don't necessarily need.

But there are too many choices....

1. I want a new purse. I am a purse girl at heart. I know that I have too many that I don't use already, but it's time for an upgrade. There is one at Zappos I have been obsessing over for a while now. This Lucky Brand leather crossbody bag is almost perfect for me. It's a little out of my price range, even on sale, but I do love it so. With the gift card, I would only be spending around $50 out of pocket, which is where I usually limit my spending on accessories. A nice leather bag will last me years longer than some cheap bag from Target, where I tend to get my purse cravings satisfied.

2. I also need a new phone and have been eying the iPhone 4S for quite some time now. My iPhone is 2 years old and I have somehow managed to crack the bottom plastic where the usb port is. It still works, but you can tell it is old. Plus I use my phone as my digital camera, like most people with a smartphone, so this will be like a double upgrade for me. I get a better camera built into my new phone. Even with the $100 gift card, it will still cost me $100 out of pocket, plus upgrade fees on my next bill. My iPhone is my only source of internet and how I connect to the rest of the world when I am at home. I know I could get a cheaper phone and lower my monthly plan, but I do love my iPhone.

And I also know that I shouldn't count my proverbial chickens before they hatch, so I will not go out and buy anything while I technically cannot still afford it. I will wait for the gift card to arrive.

What to do?

I am still waiting on my income tax return to arrive as well. It is scheduled to be deposited by Feb. 28. I am excited. That means I can get my car fixed before my St. Louis Radiohead trip!

Dealing With Scavenger Debt Collectors

I have been getting phone calls from what I believe to be a scavenger debt collector. It's no secret that I have not been the best with money in the past. I also didn't open my mail or answer the phone for about three years. During this period, I didn't answer the phone because I didn't have a phone. Now I am getting calls multiple times a day from a business called RPM. This business is known as being a scavenger debt collector. I have found multiple complaints online citing their predatory and borderline harassing debt collection practices. They do not comply with the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act, nor do they listen when simple requests are made.

They have called me multiple times a day for the past few weeks and even called me right at 9 pm one night, not completely illegal but so close that if I were in a different time zone they would have been in non-compliance.

At this point, I am almost 100 percent sure that they are continuing to call me about a debt they have no legal right to collect on. The only thing I can think of is past the statute of limitations for collection. This is pure conjecture on my part, given their record of purchasing up old cell phone bills and harassing consumers into payment, long past the time of legal collection.

In the state of Tennessee, the statute of limitations on open accounts, including credit cards, is 6 years.

As a consumer, I like to know my rights. As a renter, I feel the same sense of responsibility.

The first thing on my checklist for dealing with these bottom-feeders is:

1. If they actually get to talk to me, which they won't, I will request a letter stating the validity of the debt.

This is a good sample letter to send to a collection agency that will not get the hint. If they refuse to comply with this, or fail to do so within the allotted 30 days, on to step 2!

PS. The collection agency cannot charge you for digging up your old records.

2. If the collection agency fails to deliver the letter of the debts validity, or if the letter does not include one of three important bits of information:
a. proof that they actually own or have been assigned the debt
b. original statement or copies of from the original creditor
c. original signed loan agreement or copy of
AND if they are still reporting to credit bureaus, this step involves sending ANOTHER letter to the creditor.
The second letter includes: A copy of the certified letter receipt, a copy of the original letter sent to them, and a statement letting them know they are not in compliance with the FDCPA.

If they do not respond to this letter and do not remove the blemish from my credit report, I will proceed from there. But until then, I will keep avoiding them. Since I am almost positive they have no legal grounds to collect anything from me, it never hurts to put a little bit more time behind us. Plus, I can't afford to pay anything right now anyway. Not that I owe any money, but still.

Spending Update

I want to try something new today. I want to do a spending update for my finances this month and see if I'm on track with my saving and other goals.

February Spending Log:

02/01 - Transfer from checking to savings (Pizza Hut Refund from the thievery. I had already taken the 10.00 difference out of my checking so I decided to not add it back into my records) 7.00

02/02 - Gas 29.56

02/03 - Payday = Deposit

02/03 - Rent Due (paid in full)

02/03 - Transfer from checking to savings (autodraft) 50.00

02/03 - Arby's (YES I KNOW) 5.34

02/04 - NO SPEND

02/05 - Wal-Mart (tortilla chips) 2.16

02/05 - Redbox (Super 8 & Contagion) 2.62

02/05 - McDonald's (YES I KNOW) 3.28

02/05 - Kroger (groceries!) 34.82

02/06 - Redbox (Forgot to return the movies b/c of the Mischief ordeal) 2.62

02/06 - check finally cleared for the cafe in the building (lunch at some point last week) 5.12

02/06 - Mapco (Lee gas) 15.01

I know that I could have done without some of the expenses. Arby's on Friday, for example. I had absolutely no groceries in my house and was starving. The Arby's is right next door and while I could have spent less money, I got the few things I like from there. McDonald's could also have been avoided, but I was hungry and we were out shopping and getting movies from Redbox so I went in and got lunch.

The Redbox late fee was definitely avoidable but due to the circumstances of the day, there was no way we were remembering to return the movies on time. I'll eat 3.00 to know that I watched my cat die in peace rather than try to return a movie on time and miss out on happy Mischief moments.

I paid for Lee's gas on Monday since he drove us to Manchester and back for the Mischief passing. I told him I would since I didn't have to drive.

So far that's everything that has posted to my account.

02/06 - Mapco (more Lee gas) 11.12

02/09 - gas (filled up my car) 33.60

So far I think I've been doing fairly well. There are a few minor things that could have been avoided, but they are less than $15 in the whole scheme of things. As long as I can keep myself on track for the rest of this short month, I should come out on top of things. And hopefully boost my savings account a few extra dollars.

I am also still waiting for my income tax refund to show up in my checking account. The majority of that is already earmarked for savings account (at least 330) and to get some car work/repairs done. I am over 100K miles and haven't had a tune-up/required maintenance done in some time. It's time for that before my car explodes with me in it.

Tax Time!

I was supposed to do yoga last night. I started out the month quite well, doing yoga twice this week already. My goal is to do some form of exercise three times a week. I just so happen to enjoy yoga and it is a simple routine I can fall into quite easily. BUT...

Yoga did not happen last night because I was too busy filing my taxes.

The last of my four W2's showed up in the mail yesterday and after I did my happy, I-can-finally-file-my-taxes dance, I sat down in front of the computer.

I lived in Alabama for part of the year last year. From January to half-way through August, I was staying in the armpit of America. My feelings towards the state haven't changed much since I lived there. I still loathe it. One of the reasons is because Alabama has a state income tax. Tennessee does not. I am legally a Tennessee resident and have been since I was born. This is where the problems started.

I filled out my federal return online. I do my own taxes every year since it's really not that difficult. My deductions are never more than the federal allotment, so it doesn't make sense for me to itemize things that will cause me to receive LESS money than the government would give me otherwise. And yes, I do know that I shouldn't be getting any money back, AT ALL, at the end of the year, but I know myself. I can use the money more efficiently by getting it back in a lump sum rather than making an extra 6.00 every week or whatever it ends up being.

The final sum that I should receive back this year is $1123! Very exciting.

Now what to do with the money.

And also, filing my Alabama state return is going to be painful. Even though Alabama's revenue website has all this flashy crap all over it about "filing your taxes for free through one of these websites," as a nonresident, I have to print a specific form, fill it out, mail it to Montgomery and wait for the illiterate masses in the office down there to get around to sending my refund check of 25 dollars. Yes. That's it. 25 whole dollars. Despite the fact that I am not, nor have I been a legal resident of the state of Alabama. And they withheld much much more than that from me in taxes last year. First world problems, I know. But dang. It hurts the soul to know that some place so freaking backwards can continue to cause me so much rage. Alabama is continuing to find ways to make me want to napalm it. It is the bane of my existence.

Pizza Hut Complaint

Well, if this isn't a lesson in frugality, I don't know what is.

I never eat out in restaurants, or order pizza or chinese or any of those things. I might have one meal a month that's from a restaurant. And I never pay for delivery. Well, last Friday, I was feeling rather lazy. So I ordered a pizza from Pizza Hut for 10.00 and added an order of boneless wings for 6.00. I chose the delivery option and like most people, I paid with my debit card since I never have cash on me. The total, including the 2.50 delivery fee, was 19.94. I tipped 3.00. Now this is where the whole incident gets tricky.

The total amount I found on my bank statement was 29.94. That's a tip of 10.00.

I am a nice person, yes. And I admit, that the 3.00 tip was less than 20 percent, but if you consider that 3.00 plus 2.50 equals 5.50 on a 20.00 bill, that's more than 20 percent. But there is no way in hell I would tip FIFTY FREAKING PERCENT on a large thin crust pepperoni pizza and honey bbq boneless wings. No delivery driver, excepting maybe Apollo, providing he brought me the food on a flaming chariot of delivery love, is that awesome.

I didn't see this little tidbit of information until I checked my bank account yesterday with the tip fully posted. So, I called Pizza Hut. They refused to believe that I only tipped 3.00 and "couldn't deal with the issue because they were really busy right then." By the way, I called them at 330 pm on a Tuesday afternoon. No Pizza Hut is ever too busy to deal with customer service. As a former retail worker, I know that the customer may not be your favorite thing to deal with, but one angry customer equals a lot of bad publicity you do not want, especially if they have friends they talk to AND SHARE THESE THINGS WITH.

So, I called them back today. And guess what they said...

The receipt clearly stated a tip of 10.00 with a smiley face. WHAT THE FUCK?

He had scribbled over my 3.00 tip, changed it to 10.00 total and added a smiley face. I DO NOT ADD SMILEY FACES TO RECEIPTS. I am not a smiley person. AND: The audacity of this driver is impressive. But that's beyond the original point.

So, Pizza Hut, where it the phone number for complaints. Oh wait, there isn't one. BECAUSE YOU SUCK and you don't want your customers telling you this.

I have called the store in question, yes. The best they can do is offer me a 7.00 credit on my account, to the store that originally thieved from me. Now, I am less than inclined to want to order food from there again, so this does me no good. At all.

If you have any other ideas, let me know. I am all for them.

I destroyed Christmas!

Yes, I did. We finally took down the office Christmas tree. And by we, I mean, the people who originally put it up. I sat at my desk, reading food blogs and laughing at their frustrations. Then they threw the tree away. A perfectly good, 2 year old, pre-lit Christmas tree that probably cost more than I make in a week.

And once again, I am flabbergasted at the sheer ability of this company to just throw insane amounts of money away BECAUSE THEY CAN.

And I present you with a terrible iPhone photo of said Christmas tree. There is nothing wrong with this. I work with lazy people who have too much money.

/sigh.

On a completely unrelated note: my savings account is not looking so pathetically small anymore. I have it set up to autodraft 50.00 every paycheck. Today I noticed that the amount was sitting at 124 dollars. That's an uneven amount. The OCD in my brain did not like it. So I transferred 6.00 over into my savings account, just to make it even.

I've also screwed up my checkbook system this year already. I cannot do math apparently. This is also made harder when I can't read my own handwriting. At some point in the last month I not only FORGOT to log an entire transaction, I somehow made 40.00 subtracted from 240.00 become 280.00. And then I kept up the subtractions from this snafu. Do not ask me how I did this. I have been sick since Christmas, but this was long before that.

It makes my brain hurt still.

So I wiped my entire check register clean and just started over from today, hoping that the mess will fix itself when everything clears my account in a few days.

This leaves me no money for the next 2 weeks.

Which I can deal with. I do need to put gas in my car, but I have enough for that. I also paid my utility bill today and rent, so I'm good on those for another month.

This weekend my plan is to read another book or two for the 50 book challenge.

I also want to go through my closet and get rid of all the clothes I know I will never wear. I have a goodwill pile started already, I just need to actually try things on and get rid of the things I will never wear.

Alright, goals for the weekend:
1. Read 1 maybe 2 books
2. Go through closet
3. Try new recipe (as yet determined)

First Post Party!

This is my first post! Or as I like to call it, the day after the day after the beginning of the rest of my life. (Happy New Year!)

All good new years start with resolutions, don't they? I think I heard that once.
Because if you've got nothing you want to change, there's probably something wrong with you that you just don't know about yet. Or something like that.

This year I've decided to tackle my finances head on. This may not end well and in reality it may look more like a bear wrestling match than anything else, with me representing the not-bear side of this contest. But I feel like I should at least try. My mother always said you can't jump off that bridge with all your friends if you don't put one foot in front of the other. So here's to leaping!

I want to do a number of different things here. I want to chronicle ALL my spending. And by ALL, I do mean every single tiny penny that goes from my hand into the coffers of someone else. Lunch purchases, Target necessities, vending machine dollar bills that I don't think matter but in the whole scheme of things add up to a whole lot more when you're talking about 3 or 4 sodas a week plus those awesome potato skins that aren't enough food to last 10 seconds once they're open.

I want to try to pay down some of my debt. I have approximately $51,000 in student loans, spread out over 2 companies with 10 different loans. Plus I have a few other minor bills that don't total nearly that, but I would like to eradicate them as well.

I have other bills to pay every month. Living expenses, if you will. Rent, Utilities, Cell Phone, Gas, Food, Insurances, Parking. And they all deserve capital letters because they are all non-negotiable.

I don't pay for internet and I don't pay for a lot of other extraneous expenses. The state of my closet can definitely attest to that and my DVD collection is looking kind of worse for wear. At this point though, I could stand to get rid of some of the stuff I don't use in favor of things I will. But first, we must figure out where the money goes before I can spend it on stuff I want and don't really need.

I can't promise that I won't write about a slew of other things here besides money and finances. I will at least try to limit those posts to a minimum.

I also have other goals/resolutions for this year. They include such things as:
1. Read 100 books this year
2. Try at least 1 new recipe a week
3. Write a novel

Well, I have rambled enough for now.