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Tuesday, October 26, 2010

Hello 12 hour work days!

Well I started at The Herald last night and I think I'm really going to like it there. It's a good combo of secretarial stuff (I used to be a receptionist and freakishly really enjoy that kind of thing) and editing/newsy stuff so it's a good fit for me. I'll normally be working there M-W 4-7pm after getting to my full-time job at 7am to ensure I still have an 8 hour work day there. 7pm is just early enough where I can still have a whole evening to enjoy but I really do have to learn to get to bed earlier on those days since I'm getting up earlier and I have longer days. I'm excited for this opportunity and I am excited to see where I can take it. They've already asked me to stay later next Tuesday for the elections...'til midnight! Oh hey there 16 hour work day! But as long as I have plenty of coffee, I'm really looking forward to it. It's a decent paying job so I'm happy to get as many hours as I can.

I had a good weekend and didn't spend much. I even included a trip to Target for some household stuff and spent less than $10! I was highly impressed. I could be doing better about cooking my own food but I'm still struggling with the balance between being social and saving money. This weekend will be an expensive one since there's lots going on: Gamecocks game (ticket, drinks, food), Halloween celebrations and going out downtown for a friend's birthday. Oofta. I'll see how it goes but I'm expecting my allowance to be gone after that...bummer.

Good news, however. My loan account is up to $623. That's $123 going towards my second set of payments already, which aren't due until January! And I made a $300 credit card payment yesterday so I've paid well over the minimum payment. It looks like I'll have $144 added in interest though so this might be something I struggle with for a little while until I can get more income. Or should I take that $123 and put it towards my card so the interest is less? Hmm..yeah I probably should. Between The Herald and babysitting it will cover more than my monthly loan payments...at least it should. So I'll keep working at it and do the best I can.

Ok so I did the math...If I put that $123 towards my credit card, it would save me $16 in interest...that's a smart decision right? Yeah, ok, I'll do it. Because not only does it save me interest but it gets me closer to paying off the card (which is still sitting safely in it's hidden spot, far from my wallet and although I instinctively wish I could grab it, I haven't come close!). So minus interest, the bill is only going to go down-thank goodness.

One last thing I'm going to vent about and then I'm done for today: why is food that is bad for you so inexpensive? Yesterday after running to the bank I grabbed a Little Ceaser's pizza for $6. That gave me lunch and a snack before The Herald and it will feed me for the next two days as well. But it's not a well-balanced healthy meal so of course I'm packing on the pounds. Why are carbs and fat so cheap and healthier foods much more expensive and require more preparations? It's not fair to have to choose between being healthy and saving money. If I keep gaining weight I'm going to have to buy new jeans so I might as well have spent some extra money on healthier foods. It's a terrible cycle. This is not a rant about being fat or anything, seriously I swear. I need advice in this department because I can't seem to find a balance.

2 comments:

  1. Great gig you got there at the Herald, how exciting!

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  2. You really can eat healthy! I was thinking of you the other day while I was at the grocery store. I think a bag of 5 apples was about 2 dollars, I got peppers for 70 cents each, and artichokes were $1 dollar which can give you half of your meal if you put a chicken breast or something with it, bananas are always cheap and i like to have abanana with peanut butter, kiwis are on sale here right now for 4/$1. The bottom line is, I don't even allow myself to go without at least two servings of veggies and two servings of fruit per day, and I usually end up having more than that even. America needs to steer away from already-made stuff like breakfast bars, pizza, cup o noodle, and go for things like toast and an apple for breakfast or asparagus and a chicken breast for dinner. Our new definition of 'food' is crazy! Lol. I love cooking and Dave loves when I cook. Last night I made poor man's sheperds pie and that honestly cost about maybe 12 bucks to make but made about 6 servings! You def. can be creative and eat healthy too. =)

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