:)
Happy Halloween!
Thursday, October 31, 2013
Tuesday, October 29, 2013
Money Woes
Warning - Whining Ahead...
I LOVE my job. I get to help shape America's future and touch the lives of many children. I make kids laugh while learning, I help sharpen their reading skills, and I teach them how to problem solve in math, as well as in life. I work SO hard at my job and it has never been a forty hour a week kind of job. I constantly take grading home after work and spend hours on the weekends working on report card comments and planning. I often go in early and stay late. I do this all, despite the lack of a noticeable raise or full support from the parents.
But sometimes it's hard not to get frustrated with the pay! Once I get my graduate degree in two years, I'll see the biggest pay raise possible in the next several years - before taxes it'll be around $5,000 to $6,000 more a year. I know that that's still better than some get and I'm not looking for a pity vote here, but I just want to scream sometimes!
It boggles my mind that I have been in this job for five years and I currently only make $3,000 more a year than I did my first year of teaching!! And that's BEFORE taxes. It makes it really hard to hear friends and family talk about raises of $8,000 or $10,000 raises or bonuses that are even more than that.
I do get an income from Thirty-One, but it's not steady and I can't depend on it. With my current bills, the random car bills that I've had lately (Tires = $900 ugh!), and graduate school, I'm seriously struggling. Not to mention the wedding costs!
I feel like I have a personality disorder when it comes to my finances. Some days I think to myself, "Hey, it's cool. I'm not like the average American struggling with tens of thousands in debt, and I pay all of my bills on time. So it's ok." But then other days I feel like a total failure when I think of the fact that I literally don't have a savings and I have to keep using my credit card to pay for wedding stuff. I hate having a balance at all on my credit cards, and I know it's not the end of the world, and you only get married once, blah blah...BUT it still bothers me.
So I'm trying my hardest to get more Thirty-One parties, but I don't want to be too pushy about it or too sales-y by asking friends and family to host. I can't force people to have parties!
I still babysit once a week, but that's only $40 at a time. So it doesn't go very far at all. Lately, it hasn't been consistent either. I just broke down and applied for some tutoring jobs online. For the past three years my school system gave me a tutoring job twice a week that helped me, but the budget wasn't there for it this year. So I'm hoping I can find some other ones on my own. We shall see.
Not to get too religious here, but I know things happen for a reason and that I'm being looked after. I know that I have people around me who care and who are willing to help when needed (and who already have - I know I have the best friends and family!). I pray and thank God multiple times a day for the blessings I have.
But sometimes I just want to get paid more for what I already do and love, instead of trying to find other odd jobs to pick up the pieces!
I LOVE my job. I get to help shape America's future and touch the lives of many children. I make kids laugh while learning, I help sharpen their reading skills, and I teach them how to problem solve in math, as well as in life. I work SO hard at my job and it has never been a forty hour a week kind of job. I constantly take grading home after work and spend hours on the weekends working on report card comments and planning. I often go in early and stay late. I do this all, despite the lack of a noticeable raise or full support from the parents.
But sometimes it's hard not to get frustrated with the pay! Once I get my graduate degree in two years, I'll see the biggest pay raise possible in the next several years - before taxes it'll be around $5,000 to $6,000 more a year. I know that that's still better than some get and I'm not looking for a pity vote here, but I just want to scream sometimes!
It boggles my mind that I have been in this job for five years and I currently only make $3,000 more a year than I did my first year of teaching!! And that's BEFORE taxes. It makes it really hard to hear friends and family talk about raises of $8,000 or $10,000 raises or bonuses that are even more than that.
I do get an income from Thirty-One, but it's not steady and I can't depend on it. With my current bills, the random car bills that I've had lately (Tires = $900 ugh!), and graduate school, I'm seriously struggling. Not to mention the wedding costs!
I feel like I have a personality disorder when it comes to my finances. Some days I think to myself, "Hey, it's cool. I'm not like the average American struggling with tens of thousands in debt, and I pay all of my bills on time. So it's ok." But then other days I feel like a total failure when I think of the fact that I literally don't have a savings and I have to keep using my credit card to pay for wedding stuff. I hate having a balance at all on my credit cards, and I know it's not the end of the world, and you only get married once, blah blah...BUT it still bothers me.
So I'm trying my hardest to get more Thirty-One parties, but I don't want to be too pushy about it or too sales-y by asking friends and family to host. I can't force people to have parties!
I still babysit once a week, but that's only $40 at a time. So it doesn't go very far at all. Lately, it hasn't been consistent either. I just broke down and applied for some tutoring jobs online. For the past three years my school system gave me a tutoring job twice a week that helped me, but the budget wasn't there for it this year. So I'm hoping I can find some other ones on my own. We shall see.
Not to get too religious here, but I know things happen for a reason and that I'm being looked after. I know that I have people around me who care and who are willing to help when needed (and who already have - I know I have the best friends and family!). I pray and thank God multiple times a day for the blessings I have.
But sometimes I just want to get paid more for what I already do and love, instead of trying to find other odd jobs to pick up the pieces!
Monday, October 7, 2013
More things off the ol' list
It's been a while - I have been so busy with grad. work and school! But somehow I have still managed to get some wedding stuff done!
Recently accomplished:
Recently accomplished:
- I ordered invitations, RSVP cards, envelopes, and matching address labels from Vistaprint - With the two groupons I had, I saved $112! Woohoo!
- I chose and ordered something for my hair (can't be specific - Dan doesn't want to know anything about what I'll look like)
- Chose bridal jewelry and got them! My sister, brother, and brother's girlfriend got my necklace and earrings for me as my birthday gift! YAY!
- Finished the website!
- Just about finished all of the separate contact lists - one for the wedding with separate lines for each person, one for households, and one for the shower. I still need to make a bachelorette one soon.
Need to do soon-ish:
- Figure out if/how we're doing a rehearsal dinner
- Go through ceremony options with Dan and our pastor
- Go shopping soon with my sister/mom to find what they're wearing for the wedding
- Book the honeymoon flight - I have it picked out! We just have to sit down and actually do it
- Order the rest of the bridal party gifts
Woo!
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