Just got a half.com direct deposit into my account this afternoon. What a nice surprise! I didn't think I'd get it for another week or so. More to the Challenge.

Old Couch Fund Balance: $69.53
Half.com DD: $22.71
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New Couch Fund Balance: $92.24

What a great money day!

Made a sale on Ebay this week. Yay! It was enough to cover a want I bought, and to still put a chunk into savings.

Old Couch Fund Balance: $24.53
Ebay Sale: $45.00
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New Couch Fund Balance: $69.63

I finally got a temp job! Yay!

Right now I am on an assignment where I am just doing data entry. It's not bad, I get to wear jeans (yay!), listen to my IPOD (wa-hoo!) and after taxes I bring home about $10 an hour. It looks like this assignment will be about 2 weeks, but it could go as long as 6.

Not bad at all!

I am still working on that couch fund, and am still adding 10% of my income to the Challenge. I had to take $300 from the House Fund for bills but I can build it back up again later. No rush while I am unemployed to buy a house anyways. LOL

Old Couch Fund Balance: $7.53
Temp Job 10%: $17.00
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New Couch Fund Balance: $24.63

When I finished college, I thought I would never get a job in the field I wanted - publishing or editing. It seemed that without experience I couldn't get a job, and I couldn't get experience without a job. You all know the vishous cycle I am talking about.

So, I went back to school to get my Masters. Then I ended up landing a job in publishing. And from there, you all know my work issues.

I always figured I'd have a career; since I went to college, I'd get one in the field my degree is in. And I've been struggling and pushing for that for the last several years.

Recently, I have realized that with having MS and dealing with everything that comes with that, I just want a job where I have little responsibility, and I can forget about when I am not working. I don't want a career; I just want a job.

I talked this over with some people (Mums, boyfriend, therapist) and I realized that I don't like the corporate world, it is too stressful, and I don't want to be a part of it.

Stress makes MS symptoms worse and can lead to a full-blown attack; I need as little stress in my life as possible.

And so, I decided yesterday that I am giving up on the career quest and instead will find a job with good pay and benefits, but that doesn't haunt me at night and on weekends.

The weight lifted off me was tremendous and I feel AMAZINGLY good!! This is by far the best decision for me right now. Maybe one day I will want the career again, but it isn't right for me at this time in my life.

Look at me being all grown-up and responsible!!!

Worked at the tarot store last night. 4 hours and I brought home $51. $40 will be for groceries today and the farmers market tomorrow, the 6 $1 bills I had went into my change jar (that eventually goes to the bank) and $5.00 into my challenge for my 10%.


Old Couch Fund Balance: $2.53
Tarot 10%: $5
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New Couch Fund Balance: $7.63

I sold 3 books on half.com this week. I made $11.44. I am adding $9.32 to my House Fund to total that at $500. The remaining $2.12 is going into a new savings fund.

We desperately need a new couch, so I am starting a savings for that. $2.12 plus the $.51 already in that account.

Old House Fund Balance: $490.68
Half.com: $9.32
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New House Fund Balance: $490.68


Old Couch Fund Balance: $.51
Half.com: $2.12
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New Couch Fund Balance: $2.63

Yay! Had my 2nd No Spender for this week, and this month. Whoo-hoo! Here I go!

Had my first No Spender of September! (HA! that rhymed!) Hope to have a lot more.

Looks like tomorrow at 10am I have an appointment with the temp company to get started on assignments again. Yay! And then at 3pm, I have a real job interview. Wish me luck!

Yesterday we finally got to the Aquarium!! I've been wanting to get there for almost 2 years now. It was pricey, though.

It's $19.95 per person to get in, but we had a pass from our local library so it only cost us $8 each to get in.

It was smaller than I thought it would be, but they had some FAB exhibits. I got to hold some starfish, and we saw a 250 lb turtle (75 years old!) some sharks, and a stingray that was almost 4 feet across!

We did good and avoided the cafe and only browsed the gift shop without spending anything.

We ended up going for an expensive dinner, but we hadn't done anything like that in ages and it was a nice treat. ($45 dinner, including tip). Then home, where we both collapsed from exhaustion, and a little playtime.

I'm not upset at how much we spent. We knew it would be expensive, and had planned for it. It was a FAB time, and something special.

But that means this weekend is VERY low-key!

Yup, it's time for a rant.

Last week I send in my resume for an editor job. It was a freelance contract (which is how I've been employed for the last year oor so) that would last through the end of January.

I got an email from the company telling me they wanted to meet with me and asking if I could come in on either Wed or Thurs of this week. So, I emailed back and said Wed would work best for me (we are going to the aquarium tomorrow!!) and told them that any time in the day would be fine, and I could work around their schedule.

I never heard back from them. I emailed them again yesterday, and nothing.

How the hell am I supposed to come in for an interview when I don't know when???

ARGH!!

I'll call them today, but makes me wonder what the hell kind of company this is!?

We have 2 cats - Solstice, who is a 9 year old black and white part Coon cat, and Wolfie who is a 1 and a half year old gray and white kitty - and they both needed their yearly checkup.

We actually live right across the street from the vet and we got a coupon in the mail from them. It was for a FREE visit for a checkup on any cat or dog. And, it covered up to 2 pets. Yay!

Of course, I called right away, and took the babies in. Happy to report that Solstice is down to 13 lbs from 14. And Wolf (who you may remember weighed barely 3 pounds at 4 months old) is now up to 10 and a half pounds! LOL I think they need diet cat food.

But anyways, Wolf had some crusty stuff in her ears, so they checked it out in the lab and turned out to be just ear wax.

So, for the checkup on 2 cats, and the lab work for Wolf's ears, the total was $45. Yay!

I have been working on cleaning out a bunch of things and selling them online for some extra cash. I have a few things up on ebay (one is at $39 so far, with 7 more days to go!!!) and I listed a ton of books on half.com. Since last night, I have sold 3 books online! Yay for online selling!

I got a $3 deposit in my paypal account today for doing a Pinecone survey. I'll add that to the Challenge.

Also, I am adding $38.80 to the Challenge. I finally got my refund for some medical expenses from a couple of months ago. So, 10% went to the Challenge.

Oh yeah, and my whopping $.94 interest from August.



Old House Fund Balance: $447.94
Interest, pinecone, and med reimbursement: $42.74
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New House Fund Balance: $490.68