Budget Crisis – Adverted!
In September, expenses piled up a lot. When we sat down to do the budget in August, we knew that some out of the ordinary expenses needed to be accounted for. In a nutshell, my kidney stone and Hope’s broken arm both had associated bills due. August is the hot month in Oklahoma so our electricity bill soared thanks to the air conditioning. Finally, some other needed but still price expenses reared their ugly head. Ultimately, our outgo exceeded our income by about $300. Now the great news about this is that thanks to the budget we knew all about this at the beginning of the month. Similarly, sticking to the budget meant that we saved money in previous months for just such an occasion. So we rode out September without much of an issue. Then we sat down and did October’s budget. It too was $300 over. How could this be? Read more »
Posted: October 6th, 2008 under Financial.
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My First (real) Job
I graduated college (the first time) in 1992, smack dab in the middle of a huge recession. I constantly interviewed for jobs but each time I was met with “we aren’t hiring now, but we’ll keep your resume on file.” Yeah, thanks for that. Although the life insurance sales companies were hiring, go figure. So I turned from my school’s placement office to the good old classified ads. I answered one to be a software instructor for a small company and on the week of finals, I got the job. I was sweating bullets on that one because I had no backup plan. My Mom had moved away and I wanted to stay in Oklahoma so if I could not find a job then I’d have to find something that paid enough to pay for my car and a place to stay. Luckily, I did get that job offer, for almost half what I was hoping to receive, and thus embarked on an incredibly bizarre learning curve for the next two years. Read more »
Posted: October 3rd, 2008 under Improvement.
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Routine can be Helpful
Every day I stare at the blank page of Microsoft Word. It is just daring me to write something brilliant on it, but it refuses to help me. So I stare out of my window for a little while and let my mind wander. What great truth will I tackle this time? Some days it comes easy, others it takes some work. On occasion I think, “forget it, I’ll just take today off” but then an odd thing happens. I feel pressure. I can’t move on to my next project because I feel like I need to write something. Until I actually put down a post in Word, I have a nagging in the back of my mind. Oddly enough, this is a good thing. Read more »
Posted: October 2nd, 2008 under Improvement.
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It’s my Anniversary Today
20 years ago, I was speeding down the street on the way to a friend’s house, literally speeding mind you. As I popped over the top of a hill a police car came the other way, saw me step on the brakes to slow down and did a 180. A few moments later the flashing lights came on and I got my first speeding ticket. A few weeks later I’m in a packed courtroom to deal with the ticket and across the way I see this beautiful girl I went to school with, but who never gave me the time of day. The judge sentenced all minors who sped to Defensive Driving in lieu of paying the fine and I hoped that the beautiful girl would be in the same class as me so I could ask her out. She was and I did and we went. Six years to the day of our Defensive Driving class, we got married. Read more »
Posted: October 1st, 2008 under Family.
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It’s a New Television Season
So here we are in September, which means that the major TV channels are inundating us with their latest “Must See TV” shows. I used to be pretty pumped when a new season came around, but over the past few years, I’ve become much more jaded. In fact, I actually look at it as kind of a disappointment. During the summer I had very few things that tied me down at a certain time, but now certain nights of the week I have obligations. It is too bad that there are a few shows that I really like. Read more »
Posted: September 30th, 2008 under Time Management.
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