Time to face the music, sadly.
So, I had been planning to go to Japan next summer, be able to see KAT-TUN in concert, and basically be in the country of my dreams for a few days. I got totally into it, even made a new OneNote notebook for planning purposes. I had everything, from prospective sight-seeing destinations to my budget...and that's where the shit hit the fan. I have very little money and no job whatsoever.
So, originally I had thought maybe I could wing it on $1,500-$2,000. But then I found out that was just a dream...airfare was like, what the hell? high for the dates I was checking {due to my arrival date not being within 330 days}. I recently found out it's cheaper by a few hundred, like even below $1,000 excluding taxes and fees. And I also found out I had about $650 in savings, and I put more in, so now I have more like $700. But even that is still not enough.
And even if I COULD book airfare right now, I'd still need a job. Hotel {ryokan, less expensive and more ethnic feel}, food {avoid big restaurants, go more for standing soba shops and combini fare}, transportation {avoid the JR Pass, get less expensive options {which are available!}}, concert tickets {AT LEAST $60-$70}, shopping {which, yes, is a must; especially con goods, which I could easily drop $200 on}, and money for unplanned expenses {stuff like baggage fees, etc., because you never know}. And even going with shoestring options {such as a youth hostel as opposed to even a ryokan, or even sleeping in an internet cafe if I had to}, I still wouldn't be able to scrape up enough.
So, as with literally anything I have ever really, really wanted in my life, I have to face the music and realize that the Japan trip I nurtured like a good mother will not be able to happen, due to lack of sufficient funds. And it's not like I haven't been trying to find a job; I applied for one at Food Lion, but I haven't heard back from them and it's been weeks so I'm assuming I didn't get that one. There's always Zaxby's, which at last check was hiring, and now that I know my school shcedule I can better provide working hours. {And I actually have more hours to work - I get out at 11:45 on A days!} I suppose I need to start somewhere, to have something besides my HS courses to put on a resume'. I just don't know what position they're hiring for, and I'm not willing to go through another shoe-store experience.
And in other news, I almost had unlimited texting on my phone. My dad told me they'd been paying for Brit's {and she's now happily married and off in Hawaii and on Verizon}, and he'd happily let me transfer that $20 charge to my phone. I was going to do it this weekend, but idiot me had to make sure everyone in my family was communicating and tell my mom. She got all crazy and ranted and raved that she wanted to save that money, which I can understand. We still have to cancel Brit's line, but I took the texting charge off, so the next time they have to pay a bill they'll have an extra $20. We'll have to go into the store to cancel her line, and that will only be saving them about $9 a month. Brit was really the big minutes-user, so it may seem like a lot to my mom, but that's really how much the actual line cost. It didn't cost $25 like she thought it did; the extra $16 was from overages.
And before anyone goes calling me shallow, I don't want texting sheerly because all of my friends do it. I understand why it's so popular. It's convenient; what if I don't have time to call somebody, but I need to tell them something right then? Pop 'em a text. What if THEY can't talk right then? It's more convenient than a sticky note, and more environmentally friendly too. Of course, if I try to explain this to my mom, she'll either not care, tell me to shut up, or tell me it's all bullshit because SHE doesn't see the benefit in it. Well of course you wouldn't! You haven't upgraded your phone in like, 3 years, and you admit you're technologically dumb!
I'm due for an upgrade on my phone starting September 15th, and I really want the Motorola Hint. But I already know it isn't happening, because my mom keeps telling me I'm stuck with this damn Razr until it either doesn't work or Alltel is forcing me to get an upgrade. Don't get me wrong, I love my Razr dearly. It functions perfectly for me, since I'm not allowed to text and really the only things I use it for are pics and phone calls. But the pics do me no good because they're stuck on my phone, so I can't upload them to fb or pb or even put them on my computer, because Moto had a retard-day when they decided you can't just plug any old USB port {with proper port} into the phone and a computer and use it. And I can't get my own customized ringtones because of the same thing. The Hint has an SD card {thus I can put pics on my comp and put music on my phone}, and it lets you use your own real-music ringtones {as long as filetypes are compatible}. I could make my own with frikking Audacity and be happy. Shove them on the SD card and voila~.
And now I go back to my miserable, ruled-by-money life.
So, originally I had thought maybe I could wing it on $1,500-$2,000. But then I found out that was just a dream...airfare was like, what the hell? high for the dates I was checking {due to my arrival date not being within 330 days}. I recently found out it's cheaper by a few hundred, like even below $1,000 excluding taxes and fees. And I also found out I had about $650 in savings, and I put more in, so now I have more like $700. But even that is still not enough.
And even if I COULD book airfare right now, I'd still need a job. Hotel {ryokan, less expensive and more ethnic feel}, food {avoid big restaurants, go more for standing soba shops and combini fare}, transportation {avoid the JR Pass, get less expensive options {which are available!}}, concert tickets {AT LEAST $60-$70}, shopping {which, yes, is a must; especially con goods, which I could easily drop $200 on}, and money for unplanned expenses {stuff like baggage fees, etc., because you never know}. And even going with shoestring options {such as a youth hostel as opposed to even a ryokan, or even sleeping in an internet cafe if I had to}, I still wouldn't be able to scrape up enough.
So, as with literally anything I have ever really, really wanted in my life, I have to face the music and realize that the Japan trip I nurtured like a good mother will not be able to happen, due to lack of sufficient funds. And it's not like I haven't been trying to find a job; I applied for one at Food Lion, but I haven't heard back from them and it's been weeks so I'm assuming I didn't get that one. There's always Zaxby's, which at last check was hiring, and now that I know my school shcedule I can better provide working hours. {And I actually have more hours to work - I get out at 11:45 on A days!} I suppose I need to start somewhere, to have something besides my HS courses to put on a resume'. I just don't know what position they're hiring for, and I'm not willing to go through another shoe-store experience.
And in other news, I almost had unlimited texting on my phone. My dad told me they'd been paying for Brit's {and she's now happily married and off in Hawaii and on Verizon}, and he'd happily let me transfer that $20 charge to my phone. I was going to do it this weekend, but idiot me had to make sure everyone in my family was communicating and tell my mom. She got all crazy and ranted and raved that she wanted to save that money, which I can understand. We still have to cancel Brit's line, but I took the texting charge off, so the next time they have to pay a bill they'll have an extra $20. We'll have to go into the store to cancel her line, and that will only be saving them about $9 a month. Brit was really the big minutes-user, so it may seem like a lot to my mom, but that's really how much the actual line cost. It didn't cost $25 like she thought it did; the extra $16 was from overages.
And before anyone goes calling me shallow, I don't want texting sheerly because all of my friends do it. I understand why it's so popular. It's convenient; what if I don't have time to call somebody, but I need to tell them something right then? Pop 'em a text. What if THEY can't talk right then? It's more convenient than a sticky note, and more environmentally friendly too. Of course, if I try to explain this to my mom, she'll either not care, tell me to shut up, or tell me it's all bullshit because SHE doesn't see the benefit in it. Well of course you wouldn't! You haven't upgraded your phone in like, 3 years, and you admit you're technologically dumb!
I'm due for an upgrade on my phone starting September 15th, and I really want the Motorola Hint. But I already know it isn't happening, because my mom keeps telling me I'm stuck with this damn Razr until it either doesn't work or Alltel is forcing me to get an upgrade. Don't get me wrong, I love my Razr dearly. It functions perfectly for me, since I'm not allowed to text and really the only things I use it for are pics and phone calls. But the pics do me no good because they're stuck on my phone, so I can't upload them to fb or pb or even put them on my computer, because Moto had a retard-day when they decided you can't just plug any old USB port {with proper port} into the phone and a computer and use it. And I can't get my own customized ringtones because of the same thing. The Hint has an SD card {thus I can put pics on my comp and put music on my phone}, and it lets you use your own real-music ringtones {as long as filetypes are compatible}. I could make my own with frikking Audacity and be happy. Shove them on the SD card and voila~.
And now I go back to my miserable, ruled-by-money life.