Challenges
As you may or may not know, I'm currently unemployed. This has done a number on a few things, including my mental well-being, and my finances.
Today, two things happened that will hopefully lead to good things, or at least things that will get me through unemployment.
The first is what I'm calling Slacker Bootcamp. It started today. Me and a couple others are focusing more on getting up at a reasonable time, getting exercise, and being productive. Why am I calling it Slacker Bootcamp? Because we're all slackers and we're trying to turn it around by adding some consistency. You might not think that the above is all that big an accomplishment, but if we can pull it off for the next week and a half, it'll be a big step (at least for me).
As for what I accomplished today, I got in about a half an hour of bike, then did some weight lifts for my arms. I didn't do so much that they actually seem to hurt, though, which makes me wonder if I should try to do more. I also drank lots of water and have kept to eating alright for all day. I had oatmeal and two slices of bacon for breakfast, and a shell-less burrito for lunch and dinner. Since Wednesdays are knitting night, I also had a mocha, but asked that they used less chocolate and flavoring, which made it far more tolerable compared to last week, where I felt like I was drinking a sugar bomb. I'm feeling a bit peckish, so I might have some yogurt and/or Cheez-Its for a snack before bed.
The second is that I got my initial COBRA payment request. It's for 6/14 through 8/31 to the tune of $971.23. I started to panic. I got rear-ended recently by a lady with no insurance. My car is under loan, so I have full insurance, and it paid for it, and I have a small deductible, but that was still $250 I couldn't afford. As it is, I was pretty sure that I was already living beyond the means that unemployment affords me.
So, I decided to sit down with my bills and figure out my bare essentials and make a real budget. Come to find out, with figuring in a tank of gas every month and $200 in food (and any other costs that come up), I'm living just over $20 a month over my projected income, considering a 4 week month. Also, I will drop to nearly no money around the 8th of next month. As they say, knowing is half the battle, and now I have to decide if I need to ask my parents for a buffer. I'm leaning very hard to yes. I'll be able to pay them back if my insurance company comes through for me and gets the lady that hit me to pay the $250, or soon after I get a job.
I am kinda worried about the tightness of my budget. There is no wiggle room, except that there tend to be 4.2 weeks in a month. Even at that, $200 for food and whatever else seems really small to me. If I need more than a tank of gas a month, it will come out of that, if I need a haircut, or an office visit, or my pills, it will all come out of that.
At least I'm forewarned.
Today, two things happened that will hopefully lead to good things, or at least things that will get me through unemployment.
The first is what I'm calling Slacker Bootcamp. It started today. Me and a couple others are focusing more on getting up at a reasonable time, getting exercise, and being productive. Why am I calling it Slacker Bootcamp? Because we're all slackers and we're trying to turn it around by adding some consistency. You might not think that the above is all that big an accomplishment, but if we can pull it off for the next week and a half, it'll be a big step (at least for me).
As for what I accomplished today, I got in about a half an hour of bike, then did some weight lifts for my arms. I didn't do so much that they actually seem to hurt, though, which makes me wonder if I should try to do more. I also drank lots of water and have kept to eating alright for all day. I had oatmeal and two slices of bacon for breakfast, and a shell-less burrito for lunch and dinner. Since Wednesdays are knitting night, I also had a mocha, but asked that they used less chocolate and flavoring, which made it far more tolerable compared to last week, where I felt like I was drinking a sugar bomb. I'm feeling a bit peckish, so I might have some yogurt and/or Cheez-Its for a snack before bed.
The second is that I got my initial COBRA payment request. It's for 6/14 through 8/31 to the tune of $971.23. I started to panic. I got rear-ended recently by a lady with no insurance. My car is under loan, so I have full insurance, and it paid for it, and I have a small deductible, but that was still $250 I couldn't afford. As it is, I was pretty sure that I was already living beyond the means that unemployment affords me.
So, I decided to sit down with my bills and figure out my bare essentials and make a real budget. Come to find out, with figuring in a tank of gas every month and $200 in food (and any other costs that come up), I'm living just over $20 a month over my projected income, considering a 4 week month. Also, I will drop to nearly no money around the 8th of next month. As they say, knowing is half the battle, and now I have to decide if I need to ask my parents for a buffer. I'm leaning very hard to yes. I'll be able to pay them back if my insurance company comes through for me and gets the lady that hit me to pay the $250, or soon after I get a job.
I am kinda worried about the tightness of my budget. There is no wiggle room, except that there tend to be 4.2 weeks in a month. Even at that, $200 for food and whatever else seems really small to me. If I need more than a tank of gas a month, it will come out of that, if I need a haircut, or an office visit, or my pills, it will all come out of that.
At least I'm forewarned.