What to do with the extra money
Thanks to the extra assignments I've been doing for Pioneer Press this month, I got extra money. Like, about the equivalent of an extra third of what I usually get.
For much of the past two years, I've been operating on the tight budget. Once you pay for food, rent, Internet and transit, there wasn't much left over. There have been periods when I had some extra money to set aside, but in June, I had to pretty much empty all of my reserves thanks to a student loan related issue (long story) and I haven't had much extra money I could set aside since.
So what would I do with the unexpected windfall? Upon thinking it over, I decided that the best answer was "nothing." At least for now. I mean, I would spend something on a movie, set some of it aside for Christmas presents, but otherwise... Sun-Times Media is facing layoffs, and while I'm not sure if this would affect me, I figure it's better to be safe than sorry. And even if nothing happens, I will still need to pay my taxes. Last year, I was able to set the money aside for that ahead of time. With my reserves depleted, I was seriously starting to worry about how I was going to cover it in 2014.
But if I have another month like this. Or, better yet, two... Ever since phoenix_anew invited me to visit New Orleans, I've been trying to figure out how to make it happen. I am curious to see the city she and randirogue have talked up so much. It helps that an Amtrak train that goes there is pretty convenient. The City of New Orleans leaves Chicago in the evening and arrives the next afternoon. The trip back leaves in the afternoon it arrives early in the morning. If I leave on Thursday and head back to Chicago on Sunday, I would be able to make the trip and get work done.
And, of course, so long as I am talking about Amtrak trips, it would be nice to visit randirogue and dryoki in New York. With their daughter as young as she is, it would be much easier for me to visit them then for them to visit me. And besides - I know that they could use an extra pair of hands.
It's probably going to be a while before I'll be able to do either of those things. For now, it's just nice to have a little bundle of money I could fall back on. I've missed that feeling. And even if it doesn't last, I'm going to enjoy it while I can.
For much of the past two years, I've been operating on the tight budget. Once you pay for food, rent, Internet and transit, there wasn't much left over. There have been periods when I had some extra money to set aside, but in June, I had to pretty much empty all of my reserves thanks to a student loan related issue (long story) and I haven't had much extra money I could set aside since.
So what would I do with the unexpected windfall? Upon thinking it over, I decided that the best answer was "nothing." At least for now. I mean, I would spend something on a movie, set some of it aside for Christmas presents, but otherwise... Sun-Times Media is facing layoffs, and while I'm not sure if this would affect me, I figure it's better to be safe than sorry. And even if nothing happens, I will still need to pay my taxes. Last year, I was able to set the money aside for that ahead of time. With my reserves depleted, I was seriously starting to worry about how I was going to cover it in 2014.
But if I have another month like this. Or, better yet, two... Ever since phoenix_anew invited me to visit New Orleans, I've been trying to figure out how to make it happen. I am curious to see the city she and randirogue have talked up so much. It helps that an Amtrak train that goes there is pretty convenient. The City of New Orleans leaves Chicago in the evening and arrives the next afternoon. The trip back leaves in the afternoon it arrives early in the morning. If I leave on Thursday and head back to Chicago on Sunday, I would be able to make the trip and get work done.
And, of course, so long as I am talking about Amtrak trips, it would be nice to visit randirogue and dryoki in New York. With their daughter as young as she is, it would be much easier for me to visit them then for them to visit me. And besides - I know that they could use an extra pair of hands.
It's probably going to be a while before I'll be able to do either of those things. For now, it's just nice to have a little bundle of money I could fall back on. I've missed that feeling. And even if it doesn't last, I'm going to enjoy it while I can.