Monthly Mondey Check In: November 2015

I don't have a lot of energy to write. Yes, I'm not making any money, though I did just get a paycheck. My graphs are a little scary.

But here it is:

Ok, for next semester, my goal is to save up what I need for grad school, plus my emergency fund.

Monthly Money Check In: October 2015

I have no money! Haha. Just kidding. Ok, kind of serious. However, I started a job today. It's 20 hours a week, and they're super flexible. So I kind of half quit my day job. Also, the project I've been working on all year is going to be picked up by a local writing center to sell. So I'm hoping that starts to make money. I need to rebuild my emergency fund.

I've been doing this for 48 months. I started 4 years ago exactly. Crazy.

Monthly Money Check In: September 2015

Yes, I skipped a few months. Feeling lazy? It was summer. I suck. I wanted to spend money with abandon and it seems I did. But I'm starting a business and I had a promising job interview. I think my tactic is going to be working 20 hours a week for pay that I can just live on, but nothing fancy.

It's hard because Zane and I have this shared credit card, and we just use it without really tracking how much it's up to. It got up to $3,700 last month! Insane. It's hard to be good when I like being bad so much. I think, maybe, I just want to be a person who makes a nice living so I can go out to dinner and travel. Is it bad to say I like that stuff? I think writers think they have to be poor, but let's say you have to work 20 hours a week. You could be a waitress or you could learn to code and make $75 an hour for those 20 hours.

I'm trying to get a job as an ad copywriter. It seems like an awesome place and I hope I get it. I told them $40-$50 an hour, which would be awesome.

 I'm still doing much better than when I started!

Monthly Money Check In: June 2015

Summer! We've been having fun. On family vacation we cooked almost every night, which was great. We bought quality ingredients from the co-op and made our own meals ($13 for a steak versus $27, and still amazing quality.

These are probably my last weeks of not having a job or not having my business open yet. I'm still deciding on going back to work versus going gang-busters with my business. My e-course is $100. If I can sell one a day I can make a living, 2 a day I'll make a good living, and 3 a day I'll have a $100,000 business. So we'll see.

Here are the numbers:

Monthly Money Check-In: April 2015

How in the hell did it happen? How in the hell do I have more than $1,000 less this month than last. Grrrrr! Especially when I'm on unemployment. I get $573 a week, and that should be enough.

I did go to the mountains for a weekend, and my family is planning a vacation that cost me $400. Plus, I know I'm getting sloppy. What I need to do is set a budget. But I find it so hard. How do I know how much I can spend on drinks, restaurants? It just never seems to work for me. Life is just too sloppy.

But this isn't working either. I need to live within my means. Which means spending no more than $2,292 a month.

I have been getting some job interviews, so we'll see if I'm employed again next month!

BIG THINGS HAVE HAPPENED! Monthly Money Check-in: March 2015

I got "laid off." The quotes indicate a long story. The fact that my employer gave me a pay-out shows whose fault it really was. It's given me a bump. I'm applying for dream jobs only, being a writer, going to grad school, also trying to start a side business. I know, scary.

In the chart below, I have taken out the money that is already set aside for grad school. Enough. Paid for. Pretty amazing.

I really don't want to fuck this up.

What we see here is that I pretty much have about 6 grand in the bank. I'm getting unemployment, which I think I can make last while I'm getting it. The goal is to live on only that, to keep the Chase Checking steady. After unemployment dries up, I can make that last about three more months.

I'm feeling a lot of existential crisis right now. I've always wanted to travel the world, and now I have the time, but not the money. I'm spending a shit ton on a creative graduate degree, which many people see as stupid. I don't know if it is or not. I mean, on an Excel spreadsheet, it makes no sense. But, in the artistic world, will it help me get to where I want to go? There's no way to know but to just do it.

I alternate between the belief that I am some magical protagonist, and the universe will take care of me, and the fear that I'm making mistakes now that will land me in a low-grade mental facility with bad food once my dementia sets in.

The good news is that I have almost $40,000 in my retirement fund! Yes, take a moment to feel awesome about that. *Hold please* Ok, yay. I only had $7,000 when I started 3 years ago.

My total net worth has gone up more than $100,000 after dropping that stupid house, and it looks like I won't have to pay taxes on the sale! THANK GOD. I'm scared to not be making money, to have these numbers go down every month. But I have to take some time to pursue what I love, and just go for it. 

Monthly Money Check-in: February 2015

Hello, Jeri. I suck. I know. I've been at this 40 months, can you believe it? Things just changed dramatically.

I technically got laid off, kind of quit. Long story short, I'm getting some money. The game has changed from making money to not spending any of the money. Money is time. I got some time.

Time to be a writer, time to start the small business I want to start.

Here's where I'm at this month. It should look more interesting next month.