Blogging Away Debt

I love my job! Working from home is AWESOME! Maybe I’m still in the honeymoon phase, but I feel like I’m saving money on gas and eating lunches out, getting more household chores and cooking done (which saves us money on eating dinners out) saving commute time, and even getting more actual work done!

I was a hesitant to start working and taking sales appointments at the house, but its been great so far. The work area I have is shaded but outdoors, and even though Its been over 100 degrees pretty much all week, the slight breeze and the shade is DELIGHTFUL. I love working outside! I love the physical challenge of the work. I crawl into bed exhausted, sore, and satisfied pretty much every night, and I can see what I’ve accomplished for the day.

I know I would make more money working in sales (or just about any job) and sometimes when I have rude clients I fantasize about having a corporate career, wearing suits and dresses and heels everyday. I think I could do it, and I think I could be happy, and I think it would help us pay off our debt. Here’s the rub- and this is probably the worst audience to say this to- but I don’t think work has to be about making the maximum amount of money. I don’t really know, because I haven’t ever been in a very high paying job, but I have been influenced by so many people in my life that LOVE their jobs, regardless of how much income they make.

I know I’ve mentioned that my parents are teachers before, this is a prime example. They both are called to be teachers. Both of them could have made exponentially more money in other occupations, but they chose teaching because they were meant to teach. I’m so lucky to have been raised by these folks that are doing meaningful work that they love.

In the same way that they were both born to teach, I think I’m compelled to craft and paint and construct. Painting furniture quenches my desire to make things and it increases my self esteem.

When I see that I can make something beautiful, all the ugly things in the world float away. I don’t feel like I have to live up to someone else’s impossible standard. I feel GREAT. I can move furniture on my own, I can lift heavy things, I can be a competitive buyer and still be a nice person, and I can make pretty things people want to buy. When the voices in my head are telling me I’m not pretty, I haven’t accomplished anything, I’m not smart, I’m not skinny or ambitious or fun- that’s when I make something. It really helps.

So those are my entirely selfish reasons to paint. 🙂 On the other end of the spectrum, in a very small way, I feel like the things I create offer a unique option for people who want to support local artists and have handmade things in their homes.

Wanna see what I’ve been working on this week? Here they are!

Also, check out this Ted talk on how to find and do work you love: http://m.wimp.com/findwork/

New Budget – First Week Results

by Adam Dawson

Well, we tried the new budgeting method for the first week of August. I would say the results are mixed but looking up.

To recap, we budgeted for all of our bills to be paid directly from our account. For day-to-day spending, we set aside a grocery budget, and everything else – entertainment, clothes, cosmetics, and home supplies, comes from our weekly spending allowance, that we withdraw in cash and split evenly between us.

Using cash has been great for me – I actually feel the pain of spending money. I was glad to have the flexibility to get lunches out a couple times at work when my schedule was tight. But I definitely noticed myself looking for cheaper options and seeking out the free oranges and bananas my employer sets out sometimes. Toward the end of the week, one of us (name withheld to protect the guilty) pulled out the debit card a few times. The result is that our spending money will be adjusted for the next few weeks to cover the extra card spending.

The grocery budget for the week got really blown, but I think we ended up buying some staples that we will need to cook more and eat at home more. So I expect the grocery budget to moderate in coming weeks since we don’t have to buy those things again.

Some of you commented previously that paying for household goods like toilet paper etc. out of someone’s spending money may not work that well. This may end up being true but so far it’s been ok. I think we will end up covering some of this from the grocery budget, and if we do a Walmart or Target run at the beginning of the week, we can use the card or cash from a shared pool before splitting up our “allowances.” So far, so good, but we had most of our household needs stocked up before the month started, so no real fireworks yet. 🙂

So that’s how it went. I don’t think either of us are thrilled with having to be more disciplined and picky about what we spend on, but I think we’ve seen that it is do-able. We don’t really have to sacrifice much that’s important to us if we are conscientious about our budget and avoid wasteful spending on unimportant things.

On an unrelated topic: I had hoped to have a numbers update next week, but all of my Direct Loans got transferred yesterday to a new servicer, so I’m not sure when I’ll have my new account available online to pull down balances. So we’ll get a numbers update going when the transition shakes out. Drat! I was just getting used to the Direct Loans interface too.

Happy Friday! Wish us luck for next week!

Blogging Away Debt Blogging Away Debt follows real people on their journey to debt freedom — with tips on the debt snowball, budgeting, cutting expenses, and staying motivated.

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New Budget – First Week Results