Before you all come for me. Although, I imagine my last post triggered some of you and you’ve already let me have it in the comments. My budget in the last post was an IDEAL WORLD, not my reality and certainly not currently. Right now, it’s basics and debt.
However, there are two things I haven’t shared with you about my current finances. And based on the subject line, you can probably guess what one of them is.
I am saving for Christmas.
Saving Plan for Christmas
You will all remember that this past Christmas was a real struggle for me. But I ended up being really proud of what I was able to do with my $2.
Right after Christmas, I knew that I did not want to be in that position ever again if I could possibly help it. And I started interviewing for this new role right after the new year so I was pretty full of hope for this year.
That is how I’m saving for Christmas this year – change and $5 bills. All go into a shoebox in my closet.
Again, I know this won’t sit well with the BAD Community. So I want to caveat this with two things:
I don’t have cash very often so this is not a mass amount.
Playing games like this helps keep me motivated.
We shall see how it turns out come the end of the year. But I wanted you to know that I am doing this. (This is one of those things that make personal finance, personal.)
I will share the other thing I haven’t shared yet in a week or two. I am hopeful it will make at least a few of you happy with me. But you never know.
As I mentioned a few posts ago, my partner had a reduction in bonus income, which I’ve been trying to make up for by finding new clients. The first prospect that I found ended up only needing me to complete a one-off project.
However, I’ve since landed a client who needs regular weekly newsletters. Plus, one of my existing clients increased my workload. Between these two projects, I’m earning enough to make up for the decrease in bonus income. With the seemingly tenuous state of the economy, I didn’t think I’d be able to drum up extra work this quickly, so I’m very grateful.
Back in Therapy
Another change I’ve made recently is starting back up with therapy. One of my family members is sick, which has been taking a toll on me. In years past, I would’ve tried to struggle through this difficult period on my own to the detriment of my mental state. But now I realize that kind of grin-and-bear-it attitude isn’t healthy.
I only think I’ll need therapy for a few months as I adjust to this ongoing stress. I was lucky that this new work came through at the right time, giving me the ability to return to therapy without worrying too much about the cost.
I’m also planning to look for a free online caregiver support group. If I find a good one, I’m hoping that it may be able to take the place of therapy. Besides my ADHD medication, I don’t want to continue to pay for mental healthcare for the rest of my life. I want to find some other supports and resources so I no longer need a therapist.
Professional Development
My partner has also made progress on professional development at work and has found a mentor. The mentor is in the department that my partner wants to switch to, so this is a positive step in the right direction. They’re going to meet a few times in the upcoming months for shadowing and training. Hopefully this will help my partner be more prepared to interview for the role that will be opening in that department in the summer.
With my workload increasing, I don’t think I’ll have time to complete the financial coaching certificate that I want to get. However, upskilling has been on my mind recently because of the changes that are being made to the classification rules for independent contractors.
My understanding is that it will be much harder to prove that you’re a freelancer, and not an employee. This could make it more difficult for freelancers to get work. Clients may be more wary of hiring us due to the risk of incurring misclassification fines. These changes are similar to the AB 5 law that was passed in California and caused a 10% reduction in self-employment.
Although this is a bit concerning, I just plan to monitor the situation and keep my professional development plans in my back pocket. If these rules make it harder to get work, I can always pivot by getting new certificates to improve my skills and grow my career in new directions.
Are any of you freelancers as well? Are you worried about these new rules? Let me know in the comments.
