About sixteen years ago, I met him for the first time. My trainwreck sibling brought home this adorable puppy he had no business adopting because he had not one thing in his life that wasn’t a mess. I was furious at my sibling – he didn’t even take care of himself, how could he drag
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March 27, 2009
My dad sure has good timing. Whatever he’s feeling guilty about, yesterday was definitely the best day to eat my cooking in an attempt to soothe my supposedly troubled soul. In my life, he’s never offered to eat anything I’ve made from scratch. It’s usually a good instinct, even though he claims it’s only because he prefers Asian foods, since my stovetop experimentation rarely produces a home run. But, last night’s? Was magic.
Presenting: the green bean, asparagus macaroni and cheese casserole!
In true old-Asian-woman style, I didn’t measure but by hand and feel. I will guarantee that’s at least a pound of shredded cheddar, one whole egg, and a can of green beans (found one, score!), but cannot attest to the quantities of any other ingredients. Handfuls, what looked about right, more handfuls, and so it went.
It may not look like much, but I assure you: delicious! It’s got a perfectly crunchy cheese and cracker crust, with gooey cheddar underneath holding the penne pasta, asparagus and green beans together. The best part is that the cheese forms a distinct layer on top, and is lightly distributed through the rest of the strata so it’s not overwhelmingly cheesy. One pound of cheddar notwithstanding.
Or wait, is the best part that it cost me less than $5 to make an entire pan of it?
No, no, no, don’t be silly. Cheese is the best part. Cheese is like unto manna for my taste buds. š
March 26, 2009
Every single time canned vegetables are on sale for less than fifty cents a can, I buy sweet corn and green beans. Usually French cut style, but sometimes regular cut when the French is out of stock. This is a compulsion of unknown origin and rationale: I never actually open those cans and do anything with them.
For the first time in years, I decided to make something with green beans. Mac and cheese, specifically. I was contemplating a casserole, or just green beans on the side. There’s nary a can to be found, though. None! My family doesn’t eat the canned green beans, they’re never on the dinner table, and I just keep buying them. So …. what happened to all those cans??
And then there’s that little white dog running around our front yard. A cute little brown-tip eared white Chihuahua that looks just like my dearly departed Chihuahua with reversed colors who ran right up to me and stood up on my knee, wagging his tail for all it’s worth. Strange day.
I’m steaming over the loss of the entire post that should have gone up yesterday, but didn’t. Instead, I tried to post it from my phone’s web browser, had to edit the title, and somehow lost the entire post!
Oh well. Y’all probably didn’t need the long version anyway. Here’s the summary:
Professional
1. Attended another (wait listed) class for my Certificate program this week. Would have missed this opportunity if I hadn’t called and asked for it; you’re supposed to sit and wait for them to contact you when there are openings but I couldn’t afford to be passive. (Never mind I was late thanks to the take-many-detours shuttle driver. Have I ever mentioned how much I HATE being late?)
2. Requested permission to “crash” another course two weeks ago. We’re down to the wire here, so I absolutely have to hit every class if I want to take my Certificates of Supervision and Management before the layoff. This means my assertiveness is getting a major workout.
Financial
1. +40: check received from the Airborne class action settlement.
2. +10: my first payout from MySurvey.com
3. +226: this is really a refund, not a plus sign. My dad peeved me because he had over 30 days to return the Dish Network equipment but didn’t so they charged my card. Now I have to wait for them to acknowledge and process receipt of the equipment, process a manual return, and then request a manual refund from the credit card. Bleh.
4. +153: Still waiting for the credit card to send a check from the second insurance refund. Meh.
Fun/Consumerism
1. LOVED MoneyFunk’s latest project: a turtle Amigurumi! I’m a total sucker for cute turtles.
2. Have plans for a $22 prix fixe dinner with a friend next week; a treat is usually a $4 cheeseburger or a couple of chicken soft tacos, but occasionally I have a hankerin’. And it’s at a restaurant I can’t ever afford, normally.
March 24, 2009
I loved MoneyDummy‘s crochet project where she magicked old sheets into bathroom rugs. Make that projects, plural. It’s not just because it’s so creative, but also because it transforms something formerly grubby or less than desirable in its original form and gives it new life.
I was about to try to be that ambitious, but realized I probably should wait until I have new sheets to replace the old ones before I had three new bathrugs and zero sheets. Pff, practicality!
Instead, as part of the great closet clean-out that’s dragged on for weeks, months (!) I was giving up old tops that just had a bit of sentimental value or I just couldn’t Goodwill or discard entirely. And the great thing about fussing and cleaning on the telephone with your BFF, other than the moral support and feeling like it was good ole high school days again, is that she often comes up with great ideas. Can’t toss old shirts? Take ’em to her ma!
Why?
Because her ma is a flippin’ crafty genius, and turned it into this handsome devil of a quilt:
That corner’s folded down to show you the lovely no-pill fleece backing. The blue-purple squares that are kind of shiny is a suede (washable!) sort of material, and that almost Hawaiian purple print used to be my scrubs from my animal hospital days. Unfortunately, the flash doesn’t do justice to the redder floral bits.
Isn’t that cool? Someday, I will learn to do this for myself. Someday!
March 23, 2009
Can it make Mondays better? Here are a few fondly remembered meals of my once-extravagant business-dinner past:
Oh, formal business dinners, how I miss thee ….
Apologies but I can’t identify all the meals by name/restaurant, it feels like that would be revealing too much. (For example, how poor my memory is, for one thing!)
And I know we had some spectacular salads, too, but I can’t find those pictures, so wee cute little dessert will have to suffice.
And I can assure you, all those fancy dinners did not make me a food snob. While they were delightfully, sinfully delicious, I truly appreciate my plain food routine after all the rich foods and eating out.
March 20, 2009
It’s funny how an increment of $10k can evolve a game plan. Now that we’re past anticipation of and well into preparation for the layoff, I’ve been dabbling with numbers and colors on Google Docs spreadsheets. I need to know we’ll be “ok” if this trend of employers passively rejecting me, ie: not calling me back, continues.
Multiple scenario budgets have been projected based on remaining unemployed through December 2009. Barring emergencies, they reveal that:
A) We will be ok until the end of this year.
B) Assuming unemployment will supplement savings, we’ll survive beyond the end of this year.
C) I can afford to take at least one major trip (<$2000). For sanity's sake, I can't afford not to take that trip.
These revelations are fairly reassuring, at least until the New Year, at which point full scale, high grade panic will commence if I don’t have a job nailed down. It doesn’t matter if I still have $30k in cash. Without cash flow, I will be freaking out. Consider yourselves warned.
These three iterations made the most sense for modeling purposes.
Scenario 1: With full expenses, no major travel, unsubsidized Cobra
Scenario 2: With full expenses, two major trips, and unsubsidized Cobra
Scenario 3: With full expenses, two major trips, and subsidized Cobra
Notes
A) Both vacation and severance payouts are estimates, to be paid at the beginning of July.
B) “Travel” money every month is just an allowance. It’s not much, but you better believe I’m not just sitting on my butt at home all day every day.
Some thoughts. If anything goes wonky with severance and vacation, knock $5000 off that starting savings total. That’s a just-in-case. We’ll likely know by mid-June if they intend to be obstreperous.
I’d like to contribute $5000 to my 2008 and 2009 Roth IRAs, so subtract $10,000 total from the savings balance. But if I end this year with no new job lined up, that leaves between $23,000- 28,000 to start the new year.
Um. No. Voluntarily dipping below $25,000 cash savings is an no fly zone. Going below that number makes me fear for the still-nascent house fund, among other things. $30,000 would be much better. $40,000, even better. But you can see where this might lead: no trips, no rest, no travel, no life, no balance. While I’m fiscally conservative, timidity in financial planning is not my thing.
Speaking of fear, everyone’s fearful now so, according to Buffett, it’s time to be greedy. Not too greedy, but I do want to set aside some non-retirement investing money while the market is still trashed. Buy low, yes? A thousand bucks’ll be plenty because that low, low price might very well turn into zero.
After some consideration, I think this is the plan:
1) don’t allow anything to go awry with severance and vacation. Don’t mess with my money, boss!
2) don’t contribute to my 2009 Roth.
3) do contribute to 2008 Roth. ($-5000)
4) consolidate emergency cash into a single account, probably a money market given the state of my existing “high” yield savings accounts.
5) continue job hunting
6) plan an awesome trip that includes educational facets that I can add to my resume
7) find a few CDs and create a CD ladder for some of that money
8) research stocks, see if I can muster the confidence to commit to a few
If 2010 dawns with new job secured, I can contribute to my 2009 Roth, salt away something for the emergency fund while replenishing the expense cushion, and start seriously funding the house account. Ideally, that new job would require a move of reasonable distance and affordability.
Lists and spreadsheets laying out possible outcomes in a situation largely out of my control helps me focus my attention where it’ll do the most good. Then I can look at this job loss dead in the eye and call it opportunity.
March 18, 2009
It’s an emotional and physical off-roading sort of week, so I’ve been uninspired. That was going to be the thrust of the post, but complaining’s not going to help. (Or hasn’t, yet.)
Thusly, we’re going to practice optimism, today, because:
1) it’s Wednesday!
2) I found a highly challenging job listing that I’m a little underqualified for but I don’t care, I want it anyway. And I could do it, if they would overlook the lack of a Master’s degree. Promise.
3) and Sallie’s Niece got the job!
4) so that means it’s not categorically impossible. [No, that’s not logical. Doesn’t matter.]
I’ve been a bit fed up with my doom and gloom. Luckily, I got it all out over at i pick up pennies (thanks Abby!) Not that I suggest you read my rant, please don’t, just visit Abby if you like.
And 5) Crystal is basking in the sun for me via Twitter, never you mind if she’s playing hooky or not. š
Oh! and 6) I’m actually happy about the layoff now. I’m thrilled to be getting out of here, with severance. You see, I have plans for that money.
Edit for accuracy: We still need our official notice but, as long as I stick it out until June 30th, I should be all good w/regards to severance.
And 7) My doctor’s office (HMO) is ridiculously awesome. I emailed asking for an appt next Tuesday am. Got a VM that the doc was not in clinic that day, was asked to call back. I called to schedule for a different day but had to hang up before getting through. Found a voice message on my cell phone, 30 minutes later, saying that I was booked for the day/time I originally requested. Oh and, “you can come any time you like, your actual appointment is X:00.” They must love me. I want to keep them forever.
