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Home > The Job Merry-Go-Round, Net Worth Changes & Garage Sale in my Future

The Job Merry-Go-Round, Net Worth Changes & Garage Sale in my Future

August 1st, 2013 at 02:44 pm

I had a long overdue talk with my boss today at the p/t job I started after Memorial Day weekend. They're happy with my writing, love my fast turnaround and my great attitude, but she thinks that, like her (her words) she thinks I'm a stronger writer than editor, and she's unsure what the right "balance" is between writing and editing skills for the perm position.

(Note that the job was originally advertised as a writing job, so to hear her say this was complete news to me. It also is a painful reminder of what happened at Prudential; I started working a contract job there as a writer and then mid-way through that assignment, which I was hoping would go perm, they decided to rejigger the job description so it ultimately included certain skill sets I didn't have. All along they said they were quite happy with my work but my background, they felt, was no longer a great fit for their future needs.)

She said she will know from HR if she will have funding for the perm position (to start 1/1/14) this fall, but wants to start whoever it is working beforehand to see how they work out. She didn't rule me out as a candidate either. She was pretty candid about it and about as nice as could be, so I can't really fault her for that.

While I've worn dual hats at many smaller companies I've worked at as both writer and editor, out of necessity, I think she's probably right about my strengths. There are many companies out there who are less concerned with the exact correct placement of a semi-colon and more interested in getting a high volume of work done. I think it comes down to priorities and is the company doing well enough to afford to be so picky.

So I'm thinking I should be able to work through August no problem, but then after that, who knows how long I'll have? If she learns in September she has funding for the perm position and decides to advertise the position and they get the right person, I could be out the door fairly soon. Or I could still be there in December...don't really know.

I did inquire when we talked whether she'd be open to my working a 4-day week, if they wound up picking me for the position. She was not at all open to that becus she felt the workload was such that my being absent one day each week would burden other employees.

So the job for me would be all or nothing. I told her I was still interested. I have to be careful how I handle this and can't reject a f/t offer even though I'm very reluctant to take it, if offered, due to the lengthy commute. But if I declined any offer they might make to me, I would not be eligible for unemployment benefits, and I really have no backup plan for income other than that if I don't get this job. So I will have to accept it if offered.

I already told recruiter about the conversation and asked him to keep an eye out for other opportunities for me, and of course, I'm looking too, as I have been since before I even took this job.

In other news...
July was an expensive month, to the tune of $5200, but that's because I had to pay my semi-annual property taxes of $2928. Moving forward, I'm going to insert the monthly cost of $488 into each month's expense report. I haven't done that in the past; I would simply record the expense when I paid it. But doing that distorts my expense picture and makes it appear I'm doing better, expense-wise each month than I really am because I'm only paying the property taxes twice a year, and then it's a big wallop.

Other big expenses this month were my sun room blinds ($317), medical treatment for my Lyme without having health insurance coverage ($249, should have been more like $50), Luther's vet bill ($141) and a variety of one-time annual expenses that all hit at the same time, like my borough taxes ($156), car registration ($90) and dump sticker ($85). Groceries were also higher than I budget for, at $248. Sigh.

It's gratifying to see that my net worth increased by $19,456 (!!) since last month, but it's not because I saved it. (My cash on hand has decreased by about $2,000 since I started this new job).

No, the big increase in my net worth is purely due to the bull stock market we've enjoyed of late. In fact, my net worth August 1 is $70,286 more than it was a year ago at this time. Pretty amazing if you consider I have not worked full time during that year! Plus I spent $20,000 of savings to buy a new car. Compared to 4 years ago (2009), my net worth is $147,724 higher. My net worth is now at a lifetime high. But what will happen if the stock market takes a corrective turn?

Today, we start with a clean slate on August 1. I need to immediately revert back to my "survivalist" lifestyle with minimal expenses. Since starting this new job, I'd indulged a bit with just a few fast food splurges along with some discretionary spending on clothing, those sun room shades and my maharaja chair.

To help offset some of that, I've decided on having a garage sale September 15. I've enlisted a friend to help on the day of the sale and suggested she try to sell some of her own stuff, too. I figure the weather should be decent by then (not too hot) and it gives me plenty of time for further organizing.

My real problem is the lack of tabletop space. What I need is a few folding card tables but it doesn't make sense to buy anything since I never make much money at a sale. I might scrounge around at good will but not sure I'll be able to find anything. I have one long workbench in the garage that I could clear off to put items on, but it would be nice to have enough stuff that people can walk all around the garage.

I plan on having some furniture, mostly chairs, as well as the usual housewares, kitchenware, old records, books and so on. Also some hypertufa and perennial groundcovers though most people aren't thinking gardening in September.

5 Responses to “The Job Merry-Go-Round, Net Worth Changes & Garage Sale in my Future”

  1. creditcardfree Says:
    1375366786

    I have used saw horses and a plank of wood for garage sale tables, maybe even bricks stack up or bins over turned to put wood on top of. If you have wood. We also put 'like' items in bins, which can be put in the driveway or near a table. Ask your neighbors to borrow a table. Good luck with your sale!!

  2. CB in the City Says:
    1375367014

    I have been to yard sales where the sellers just laid out blankets on the lawn and spread their wares on them. Another option is lay a board or an old door or something like that across two matching supports -- I used camping benches as supports one time. If you have large cardboard boxes you can turn them upside-down to serve as little tables.

  3. PatientSaver Says:
    1375367424

    Oh, good ideas. I don't have wood planks or spare doors, but I do have some long pieces of wood and plenty of bricks; i can at least raise things off the ground by a few feet and by using 2 or 3 long 2 x whatevers, i can have a space for certain boxes. I'll have to start thinking of what I can use. I tend not to collect a lot of stuff like old doors cus i'm not a pack rat. But you've given me some ideas.

  4. snafu Says:
    1375371985

    If you feel your 'editor' skills are not as strong as boss desires, what can you do to strengthen that aspect ? Can you get books, CDs from library, find articles on-line, Amazon -used, or myraid of used book sites. Tell boss you're working to improve skills as a result of the recent talk and ask if she prefers a particular style/text like APA. It's important for her to be aware that you've fit-in well, write well, take the job seriously, and willing to do what it takes to be the candidate chosen for permanent employment.

    Fact is, you can leave to take anything better that comes along and it can't harm to have even stronger skills. You are seeing the strengthening economy in your net worth increase over 4 years. Is that reflected in publishing? Are you willing to re-apply at the bigger insurance firms whose valuations have begun to fly up? What does recruiter see as next possibility? Banks? CUs?

  5. FrugalTexan75 Says:
    1375377844

    I'm sorry to hear that the job might not be so assured. Frown That is a good plan to go back to the barebones budget - at least until you know for sure whether you'll be made perm or not.

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