"Budget Time" is a bit of a joke for my best friend and me, as neither of us are sitting on piles of cash and there don't seem to be enough hours in the day to do what we want. In addition, things have happened this year that are making me look very, very hard at both.
Money
With the purchase of a new-to-me car to replace the pickup truck I owned for almost 15 years, I have payments to make (the vehicles I could afford to buy for cash were in worse shape than the truck I had). Even though the car is much newer, there are expenses:
Oil Changes
On my truck, I could change the oil myself in the driveway or on any flat surface, due to the space under the truck. On my Honda, I would need a floor jack and 4 jack-stands to make enough room to get under the car. Since I don't have either of those, or a place to store them, I don't see me doing much of any of the regular services on my car.
Wiper Blades
Wiper Blades
Blades themselves are not that expensive, but the Honda has one blade that is so much bigger than the other it isn't funny, and since I buy better quality blades, they are a bit more expensive.
Savings
Savings
Yeah, about that... I have a little money saved, and a good part of that went to a down payment on the car to keep my payments as reasonable as possible with my credit. I am planning to take a real vacation this year, and so money for that is being set aside as well. Along with looking at keeping my preps up, money is tight.
Time
There are a bunch of profound sounding quotes about Time and what Man can do with it, but they don't seem to work on me. What I know is that I don't seen to have enough to finish all the things I'd like to do. What needs to change is how I use the time I have.
Work
I have a chance to cut my commute time by over half, if the company can find someone who can do the work (and not like the last guy who only lasted 6 days). If that happens, I have an opening in the original territory I covered.
Another possibility is an offer from an independent company doing tool sales. This would be a gamble, both with my time and money, since a big part of the pay is commission, and the benefits are much less compared to my current job either. I have to talk to them again and see what things look like for their current employees.
Play
I need to get outside more -- not just for exercise, but also to see friends more often. With my crazy schedule and commuting, when I get home it's time to fix dinner and relax, and soon after that I'm getting ready for bed about 8 pm. (I leave my place about 4 am to be at work by 5, so turning in about 8 is good for me.) Finding something to do in the late afternoon, with or without friends, is on my list.
Also part of the plan this year is to get more exercise. My budget doesn't look like it will allow for a gym membership, so this exercise will have to be on my own. Now that the rain has slowed down, I am getting out to the local parks, and this weekend I will be going on a short hike if the weather holds up.
If you plan on buying anything through Amazon, please consider using our referral link. When you do, a portion of the sale comes back here to help keep this site running!
If you have comments, suggestions or corrections, please post them so we all can learn. And remember, Some Is Always Better Than None!
NOTE: All items tested were purchased by me. No products have been loaned in exchange for a favorable review. Any items sent to me for T&E will be listed as such. Suck it Feds.
Time
There are a bunch of profound sounding quotes about Time and what Man can do with it, but they don't seem to work on me. What I know is that I don't seen to have enough to finish all the things I'd like to do. What needs to change is how I use the time I have.
Work
I have a chance to cut my commute time by over half, if the company can find someone who can do the work (and not like the last guy who only lasted 6 days). If that happens, I have an opening in the original territory I covered.
Another possibility is an offer from an independent company doing tool sales. This would be a gamble, both with my time and money, since a big part of the pay is commission, and the benefits are much less compared to my current job either. I have to talk to them again and see what things look like for their current employees.
Play
I need to get outside more -- not just for exercise, but also to see friends more often. With my crazy schedule and commuting, when I get home it's time to fix dinner and relax, and soon after that I'm getting ready for bed about 8 pm. (I leave my place about 4 am to be at work by 5, so turning in about 8 is good for me.) Finding something to do in the late afternoon, with or without friends, is on my list.
Also part of the plan this year is to get more exercise. My budget doesn't look like it will allow for a gym membership, so this exercise will have to be on my own. Now that the rain has slowed down, I am getting out to the local parks, and this weekend I will be going on a short hike if the weather holds up.
If you plan on buying anything through Amazon, please consider using our referral link. When you do, a portion of the sale comes back here to help keep this site running!
If you have comments, suggestions or corrections, please post them so we all can learn. And remember, Some Is Always Better Than None!
NOTE: All items tested were purchased by me. No products have been loaned in exchange for a favorable review. Any items sent to me for T&E will be listed as such. Suck it Feds.
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