#and not worrying about health and bills and expensive groceries etc.

[fly-sky-high-09]

hhhgh

[solar-sunnyside-up]

I totally forgot about this until just now but over the summer I had wandered into a community event on my way home, and went to the public transit tent they had set up to promote the new project in the area and answer questions. I was looking for the Green party tent (all the other political parties where there, where the hell where they??)

But so I hang out at the tent, ask a few questions, show my excitement, etc.. and they have this "spin the wheel for a prize" game. Ranging from stickers to a bus pass. I was wanting a sticker bc the design was super cool and I'm a nerd. I wasn't optimistic enough to expect the bus pass.

>>I spin, I get the bus pass.

And the power I felt getting this prize?? I had already gotten my pass for the month. This was a spare one. The possibilities of who to give it to where endless and would legit alter someone I knew entire month.

>> Do I give it to the next person who asks me for change? Going from hoping tinget enough change to get enough for fare or something to eat and to be suddenly given this pass? The freedom from harassment of the transit police, the ability to get to all the free meal events that are all over the city but all are just awkward enough its an hour walk there. Actually get use the food bank and take more than a backpack or 2 of stuff for the month bc you have to carry it all yourself. To be able to visit a park, a library, To have the world open up without using all your energy getting there? How much would this bus pass alter their entire month? Who am I to now deny someone that freedom?

>>Do I give it as a gift to a coworker? Someone who doesn't go out or do anything other than work and rest at home bc it's too expensive for her to buy a pass bc she lives JUST close enough to work for walking to be a better option. Counting her bus tickets everytime she wants to go to the library, to see a friend/family member, to visit a park that's nearby, hang out downtown. Every outting you have to justify. Suddenly having just 1 month of freedom would help her mental health so much. She would have so much fun for the first time in ages! She could be a person in public, she could have fun without worry or need to justify. She's my friend. Who am I to not give it to her?

>>Do I sell it off to someone to get a grocery top up? To have a second of breathing room between paychecks? If I'm short on a bill this month I'll be kicking myself for not doing the survivalist thing to do.

It was a whole crisis.

In the end while I was having this crisis my roommate took it, so she could look for jobs and do a bunch of interviews without worrying about how to get there.

And it hits me as particularly horrific that so many ppls lives would be so positively altered by this single bus pass from a silly contest at a community event. How lucky was I to have this option? And alteranticely how so many ppls lives would open up and improve by simple access to a public service that they should have free access to not being held hostage by. And that's just the ppl I know who would benefit from monetary access to the system much less the good having physical accessibility added to it.

The for profit transit system is horrifying. This is meant to be a public feature, and yet the accessibility to actually use it is so limited. we deserve so much better.

[illumtori]

How to Make a Budget Work for Irregular Income

Navigating the world of personal finance is not always straightforward, especially when your income is unpredictable. If you are in the realm of freelance work, part of the gig economy, or in a role that is commission-based, you know what we are talking about. The unpredictability might seem challenging, but with the right approach, you can still establish a budget that works for you.

The Nature of Irregular Income

Irregular income is when the income generated is not the same each month or does not come in set intervals. For example:

Freelancers & Contractors: Your income varies depending on the number and types of projects you have. Some months work can be packed, while other months are sparse.

Gig Economy Workers: If you are driving for a ride-sharing app, renting out a room, or doing task-based jobs, your earnings change based on demand and how much you work.

Commission-Based Roles: Your pay is linked directly to sales or deals you close. Some periods can be incredibly lucrative, while others might be slow.

Seasonal Jobs: Working in roles that are dependent on seasons, like a summer lifeguard or a winter holiday store helper, means income comes in during specific times of the year.

If any of these sound like your current job situation, you are at the right place. The key is not to be overwhelmed but to understand and adapt.

The Pitfalls of Not Budgeting for Irregular Income

When your income is unpredictable, it is easy to fall into some common traps. One frequent misstep is feeling flush during a good month, and spending a bit more freely. It Feels great when you see a hefty sum in your bank account. But without forward planning, this can lead to issues when leaner months roll around.

Another common error is not setting aside savings during prosperous months. Think of this as a buffer for when your income is not as high. Without this cushion, you might find yourself scraping by or, even worse, accumulating unnecessary debt.

These pitfalls can lead to financial stress. Money worries can affect mental health, relationships, and quality of life. By recognizing these challenges before they happen, you are already a step ahead in avoiding them.

Set the Foundation: Know Your Baseline Expenses

One of the keys to managing an irregular income is understanding your core expenses. What are the essentials you must cover every month?

Essential Bills: These might include utilities, loan payments, insurance, etc.

Food: Groceries, dining out (occasionally), and your daily caffeine fix if that is part of your daily routine.

Housing: This could be your rent or mortgage payment and is likely one of your biggest monthly expenses.

Transportation: Gas, public transportation fees, or maintenance if you own a vehicle.

Once you have a scope of your baseline expenses, it becomes easier to plan. When you know what you absolutely must spend each month, you can gauge how much to set aside during good months.

Periodically review these expenses and ensure they reflect your financial reality. Consider if you can find cheaper alternatives. Are there subscriptions you no longer use? Trimming these can free up some extra funds and offer a little more breathing room.

Irregular Income Budgeting Strategies

Save During Boom Times

When your bank account is looking particularly healthy, it might be tempting to treat yourself, which is okay to do so occasionally. But it is vital during these prosperous times to prioritize saving. Why? Because the more you save during high-income periods, the better you will be able to handle low-income ones.

A practical approach is the percentage-based saving strategy. Instead of aiming to save a fixed amount, determine a percentage of your income you are comfortable saving each month. This means in prosperous months, you are saving more, and in lean months, you are still saving, but the amount is adjusted based on your income.

Allocate for Lean Months

It is essential to define what a "lean month" looks like for you. Is it when your earnings drop below a certain threshold? Or perhaps when they do not cover your baseline expenses? Once you have got that figured out, you can better prepare for them.

The key during lean times is to spend smartly. Dip into the funds you saved during boom times, but be mindful. Prioritize necessities and minimize non-essential spending. Having a clear idea of your baseline expenses (as discussed earlier) will be crucial here.

The Role of Emergency Funds

While savings act as a buffer for leaner months, an emergency fund serves a different purpose: unforeseen emergencies. This could be a sudden medical bill, urgent car repairs, or other unexpected expenses.

The idea behind this fund is not to touch it unless absolutely necessary. A good rule of thumb is to aim for three to six months' worth of your baseline expenses. It might sound daunting, but even starting small and building it up gradually can make a significant difference in financial security.

Embracing Flexibility in Spending

Handling irregular income means embracing flexibility. When you have a good month, it is okay to occasionally treat yourself. Just ensure you are spending responsibly. Maybe opt for that dinner out, but resist upgrading your entire tech suite. It is all about balance. Be mindful and keep an eye out for signs of overspending, like consistently dipping into savings for non-essentials. Your budget is not set in stone and is a guide that you can change based on your circumstances.

Additional Tips for Managing Irregular Income

Seasonal Budget Adjustments: If you know certain times of the year bring in more income (e.g., a photographer might be busier during wedding season), adjust your budget accordingly.

Diversifying Income Streams: Consider seeking consistent side gigs or diversifying your skills to tap into different income sources. This not only provides a safety net but can also introduce you to new opportunities.

Regular Financial Health Check-ins: Set aside time, maybe once a month, to review your finances. This helps you stay informed, make necessary adjustments, and celebrate small victories along the way.

Conclusion

Budgeting with an irregular income presents its unique challenges. With a tailored approach, you can navigate the uncertainties. Remember, proactive planning and regular adjustments are your best friends. Embrace the journey, stay informed, and adapt your strategies and financial confidence is within your reach.

Follow our Instagram account for your daily dose of fun and inspiration!

Looking for a productivity tool that can help you achieve goals, set budget, and be more productive? Come learn about Illumtori!

[sweetswesf]

My mom helped me out in a way that I hoped she would. I am grateful that she is so generous. And before you get up in arms about how I come from great wealth, I admit, I am privileged, but not rolling in dough. I found out today that my mom makes $180k as a Stock Plan Administration for a tech company with 20+ years of experience. In my opinion, she’s making WAYYY lower than I think she should considering that. In fact, I have the potential to make more than her in my next role. Considering this, I REALLY don’t like asking her for anything because she constantly has to support the family. Her immediate, her parents, and her siblings and their kids. She had to support the household when my father didn’t, and he took a lot of her savings AND the house he wasn’t paying for in the divorce. She should be looking to retirement soon and yet she’s still working and hoping to find something she enjoys doing since she doesn’t like her job. She doesn’t take no for an answer. If I send it back to her, she just sends it right back. I hope to be able to pay her back 10-fold. I was preparing myself to move back in November. This definitely helps me to be able to stay a little longer. I just don’t know how long it will truly be, so I don’t know how much I should accept from her. If it helps, my expenses are about $5k/mo. This includes rent ($2400/mo), phone bill ($200/mo), utilities ($50/mo), internet ($90/mo), public transportation ($150/mo), interview prep materials ($100/mo), groceries ($400/mo), renter’s insurance ($15/mo), gym membership ($25/mo). Like, look at just my subscriptions which help me code, find healthy recipes so I don’t eat out, stay fresh on the latest news in my industry, keep my online portfolio up for recruiters, etc. Do you see Netflix, Apple Music, etc? No! Because I’m still on my mom’s plan.

$2400 for rent seems like a lot, and it is, but it’s actually cheap for San Francisco. It’s unfortunate. It would be smarter to get roommates, but no one’s accepting a tenant without a job. It would be smart to move home, but I don’t have a room and desk area to focus at my grandparents’. My mom is about to move in with my aunt and my aunt’s 4 children so there isn’t space for me there either. I haven’t included travel, because I don’t, nor a social budget because I cut all that out. I’m also paying for the cheapest gym in the city. This doesn’t include health care ($700/mo) I was paying. I hope I get approved for medi-cal or just get a job soon so that I don’t have to go back to paying that. God will make a way and I need not worry.

[deadpool23456]

Cost of studying Abroad For Indian Students - Collegepond

Students can gain a wealth of useful experiences by studying abroad. Access to a top-notch education increased professional options, and exposure to a new nation is only the beginning. Despite this, studying abroad can be rather expensive. So, it is crucial to make prudent financial plans to guarantee a smooth and hassle-free study abroad experience. Main Costs Associated with Studying Overseas

Tuition: The cost of education at any international institution is covered by this price. It would differ depending on the course, the school, and the nation. The majority of students apply to both public and private colleges. Public institutions often cost less than private ones since they are supported by the government in most nations.

Housing: For most students, this is the second biggest expense. There Homestays, private housing, and dorms are the three main types of accommodations available to international students in many different countries. The least expensive form of housing for international students is a dorm. These residential halls, often known as dorms, are on college campuses and are available to students. The option to live in residence halls for a year is offered by several overseas colleges. The cost of private or shared housing and utilities costs are borne by the student. Homestays are a common form of lodging in many nations. Many international colleges assist students in locating suitable families. Although these homestays are less expensive than private or shared lodging, occasionally students are nevertheless required to cover their utility costs.

Grocery and Food Bills: Students living in university residence halls and homestays don't need to worry about groceries and food costs. Yet, tenants who live in apartments must pay their food and grocery expenditures. The amount spent on groceries each month will vary depending on one's lifestyle.

Transportation: Living in a dorm may result in lower transportation expenditures, but living far from a school will result in higher prices. Students who present their college ID cards can ride public transit for a reduced fare or for free in many different countries.

Academic supplies, such as pens, pencils, sketchbooks, laptops, backpacks, ink, USB flash drives, and so forth. Depending on the country, the average annual cost of school supplies might be anywhere from $300 and USD 1000.

The majority of international colleges mandate that students purchase health insurance. Before beginning their studies. These insurance policies would help students to cover their medical bills. Some insurance policies also cover baggage-related risks, stay disruption, travel-related risks, etc.

Visa: Students must pay a non-refundable visa application fee at the time of application. This is usually a one-time fee.

[henry-cavill]

Hi everyone -

This is really a last resort, and it's tough for me to do, but I could use some help if anyone can do so. It's been a difficult last couple of months for my partner and I, and unfortunately, I don't have a lot of options to turn to for assistance.

In mid-January, my partner suffered a mental health crisis that's been ongoing ever since. I don't feel comfortable divulging too many details for his privacy. But it's been a very stressful few months. He ended up spending about a month in an inpatient care program. He was back home for a few weeks, but unfortunately, his symptoms did not improve very much and he is now back in inpatient care again.

Just a few days after his first round of inpatient care, I was supposed to start a new job, but the stress of trying to learn new skills, policies, and programs while also worrying about my partner and his wellbeing just became too much for me, and I ended up leaving my job because of this. I also thought it would be best for my partner for me to be there for him as much as possible while we settled and adjusted to our new reality.

I had saved up some money that I would hope would have lasted me longer, but medical expenses started piling up on top of my general expenses like rent, groceries, bills, etc., and I don't have enough to sustain us for more than a few more weeks. I've been searching for a new job, but I haven't had much luck in finding one. So if anyone can donate whatever they can give to help us during this time, I would appreciate it.

I've never done anything like this, and I wouldn't be doing it if I thought I had a better option for assistance elsewhere. You never really plan or think you're going to be in a situation like this until it happens. But I very much appreciate the kindness friends familiar with our situation and those that have reached out to me have shown.

Every little bit helps and would be appreciated. Even if you can't donate, a signal boost or reblog would be very much appreciated as well. Thank you so much for taking the time to read this and if you're able to help at all. I really do appreciate it. If you would like to donate you can do so via the link below, thank you.

https://www.gofundme.com/f/support-needed-during-mental-health-crisis

[leavesofolive]

🌞🧹🌻Hearth Witch Tips!🌻🧹🌞

04: Your kitchen eats with you!

Just like with the rest of the house, what you put into the kitchen also heavily affects its energy. When you treat the hearth in certain ways, it reacts in certain ways. Your relationship with any room in the house is give-and-take. That means that if you don’t give back occasionally, the room will grow cold and stop appreciating your presence. But there are plenty of ways to mend your relationship! And the first step is to identify the problem!

From my experience, there are three main reasons why the kitchen stops being a warm and inviting place: 1) You are filling the cupboards with too much toxic, processed foods; 2) You aren’t spending enough time in that room; 3) Or you aren’t keeping the room clean enough.

When there’s a problem in the hearth, it’s always either one of these things or some combination of them. We’ll start with number three since it’s the easiest to explain. The kitchen should be anyone’s top priority to keep clean. It’s where all of your food, the nutrition and fuel of your physical and spiritual bodies, comes from! What you eat is your first defense against illness, injury, and your mental health. If the kitchen is filthy, then the food you take into your body will also begin to develop the same properties.

To keep the kitchen clean, I always start my day by washing last night’s dishes and give the counters a quick wipe. Once a month, I take stock of what’s in the fridge and freezer and scrub them out to prevent bacteria build-up. Sweeping the kitchen floors happens once a week and takes me all of three minutes to complete, tops. Once per season, normally at the beginning, I scrub the floors with soap and water, descale the coffee maker, wipe down the other appliances, and clean out the cupboards. So the only true “cleaning days” for the kitchen is four days out of the entire year. The rest of the time, the chores only take me about 30 minutes. As a quick tip, rinsing your dishes before setting them in the sink speeds up the dish washing process a ton! I’ve personally never trusted dishwashers since they don’t clean stuff well enough and it’s easier, faster, and far more cost effective to do it by hand.

The next problem the kitchen’s energy might be suffering from is how much time you’re spending there. First, spending a lot of time in the kitchen is a great thing! It absorbs the energy you feed to it, so when you don’t go in the kitchen very often or just don’t spend much time in there to begin with, the kitchen grows darker and colder. It loses the warmth and emotion and love that would’ve been sinking into it when you aren’t there.

The way to fix this problem is actually really easy! Cooking your own meals ensures that you are in there for a good amount of time each day because of the prep work and meal planning, etc. Plus, you get healthier, tastier food that way too! If you can’t cook all that well yet, don’t worry! Just like any skill, there’s no talent involved in learning something. It just depends on how much effort you apply to it. Another way to boost the hearth’s energy is to just hang out in that room. Invite some friends over, set out a snack tray, and just chill in the kitchen. Of course, since it’s pandemic right now, it’s best to wait until that’s over with to try this approach. But you, yourself, can still hang out in the kitchen!

The last problem, and a very, very common one in this day and age, is the influence of toxic food. Just like how your house absorbs energy from the land its on and what its built with, the kitchen also absorbs energy from the ingredients you keep within it. Toxic foods include anything processed or with a bunch of added sugars, and even GMO ingredients to some extent due to the trace chemicals that are still on the crops. These kinds of foods, if that’s the only thing in your house, will rot the energy. Not to mention, easy to grab snacks also end up causing you to spend a lot less time in the kitchen if that’s all you eat. Needless to say, no one eats healthy all the time. I don’t either! But having only toxic food in your kitchen isn’t great for you or the hearth.

Once again, cooking comes to the rescue! Even if you’re bad at it, it’s the thought that counts and little by little, as your skills grow and improve, the kitchen will learn to help guide you. There have been many times where I’d be stuck on how to fix something and a bottle of spice would fall of the shelf right next to me. If you listen to the kitchen, it will listen to you, too! Even if you don’t have time to cook, snacks like apples, berries, seeds, nuts, and dried meats are all healthy alternatives! I usually keep kale chips in the house for some yummy, salty crunchiness!

                                    ------------------------------

If you are worried about cost with this approach (believe me, due to my own situation it’s been a struggle at times), I’ve found out several tips and tricks to significantly lower the grocery bill. Anymore, my bill would actually be bigger if I bought crap food instead! Here’s my advice:

☀  Plan your week ahead! I always plan four meals a week that I’ll cook, and three days that I’ll scavenge for snacks and leftovers. I also stick to the rule of “one simple, one chicken, one meatless, one freebie” to remain more cost effective! The “simple” meal is just something I can make quickly if I know I’ll be short on time. The reason for have one of the meals be chicken is because it’s a much less expensive meat than beef or pork, and it’s a little better for the environment. The meatless meal is for the same reasoning. Meat is expensive and commercial brands are horrible for both the environment and the animals themselves. When I do buy meat, I make sure to buy local, grass-fed, organic meat as often as I can afford to. Keep in mind that every time you purchase anything, you are casting your vote for what is acceptable for society to continue. The “freebie” meal is just whatever I’ve been craving. If I want some kind of beef, I wait until this day.

☀  Learn to bake your own bread! For those of us with the time, this is a great way to save money and to stay healthy! Basic, white bread is actually pretty easy to make and only uses a couple ingredients. Those ingredients also go a long way. It costs me about 24¢ to make one loaf of bread because things like flour, sugar, salt, butter, honey, and yeast are all things that you buy once and can use for several loaves before you have to buy them again! It’s also not as time consuming as you’d think. Yes, it takes about 2 hours, but most of that time is proofing so you can easily be running around doing other things in between.

☀  Grow a garden! Even if it’s just a small, window herb garden, it can take the edge off of your overall food cost. Portobello mushrooms are also super easy to grow inside with minimal effort and equipment. If you have outdoor space, planting a small garden with the ingredients you use the most can help immensely!

☀  Only buy what you need! I know those sales look crazy tempting, but most of them are actually bogus and don’t actually save you any money. Think about what you are actually going to use before it goes bad and stick to your list. The bottom shelves at the store, aka the ones not in your direct line of sight, are usually where the grocery stores hide the better priced goods. At the back of most stores that have bakeries, there’s also usually a spot to get baked goods left over from the previous day for a slightly cheaper price. Day-old baked novelties like bread, cookies, and cakes are still perfectly good, and much easier to enjoy where you don’t have to spend as much!

☀  Check what’s already in your fridge before making your list! This is a huge one, since it prevents food waste, which in turn prevents money waste! What can you make during this week that can use up some of the ingredients leftover from last week? You’ll be impressed how quickly your food cost drops when you aren’t throwing things away. Waste not, want not! This trick also applies in another way, as well. When making your weekly meal plans, what types of foods use similar ingredients? If one meal calls for a slightly pricier ingredient, what other food can you cook with that ingredient to make the cost worth it? This also ensures that you get full use of things without wasting them. For example, this week I bought some fresh mozzarella cheese. Because this item is a little more expensive, I’m using it to make both the tomato mozzarella sandwiches and the beef wellingtons I’m making this week!

☀  Buy mostly produce! One of the best ways to lower your bill while still eating healthy is to simply add more fruits and veggies into your diet! There are so many tasty recipes that call for these babies that you’ll never run out of options, and there’s several things out there for everyone! Because I deal with sensory issues, I had to experiment a lot with what textures and tastes I could handle, especially on the bad days, but even still I found an over-abundance of things I love to eat. Fresh produce is way less expensive than meat, and much less expensive than many of the more mainstream snacks like chips or other processed foods.

                                     ------------------------------ All in all, taking care of your kitchen will also end up taking care of you, as well! Spending time there, actually using the kitchen the way it’s supposed to be, and just keeping it clean can work wonders in opening up your home and making it ten times warmer and more inviting! Trust me, your health and home will thank you for it!

[themanicnami]

Grocery Tips From a Fellow Broke Person

So I know I have been talking about budgeting food often recently but its because I just had a bunch of bills stacked up and so I am breaking out all of my personal tools for groceries for the next few months. I feel several on this site are int eh same boat, and if needed here are some of my personal tips on grocery shopping.

If you can’t get fresh get long lived

Simply put, we know how healthy it is to eat fresh veggies and fruits, it is important to eat them in your diet for numerous health reasons. But fresh is not always an option, depending on where you live, fresh may be expensive or it may be a time of year where fresh produce may have gone up in price or you may not have a place to store them for one reason or another.

There is nothing wrong with frozen vegetables! They are affordable, last a long time, easily stored and are easy to cook. You can find them for around .50 cents to about 2.47 a bag depending on the brandy, type and size of bag. Sometimes this is more affordable than the fresh. 

Canned veggies are also always an option. They may have their downsides with studies showing too much preserved food can cause health issues, they are still a better option than just straight ramen and noodles every day! They still hold vitamins in them that your body needs. You can even buy sodium free canned vegetables now and ones stored in broth. If you don’t have refrigeration or a freezer, canned vegetables are an option for you.

The same goes for fruit! You can find frozen berries of all sorts in the freezer section and also canned fruit can be high in sugars but when in a bind, sometimes it is a better option than nothing at all.

 Buy In Bulk

If this option is available for you try to buy things in bulk, they may be pricier in the moment but if they are non-perishable food items with a long shelf life they can last you long enough not to worry about buying them again for weeks or even months. Some bulk items that I recommend looking into for their long storage life would be: rice, pastas, dried beans, lentils, peanut butter/other nut butter products and cooking oils. 

If you are able to afford buying the little boxing display sized of items sometimes that is for the best. At my personal grocery store you can buy a small pallet (for the shelf) of ramen for 5 dollars. Though it is not ideal, it is a good base to mix things in with as I spoke about in my previous post. I can also buy bulk of boxes of macaroni and cheese, boxed rice, boxed pasta sides and trays of soup. I have happily done this before because all of them had long shelf lives of a year or more in some cases and I still have them in my pantry ready for eating.

Proteins, Proteins, Proteins

Meat can be expensive we all know this, but luckily there are some affordable meat options! Depending on your local grocer they may have a display near the entrance of on sale meats, usually this is due to overstock or because they want to put fresher cuts up and need to get rid of their current stock. I have found 20 piece chicken legs for 3 dollars due to this as well as pork chops for 6. 

If you do not have a sale item for overstocked meats, you need to compare your prices. Check what they have, sometimes you’ll still find sales or good deals. In general - chicken is the least expensive meat option. Sausages and ground meat tend to be less expensive than prime cuts. Beef in general tends to be more pricey while pork can range. Depending on your area, this may vary but if you have the storage for meats, fresh chicken and sausages are often your best bet for affordable choices.

Eggs are wonderful options as well, they can store a while if you know how to pick them. When selecting eggs, if you know you will eat them go for the larger containers like around 18 eggs. They tend to be a better deal than getting the smaller options though always check your eggs for cracks or wetness on the container. If you are worried how fresh they are pick up an egg and shake it near your ear, if it feels dense and doesn’t make much noise then its good. If it feels very liquid like and makes sloshing sounds its close to going rotten and should not be bought.

Canned meats are always a good option for people who do not have a place to store frozen or fresh meat. Canned tuna shouldn’t be eaten a lot but it can be a good source for protein. It can be mixed into macaroni, ramen, rice, casseroles and more to add flavor. Try to buy tuna canned in water, it tends to be healthier than that stored in oil.

Canned chicken is always a good option as well, it can be eaten more regularly than tuna and can be cooked up into soups, rice, stir fry and more! Canned ham, spam, canned beef, crab and salmon are other canned meats that are often easily found in different types of grocery stores.

Beans can be easily bought dried and in bulk which makes them a good choice especially for those who may not be fans of the meat options above. You can also buy them canned for easy cooking like in soups, chili and stews.

Sales and Coupons and Grocery Store Brand

Always look for sales, if you see items on sale for a great discount and its something you will eat and it can be stored well, stock up! It prevents you from having to buy it for more later. Coupons can come in the mail though it may appear as junk mail, if they are for the grocery store you shop at, give them a look. There may be some that may be worth while. Make sure you read their terms, some are only good during certain times or if a certain amount is spent. You can also check for product coupons which work on all stores because they come directly from the production company. These can often be found online or on the company’s website. 

Sometimes brands are more expensive than the grocery store’s own brand. In these cases it may be a matter of taste in some things but with other things like canned vegetables, tuna, rice, noodles etc it can be almost a dollar cheaper to buy the grocery store’s brand with little to no difference with the brand named items. I personally always buy canned veggies that are from my local grocer as well as tuna and canned chicken - I have found they taste the same as the other brands but in the end saves me ten to twenty dollars after shopping.

Happy shopping everyone!

[foodesignsystemsassociates-blog]

“MAGIC MANTRAS FOR EFFECTIVE COST” – REOPENING HOTEL / RESTAURANT OPERATIONS POST COVID-19″

In my 52 years of Hospitality Industry Career and Experience, I have never come across to such unexpected and alarming experience. Hospitality industry has experienced the full force of restrictions. Bustling cafes, crowded restaurants and vibrant nightlife seems like a distant memory. In totality, the World witnessed lockdown in various countries/states for couple of months and everything came to standstill i.e., No transportation facilities viz. Flights, ships, Trains, Metros/Buses, Cars/Taxis, three-wheeler/two-wheeler, cycles and not even walking on the road was allowed. This Pandemic has brought all of us on our knees.

It’s been vast experience as our organization has been one of the leading Hotel Consultancy Services in India and we are experts in Hospitality Cost Management. We are Turnaround Specialist and successfully catered to Premium Hotels, Chain of Restaurants, QSR Concepts, Catering Units

Even with all such problems, life has to go on. So ultimately the world has decided to fight and survive with this pandemic.  The Government of India has initiated the Unlocking phase with many instructions, advisories and guidance issued to all industrial sectors. As we emerge from restrictions, the only certainty is that it won’t be business as usual. For many organisations, their operations would need to develop gradually with new social distancing and hygiene practices and whole new approach to the hospitality business.

During Lockdown period, people learned on how to take precautions and experienced the effectiveness of social distancing to avoid this problem. Our hospitality industry also needs to learn and adapt to the Do’s and Don’ts of starting their hotels/restaurants/ fast food outlets/takeaway outlets / resorts etc. Government issued advisory and guidelines to our hospitality industry regarding this pandemic. The next challenge for business starts now as the easing of restrictions will begin in progressive stages and preparation is necessary for reopening success.

Since March 2020, our industry faced a complete fall down. The liabilities of owners started escalating for rentals, electricity bills, Vendor payments, Staff’s salaries and wages, loan interest, Govt taxes, etc. There was a complete disparity in the month of April, May, June and this will also continue to linger in the month of July 2020 because we are not sure whether there will be any foot falls and we are not sure of the figures/numbers. As, Nobody can predict their figures, one cannot plan much for the future.

But in any case, somewhere we have to start.

So, to be begin with,

The first question a business owner should ask himself/herself:

“Is my business prepared to lead the transfiguration towards the new normal in the workplace?”

If not, then there is nothing to worry about, as I have conceived ‘MAGIC MANTRAS’ — a complete solution to the predicament.

Some of the MANDATORY MANTRAS are as follows:

MANDATORY MANTRA FOR ALL BUSINESSES:

Follow Social distancing rules very strictly.

Very strictly and effectively follow the COVID-19 pandemic guidelines and advisory given by the Government.

MANTRAS – FOR HOTEL/RESTAURANT OWNERS:

Make short-term plans to restart your business.

Operators with Rental premises should explore to renegotiate rentals, terms and conditions for this crisis situation. Please keep it in mind that the renegotiation will surely be a ‘Win-win’ situation for both.

If you are having a large place on rental, then please cut down the occupied space so that the owner can rent it to somebody else and this will bring your liabilities down to some extent.

Avoid any further bank loan to buy or renovate your premises as this will unnecessarily increase your bank EMI and bank interest.

Refrain to make any capital expenses like buying new machines, equipment, etc

MANTRAS – FOR STAFF & GUEST HEALTH:

First and foremost, a safe hotel reopening requires confidence from staff that they will be kept safe at work.

Personal protective gear for all employees and Complimentary masks and hand sanitizer stations around the property. Opt for touch-less methods like Touch-free hand sanitizers so as to encourage the physical distancing of guests and employees.    

Train your staff to handle various challenges at the workplace. For e.g., Maintaining hygiene standards, sanitation, wearing gloves and masks, etc.

Call your team and have a word with them about current scenario. Boost their confidence viz. “WE CAN DO IT”, “WE WILL SURVIVE” which will eventually motivate them.

Transparency is the key at the very moment, which will keep the staff confident and well-informed.

Ask them to help you out through their contributions viz. using their multifaceted skills in operations so that your HR expenses remain under control. May be some extra hours of outputs is also appreciated.

Co-ordinate with your chef and F&B Manager to plan your balanced limited or set menus to cater all types of guests and their preferences.

MANTRAS – FOR EFFECTIVE HOSPITALITY OPERATIONS MANAGEMENT

Complete sanitation of your workplace is a must before you relaunch or restart your business.

Start your business in phases. Do not start with full strength. Initially begin with 35% to 40%, if your restaurant is having 60 to 75 covers, start with only 25 to 35 covers only. By doing so, it will save your staff, energy bills and your inventories. This example is for your Food and beverage operations.

In case of rooms start with only 30% strength. Let’s say, you have 60 rooms then start with only 18 rooms. This instruction will keep your operation costs low and it will also help you in reduction of wastage.

Make a Purchase list of goods and liquor for food production and services.

Ask your Chef to follow complete F&B operation systems very effectively and strictly.

Let Manager/ F&B Manager/ Restaurant manager, Housekeeper, Receptionist, Bellboy, floor boys, Waiters, Runners chefs, Sous chefs, Linen keeper, Laundry man, Maintenance staff, Accounts staff, HR in charge, Security, drivers and any other people related of our industry to be made accountable and responsible for their departments, sections and areas.

Manager (Head of the organization and Operation) should make fresh Standard Operating Procedures (SOP) while keeping in mind the Post Covid-19 condition. The same should be followed in all the concerned departments.

The SOP should be given to all the operational sections and their heads to carry out efficient and effective operations.

Please make sure that such S.O.P are written in two languages i.e., 1) English 2) Local language so that the staff can figure out easily what is mentioned in the same.

Now, hotels, QSR/Restaurant Chain of outlets, particularly should recruit new designated managers i.e. Hygiene managers (H.M) to check and follow-up the rules and regulations about Hygiene standards of the hotels.

Checking of all electrical and gas equipment or machineries.

Contact AMC representatives and get your A/Cs, geysers, etc… services, so that it will help you in controlling your energy and maintenance cost.

Get your kitchen completely cleaned i.e., exhaust fans, wall machines, dust bins, dishwashing areas, preparation area, receiving area, storage area for dry and perishable goods.

Remove and discard all outdated and expired goods from your kitchen especially perishable goods namely dairy and meat products.

Check your Food, Beverage, Liquor and General storages thoroughly and get rid of all expired products immediately.

Cut down your Food and beverage/ Liquor menu by 50% to 60% which will result in controlling your inventory par stock and lower cost.

MANTRAS – HOW TO DEAL WITH VENDORS AND CONTRACTORS:

Contact your existing / old vendors to co-operate as they might be having their outstanding dues with you, so ask them for some more time for the payment of the same. But renegotiate the rates with them for the fresh purchases as the market prices are low for many materials.

Follow proper Standard Purchase Specifications (S.P.S.) for all the items you buy which includes groceries, vegetables, fruits, milk and milk products, poultry, meat, fish and fish products, breads, etc.

Follow stringent receiving process to check whether the materials being sent as per SPS and also to ensure material received are not expired / about to expire due to non-movement of stocks at vendors.

Wholesome effective implementation of above suggestions and points will definitely help to reduce cost and increase profitability.

—  H.A.MISHRA

CHAIRMAN & MANAGING DIRECTOR FOODESIGN SYSTEMS ASSOCIATES – ONE STOP EXPERT SOLUTIONS HOTEL MANAGEMENT QUALIFIED 52 YEARS OF EXPERIENCE

[rohanrider3]

URGENT MEDICAL CARE NEEDED SIGNAL BOOST

Guys, my friend is in serious financial trouble right now. I’m really, really, REALLY worried for her. Her meds need to be paid for NOW (about $100 this time) and her doctors are demanding the payment UP FRONT for her CRITICAL mental health appointments (about $200 a week). She’s also behind in car payments ($300 a month) and doesn’t have rent ($750). PLEASE help if you can, and help share the message via whatever outlet you can! Tweet the link, ask other people to Signal Boost this campaign, Facebook your friends, email your buddies--please, anything helps at this point. 

(TLDR: This friend of mine is in a REALLY BAD PLACE mentally, and her financial problems are breaking her when almost nothing else did. She actually straight up CANCELED DOCTOR APPOINTMENTS RECENTLY because she couldn’t afford them--which health-wise she CANNOT DO. She knows this, but is so tired, and desperate, and just really needs help ASAP.) 

Overall Goal: $55,000 What Smaller Amounts Can Do:

1) $25 helps her keep her phone (essential for doctor visits and communicating with her providers)

2) $100 pays for one week’s worth of groceries/healthcare products/gas to get to and from her appointments

3) $200 pays for one week’s worth of mental health appointment copays (URGENT NEED)

4) $300 is one month’s car payment (URGENT NEED)

5) $750 is one month’s rent (URGENT NEED)

https://www.gofundme.com/f/uqysz-free-the-phoenix?utm_source=customer&utm_medium=copy_link&utm_campaign=p_cp+share-sheet

What Larger Amounts Can Do:

1) $25,750 would pay off some of the healthcare debt, for updated prescription lenses for her glasses, and her car insurance.

2) $37,100 would pay down the thousands of dollars in medical bills currently outstanding on her account at the clinic, and also help with further copays and approved treatments.

3) $43,500 would help her keep her car so that if she loses her apartment she has somewhere to live/some way of reaching help.

4) $46,000 would allow her to stay in her current apartment and help with medicine, groceries, and travel to and from her numerous appointments for a few months.

5) Overall Goal $55,000+ Would accomplish all of the above goals, and would go towards the rest of essential living expenses (rent, groceries, gas, etc.) and also towards her continuing health treatment bills.

https://www.gofundme.com/f/uqysz-free-the-phoenix?utm_source=customer&utm_medium=copy_link&utm_campaign=p_cp+share-sheet

[alissamarietart]

Okay this is a long post but please bear with me. I just want to give an update about upcoming life/job changes that will also affect my shop, convention schedule, and Patreon.

OKAY SO! I do have some exciting, important life changes coming up. I have finally secured a full-time art job in Michigan! Yay! I will be an art assistant to start out with and probably not actually doing much drawing. And when I do start doing more artwork, it will be vector art in Adobe Illustrator, so very different from what I normally do and post on this blog, Insta, etc. Idk if I will even be able to post the stuff at all I do for this job though but hey! It’s full time! So I’ll be getting paid well for it. And it being very well from my usual work means I won’t get burnt out on my own art.

However, because of the attendance policy for newcomers, I don’t think I’ll be able to do Youmacon if I get in off the wait list this year. Which sucks. But it’s a necessary sacrifice I’ll have to make. The one day off I’ll get in my first 90 days will have to be used for Grand Rapids Comic Con, since I was already accepted to that con and paid for it long ago. There is a TINY change I could do Youmacon if I got in, but most likely I won’t be able to. So my next and last cons for sure for a while will be Capital City Comic Con this Saturday September 8th, 2018 in Lansing, MI, and Grand Rapids Comic Con on November 9th-11th, 2018 in Grand Rapids, MI.

Also, my current seasonal part-time job is now down to just Saturday-Sunday weekends, then in October, Friday nights for our Halloween event, with the last day of our season being October 21st. So I start my full time Monday-Friday job on September 10th, and will be working at my other job on the weekends till October 21st. So I’ll have a very jam-packed schedule and probably only be able to do sketches until then, which is why I’ve actually been posting my sketches on social media rather than just keeping them Patreon exclusives lately. I don’t want to just not post art because of this. Also, I do still plan on doing Drawtober this year. It’ll be a much bigger schedule this time around because I’ll likely be working 7 days a week but....I’ll make it work lol.

Also, my new job will be 7 AM - 3 PM, Monday-Friday, which means plenty of time in the afternoon and on weekends (after the season for my other job ends) to draw! But also until @garcondesfleurs and I can save up enough to move into a new place, I will be driving an hour and 20 minutes to work, and an hour and 20 minutes back home. So there will definitely be a big adjustment period with the long and tiring commute lol. I will have to get up early than ever before on a regular basis. But it will be worth it. This job has health, vision, and dental insurance, is closed with PTO on major holidays, and also starts off with 5 other paid days off after your first 90 days with acquiring more days off the more years you work there. And they have reviews every 6 months with the opportunity for a raise if you meet the qualifications for how much you’ve improved. So I just couldn’t pass this opportunity up.

However, you can’t have your cake and eat it too. Because of limited days off, I probably won’t be able to do NEARLY as many conventions for the next couple of years. Which means there won’t be a need for me to make as much merch like stickers, charms, acrylic pins, buttons, etc. Not to mention I won’t want to use as much of my free time to make them. While I love making smaller merch, I often put other personal projects I am more passionate about aside to pump out the smaller merch like charms and stickers because they are my big money makers. But now I will have money from this job, so I won’t have to worry about this, and can focus solely on what I want to draw the absolute MOST in my free time.

It also means I will likely have to simplify my Patreon. I likely won’t be able to keep up with the amount of tiers I have right now while having a full time job as well, especially during the time when I'm also working the part-time job on top of it, and I may not be able to keep up with the physical rewards of stickers, charms, etc because I may not be producing enough new designs for small merch to send Patrons non-repeats. So after this month’s physical rewards, I will likely have to do another Patreon overhaul for the sake of my own sanity, with less tiers and likely no physical rewards other than digital coupons for my Etsy. I don't want to overwork myself into the ground with too many tasks and little to no breaks and wind up with bad physical and mental health because of it.

I will still be doing my own art though! I’m actually very excited because I think the financial stability from this art job will allow me to have a greater sense of freedom in what I can do on my own. And I’m actually really looking forward to it. :3 

The other issue I was having was the money from cons and my shop was just enough to supplement my day job to pay bills, groceries, etc, but not pushing it over the edge to where I’d have a good cushion to make more new merch and pay for more con tables. So even if I was profiting well off cons, minimum wage money from a part-time seasonal day job meant that those con profits just went right into my living expenses basically, not leaving me much room to do more, not only in the way of making new merch and signing up for new cons which created its own conundrum, but also to just do other fun life things...not to mention move out.

So yeah. It will be a lot of big changes at first, and I hope I don’t disappoint anyone with the changes to my convention schedule, my Patreon, and the amount of stickers, charms, etc I produce and sell in my shop but...I think it will be worth it for me in the end. Especially if I can go back to doing more art that isn’t just stickers and charms again soon. I miss doing other illustrations more frequently lol.

So yeah. Thank you for reading through this long post, and for sticking around this blog and liking my art and stuff. :3 I hope you all have a lovely week~

[runerrandrun]

5 Household Chores that You Should Outsource

Can we have more time in a day than 24 hours? When the plate is overloading, every hour seems to look shorter than the other. Being the only bread earner at home, I understand how difficult it is to find a blend between professional work and housework. Sometimes I feel that in order to concentrate on my house, I should take a long-term sabbatical from my job, but once the never-ending monthly bills arrive in the mail, my plans start to differ. Now as much as it is essential to concoct time on work, it is equally important to spend leisure time with family, friends, and above all ourselves.

So, after hours of thinking and days of therapy I prioritize my relationships, mental health, and professional well being, over a few bucks. The change didn’t arrive all of a sudden. Instead, it happened due to a friend. She said, and I quote, “money and time are two of the most transient things available. They will move from one hand to another so start to prioritize what matters at the moment and not something that eventually will go.”

If you wish to note her saying, lay your full mind on what matters. You definitely can’t leave your job, but you can delegate your house chores. Check these five household chores that you can outsource in order to have peace of mind.

Grocery Shopping

One of the primary prerequisites of surviving is eating. None of us can go without consuming something or the other. Now eating in a restaurant might seem like a glossy option, but you can’t eat out every day. Hence, everyone needs to stock up a few food essentials at home in order to cook and consume.

However, how much you spend on your grocery shopping depends solely on your living standards and eating habits. According to the statistics, on average, a single adult spends $3,433 annually on food, whereas four spend $9,914. Another statistical report showcases that more than 50% of the things we buy from the grocery store are impulsive purchases. And no matter how much we try not spending on them, the shop’s marketing strategy is such that they lure us no matter what. They strategically place things that might work well with the product you are buying, and we pick them up but never actually use them.

Now, if you hire a personal grocery shopper, they will help you curb your spending urge. They will visit the grocery store and buy only what you instructed. Even better? They receive special store offers using which you can spend more than 50% of your bills. So, if you reckon outsourcing grocery shopping is one of those rare chores where can actually save both your time and money.

You can hire a quality personal shopper at an average cost of $50 per hour, but I trust Run Errand Run, the company has affordable rates, and they shop quality essentials for my home. All I need to do is formulate a list of things I need, and based on that, they buy all the products and deliver them to my place.

House and Yard Cleaning

Cleaning home and mowing, weeding, aerating, fertilizing, and edging the yard in spring or early summer certainly means that no party this weekend. Now, if you have a large yard with trees in a line, book the time of the day with someone who can cut the long weeds, blow falling leaves and clean your entire home efficiently after the last frost hit. If you would sit to do the whole work yourself, there is a chance that the more critical projects that require your attention will be left unattended.

So, don’t worry about work; sit back and enjoy your time. I suppose I have Run Errand Run fever, but it’s acceptable because the company has all the house care services one might require. They offer house and yard cleaning tasks to clear off the weeding and edging, clean the furniture and fixtures and fix everything tarnished and broken.

Laundry Services

You might have been cleaning your home and doing laundry for years, and the four or five hours a week might not seem a big deal. But when we are finding extra hours in a day to catch on to what we are missing, this definitely can be a big deal. So, don’t refrain from hiring a professional who can do this chore for you. Availing of this service won’t dig a deep hole in your pocket; instead, for merely $30 to $50, you will be able to get your clothes washed, dried, and folded with an exceptional home pickup and drop off.

Home chore helpers save your time and keep you shielded from daily stress, especially if your work and other personal obligations take precedence. Above all, when you outsource laundry, you don’t have to worry about separating the clothes for hand wash and machine wash; instead, all you need to do is sit tight and wear washed, clean clothes. The companies also are pro in removing stains and washing clothes with metal embellishments or sequins on them with utmost care. So, you get clean clothes for a few bucks without investing any time, and above all, your clothes are safe from every chance of tarnishing. I suppose one can’t think/ ask for anything more than this.

Home Maintenance

Annual charges of maintaining a house vary based on where you reside. But if you live in a home, there is always something that requires mending. Cleaning the blockage, painting shutters, servicing electronics such as ACs, etc., these tasks can certainly take up all your time, and believe me, trying a “do it yourselfer” when you don’t know the “T” of the task you are doing can be extremely risky. So the next time you need to get your drains unclogged, water and electric supply checked, or any primary home maintenance task is done, run to Run Errand Run. They are a good handyman who knows exactly what they are doing. The professionals are trained and will charge what is worth it.

Elderly Care

Do you have your parents or grandparents at home who require constant support at every turn? If yes, are you providing them the care and assistance they require? Believe us; if you are not, it will adversely affect their mental and physical health. The elderly need constant support, and if that isn’t available, they feel alienated from the social gatherings around them, which will degrade their self-confidence and, in some cases, result in a lack of will to leave. Run Errand Run’s elderly care and companionship service ensures that no senior citizen feels left out from the crowd. They assist the elderly with every activity, from grooming to cooking. The professionals are also trained to monitor the health conditions of the person.

All this sounds very normal and ordinary, but the elderly care facility at Run Errand Run is unique as they not only act as a helping hand but actually provide one. The professionals ensure that regardless of age, the elderly remain active and social, for which they transport them from their home to social gatherings, friends/ families home, and religious services. Thus if you look at the picture, Run Errand professionals will act as friends, nurses, and allies in everyday activities.

Conclusion

Monthly budgets are always difficult to stick by, but as we talked about outsourcing chores and stated their benefits, we believe that it is worth adding to the expense sheet. If you still are considering the additional dollar factor in mind, remember, that life is short, so invest it with your loved ones and outsource all the dreaded tasks to the professionals! Visit Run Errand Run today and contact the professionals ASAP.

[cloudyobsession]

Overwhelming expenses: Please help!

So, some of you folks may know some details about my life situation over the past…well, few years really, but the last year in particular.  Without getting too into it, I’ve been through some pretty significant financial hardship as a result of recurring health problems, being unable to work full-time while dealing with said health problems, and the mountain of debt still bearing down on me from the several years I had no health insurance, among other things.  I’ve managed to barely scrape by and keep myself afloat until I had landed a new job, which I started back in May.  The problem is, I was already pretty damn close to rock bottom again as it was, and the financial recovery is very slow-going.  Most of my paychecks are getting diverted directly into a number of overdue bills that I can’t ignore, and my main checking account still has a few hundred dollars worth of overdrafts which has forced me to deposit my paychecks into a MoneyNetwork account (which then makes accessing my funds a bit of a hassle and subject to extra fees).  There were a number of expenses piling up I was able to put off while I wasn’t working, because I wasn’t working, but now that I have a job to do every workday there are some expenses that I can’t really keep ignoring.  Here’s a short list of some things I NEED sooner rather than later:

Boots: Currently, the only pair of work footwear I own is a pair of boots that are now filled with holes and leak with only the slightest bit of water, I desperately need a new pair.

Slacks: I have two pairs of work slacks.  That’s two, total.  Furthermore, they’re pretty visibly worn, and I could really use some new pairs.

Work shirts: I also have about four shirts that are acceptable to wear to work, I really need some more.

Weather wear: I have basically nothing to wear in the summer when it rains.  I have coats, which are far too thick, and hoodies, which absorb water and are still too thick for summer.  I need a raincoat and an umbrella.  I had an umbrella but it broke toward the end of last year, and I need one that can fit in my bag.  Bear in mind that most of what I do on a work day is outside.

Bike: My bike needs soooooo many things fixed.  I rely on that bike for transportation quite a bit and being able to take it to work does a lot for my general productivity.  Last year I had my driver’s license pulled because I was deemed medically unfit to drive, and that bike has been key in maintaining some semblance of mobility.  Being unable to afford to maintain it, it’s fallen into disrepair and finally became unridable about a week ago, which has made work and getting around my neighborhood significantly harder for me.  The bike needs at least one new tire, a new chain, some other parts here and there, and a general tune-up (which I have neither the parts nor knowledge for).

Transportation: I need to maintain either a hefty balance on my public transit card or at least keep it stocked with passes to get around from site to site while working.  I get reimbursed from work, but it’s usually not the full cost of an actual pay period’s worth of transit.

Car: Despite being currently unable to drive, keeping and maintaining my car is vital.  Since my roommate’s car unexpectedly died last year, it’s become his primary means of transportation, and a necessity since he commutes out of the city for work.  On top of costly regular expenses (payments, insurance) the car needs several repairs which, much like my bike, I’ve been unable to afford.

Food: I’m not the only one in my apartment hitting financial roadblocks.  Money has become tight in general around the household, we recently had to cancel our subscription to Soylent and when we run out in a couple weeks, it will be on me to keep them stocked again.  Soylent has become an integral part of my daily routine, having one for my lunch every day has done a lot of good for me, and overall the cost generally comes out to under $3 per meal.  They still have to be ordered in bulk however, and this new expense was sprung on me a few days ago so I’m very anxious about trying to budget for it on top of everything else.  Furthemore, now that I’ve started working, there’s an expectation of me to contribute to the household’s grocery costs when I have almost nothing as it is.

Meds: The bulk of my healthcare is covered under my employee benefits, and prior to that under Illinois’ Medicaid.  That said, sometimes I still run into copays on my prescriptions that I can’t really afford, which has made things tricky at times.

Surprise expenses: When I first drafted this post, my bike, despite not being in the greatest shape, was still usable.  When I started this job I had a fifth work shirt, but it tore while working my second week on the job.  Because I haven’t had and still don’t have the money to replace or fix things as they’ve stopped working, worn out, or broke, a lot of expenses I haven’t anticipated and accounted for keep cropping up and making things worse.

Bank balance: As long as my bank account remains over-drafted, not only can I not use it, I can’t open another bank account anywhere else.  The MoneyNetwork account I use comes with a lot of restrictions and makes it very hard to actually get at my money when I need it.  Unfortunately, the only real solution to this is paying off the overdrafts, which means tossing a few hundred dollars down the drain, something I won’t be able to do for at least another few paychecks as it is.

There’s more odds and ends (EG a new bike helmet, new electronics cables and chargers, the occasional Uber/Lyft, etc.) but those are the big, pressing things.  The thing is, at the rate my paychecks are getting yanked out from under me right now, I don’t know if I’m going to be able to afford a lot of these things for at least another couple months, and I’m starting to worry something could cause me to lose my job before I even get to that point.  Since I started this job, I’ve been agonizing over how to prioritize these expenses, and getting even more lost every time a new one crops up.  A lot of these expenses could affect my job performance and that’s something I can’t really afford, but at the same time I can’t afford most of these expenses right now.

Point is, I’m starting to flounder again and I really need some relief.  I don’t know what I’ll do if I lose this job, but right now it’s not churning out enough to cover all my necessary expenses.  If I can get at least some of the above stuff taken care of in short order, it will loosen my budgets substantially, I’ll be able to actually keep some money in my bank accounts following a paycheck, and I won’t be standing over the edge looking down anymore, so to speak.

The long and short of it is, I’m asking for money for some financial help.  Furthermore, as much as I’d like to assure that I’ll pay it back, I really have no idea if/when I’ll be in the kind of position to do so.  Even just knocking out a few of the above expenses would take a huge load off.

So, if you have any money you can and are willing to spare so that I can keep on the road to general recovery (both financial and health-wise), I would greatly appreciate it.  I can’t really use something like GoFundMe because of my limited access to banking, so I’m asking for donations via either Google Wallet or Venmo.  I also can’t use paypal for the moment, however if you can only use paypal and would like to donate, please please message me and I’ll see if we can figure something out.  If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to ask.  I’m also not trying to make a huge campaign of this, I don’t want to take in any more than I reasonably need.

My Google Wallet address: legolas626@gmail.com My Venmo profile: legolas626@gmail.com

Thanks to everyone who at the very least read this far, I do appreciate it.  While I’m trying not to spread this around more than necessary, if you know anyone that might be willing to help, I would appreciate directing them this way if you could.

(Also, because I have a feeling this is going to get brought up, full disclosure: I was able to attend Anthrocon in Pittsburgh last weekend, but I was able to do so because a very good friend on the AC staff made it happen for me and it didn’t actually cost me anything, and him very little.  I just want to make that clear.)

[dancekickboxcardio]

I have so much to say. Apparently, weird has this way of changing your perspective. It doesn’t mean your personality has altered over time. You want the 1 million point of difference only an experienced stud 👩🏼‍🎓 would know. It only means something is done ✅ differently. Yes, you have to sort of have this acceptance knowing that it somehow fits within the way you see yourself.

This is why it’s weird. I wore the exact same thing like down to the underwear. You are gross yourself. Insane. I changed my hair 💇🏼‍♀️. There is a promo for chopping mane. It’s two weeks early on sched 📅. My Dad said don’t worry 😉 about it. He’s paying 💵. It doesn’t makes a difference. Ok, fine like I am not going to get eye 👁 check up discount 🏷. But I care about handling finances 🔣🔢. Who gives a hoot, your accounting ✍🏾 and what shows on your bank 🏦 statement doesn’t match. Don’t give a fudge. You are not making cash for other people. Yeah, I don’t work. It’s not like you used up all your retirement for an endeavor and have nothing left for other basics like medical 🏥 bills , car repairs 🔧🔩 etc. Oh, you want me to cover the difference so you meet your needs. Well, well, you are a piece of ray of sunshine ☀️. You are as desperate as delusional. But yeah, you appear wealthy. There you go. Hard earned money double job. Don’t tell me you have nothing to do on a terrible credit.

I woke up to use the bathroom and got up again to give my Mom my grocery 🛒 list. I couldn’t go back to bed 🛏. I was groggy 🥴 and didn’t think 🤔 I’ll be up because I probably fell asleep 💤 between 1 and 2. Rest is important ⚠️ esp if you train. I am not sure what to do with myself. I need to wash 🧽 dishes, I could get my hair done 💁🏼‍♀️. I was thinking 💭 of something else too. It escapes me but it’s like at the top of my tongue 😛 . My consciousness has it, it’s just not in forefront executive thinking.

I had, I shouldn’t surprise �� myself an off beat day yesterday. I know I am not all there edgy sharp. That’s ok. In fact, afternoon, I was smiling 😀 at the girls who look 👀 like they were making a music 🎶 video exercising in the studio. Then, I was thinking to myself. This is the funny 😁 part. I either can’t open the door 🚪 because I am opening the wrong way or I missed the door and almost hit my face on it not paying attention. It makes for a good caught on tape 🎥 moment. Straight from a comedy movie 🍿. I mean when you need me, I am performing. Yet, I didn’t pack utensils 🍴. There was a seeming ridiculous story about how they keep the stuff behind the kitchen counter and you have to buy 💲💲💲💲💲💲 something. No, it’s not free. I was going to joke the day before to a kid albeit sick that charging his phone 📱 costs him a dollar 💵 . I needed to eat breakfast 🍳. I asked for spoon 🥄. They said their stuff is special. Oooooh 👻. No, seriously, health conscious ritzies love 💕 it that their thing is expensive and it helps the earth 🌏. Apparently, people were stealing the plastic forks, knife etc that stay in the landfills for thousands of years. Ugh 😑 , this vegaware is like you can put in a compost. “Heal the world 🗺. Make it a better place.” 🎵

The place was quiet 🤫 yesterday. I quipped with the lifeguard, it’s a Friday. Ah, I love 💗 the pleasant 70 weather ☀️ ⛅️. Before I forget I have to mention that I didn’t realize I was tuned 🎼 in to oldies music. I swear I chose L.A Kiss 💋 FM 📻. Yeah, don’t flatter yourself. I didn’t change it for the heck of it. I liked this song 🎤.

The foodie 🥗 was my first actual purchase 💳 from the café to get something to use to pick up my food 🥘. Am I suppose to slurp the yogurt 🍦? I stayed a little longer outside since it’s not hot 🥵 like it’s going to be 80s and 90s this week. I remem when my paternal grandpa 👴🏻 died we went around and visit relatives and not work on our trip ✈️. I was playing out in the backyard, baseball ⚾️ with my cousins. I have issue with Ohio summer. I have a sensitive reaction. One way ticket 🎟 😒 on debt. Please don’t make me laugh 😆. I was out by the pool 🏊🏻‍♀️ 2.5 hours longer ⏱. I was like, “Let’s tweet 📱 nicely outside.” I went to bathroom often which makes sense because feeling faint 😨 I drank a lot of water 💦 and yes, your body has it’s own clock work mechanism. It doesn’t care whether you want to go or not. I fell asleep 😴 on my belly, Thank God. I had a great discussion with Mary the yoga 🧘🏼‍♀️ instructor. She was strict, tough and very good in teaching the practice. My FNP friend goes peptobismol and she said heat exhaustion. I found the alternative simple solution by the master yogi palatable. Lemon 🍋 on water 💦. I told her, without a doubt, I am having orthostatic pressure probs. I checked my BP last night. It was within range. But folding in half, yes, I know I am aware I am out of breath than usual, all the symptoms were back nausea 🤢, headache 🤕, feeling of pallidness. This might be the primary issue. Yet, the changes in weather patterns I feel is also concomitant. I didn’t lift 💪🏾 🦵🏾. It was my plan. I waited for my Mom and watch stupid 📺 TV. I saw Ahmed and said hi 👋🏾.

Someone wants to make out 😻😽.

I am eating 🍽 outside of my recommended diet. I am hungry 😋. I should have breakfast 🍳.

[cutenoteshop]

How to set up your planner

The first thing you need to do is set your planner up. But where should you start? How to organize it so that it can be easy to use the planner?

If you have a ring binder, you will need to purchase or print and cut your own printable inserts.

Here is a quick guide to effectively set up your planner, at the same time keeping it simple and easy.

Check up your tools and supplies

Gather everything you need:

Hole Punch for printed pages

Stickers (it's always fun)

Highlighters or coloured pens for colour coding

Printables

These are the basics to grab for now. When you start planning more, you will see what else you would need.

Decide What to Track and Where

Next step is to decide what you are going to track in your planner. Perhaps you already have an idea of what you want to keep track of, but writing it all down will help you better organize the planner that will work for you.

Start a list of everything you need to keep track of, then start grouping them by category. The categories then end up becoming dividers.

The most common things people keep track of in their planners:

Calendar/schedule - appointments, events, birthdays, anniversaries, spouse's/children's schedules, school/work schedules, vacations

Finances - spending, bills, online orders, debt/saving trackers, income, budgets, shopping lists, wish lists etc.

Home/Family - cleaning lists, kids info, holiday planning, home projects, organizing/decluttering

Goals - to do lists, actions, projects, timelines

Health/Fitness - exercise tracker, meal planner, grocery list, weight/measurements tracker, food log, mood tracker, headache/symptom tracker, period/fertility tracker, medicine tracker

Personal - makeup lists, ideas, morning/evening routines, habits, gratitude, affirmations, bucket lists, books read, movies, TV shows, family activities

Work/business - brainstorming ideas/lists, business income/expense tracker, stats/analytics, mileage log, passwords

Now, where will these sections go? Distribute sections as it will be convenient for you. This will be different for everybody. Set it up to the way you know will work for you. The most important goes first, as well as the most motivating.

Determine How You Will Use Your Planner

Decide how information coming in will be handled. If your planner is always with you, you can write it directly on the month/week/day. Or you can create a page where all incoming information goes, like GTD method.

If you know you won’t have access to your planner use your notes app on your smartphone. Then transfer it to your planner during your daily planning session.

The benefit of having this incoming list is so you free up your brain space by not having to remember everything. You will have more clarity by seeing everything you have to do at a glance. And you will be able to take care of the little things consistently.

Use The Monthly Calendar

Starting with the current month of your planner start writing in all your calendar events like birthdays and appointments you already know about. It’s also a good practice to use only one calendar for both home/personal and work. By combining personal and work calendars you can see how much free time you really have, it’s much easier to maintain your planner, and you won’t double book events accidentally. You may add more to the monthly calendar later, but the basics are all you need for now.

Make a List of Goal and Tasks

Think about what you’d like to accomplish within the next 3-6 months. Write this list down in your planner,  it will serve as your master list. Then decide how many and what steps you will need to achieve these goals. Write them down and decide how much time you will need. Follow it up by breaking it down into more specific tasks with more details. After that, you can add them to your monthly, weekly and daily planner pages.

Organize your tasks lists by project or category. By having an organized list you won’t worry about missing anything. Be sure to look back on these lists regularly and do something about it!

Add More Details to Your Weekly or Daily Schedule

Now it is time to set up the weekly section of your planner. Use your monthly calendar to plan out what needs to be done each week, and on which day. The weekly pages usually have larger sections for each day of the week so that you have enough room to write down details like to-do lists for completing tasks or things you need before an appointment or event.

If you’re using a daily printable, you can plan out your entire day with your routines, meals, and then input your tasks that need to be done in the space where you will have time. Try to schedule a time for life tasks as well in your planner too such as family time, self-care and other non-work tasks. Include buffer time in your schedule so if things don’t go according to plan it won’t derail the rest of your day.

When using this section of your planner, try to make it a routine to review and plan every night or morning. Be sure your to-do list for every day includes only 3-5 main tasks, use action verbs and assign the estimated time it takes to complete the task. There will always be urgent tasks that come up at the last minute and these will need to be added to your daily lists too. Make sure your tasks keeps moving forward. Check off your tasks, migrate it to the next day if you didn’t finish it, or delete it if it’s no longer actual. Then get to work and do the task when you plan to!

Keep Track of Everything and Anything You Want

By now, you have completed the main part of the planner. Even with all these suggestions, this is really just the beginning of all the things you could do with a daily planner. This is a truly customizable tool, so you can use it in the way that best suits your needs and lifestyle.

Now that your planner is set up, all that’s left to do is use your planner daily – and you’re ready to get started!

As your life changes, be prepared to change up your planner system. You may find that you no longer need so many lists. Or you may find that a week on one page is all you need to plan your weeks because you don’t only need to see the big events of the week. Or maybe that awesome pocket planner won’t work out for you because it’s way too small and you have way too much to keep track of. Or you may find your big planner is too big and you never use it because you can’t take it anywhere! Just remember, you can start your planner anytime and change it anytime. Even if you didn’t set up your planner on January 1st, you can do it today (another great thing about setting up a printable planner!)

Have fun planning in your new planner!

[mylifeasavetstudent]

Nerves About Ross

6/22/17

I heard I was accepted 3 weeks ago, but I’m still waiting to hear about whether I start in September 2017 or January 2018. I should know within the next 5-6 weeks - which could give me only 3-4 weeks to get ready and move down there.

Trying to get my thoughts in order, here are some of the logical and illogical things I'm scared about in regard to starting Veterinary School and in regard to moving down to St. Kitt’s. I’m sure some are normal and shared by most students, but I’m sure some are me just being a whiny 23-year old New York girl.

_____________

1) Packing. (Overpacking, underpacking, forgetting). How am I gonna fit everything in two suitcases? I plan to use vacuum seal bags and bring the two biggest overweight suitcases and a carry-on that I can. I just keep thinking about all the bulky stuff - kitchenware, bedding/pillows, shower/beach towels, steel-toed farm boots, shoes/clothes, toiletries, makeup/hair/cosmetics, electronics, books/school supplies. I went away to undergrad college about 30 minutes away and lived on an on-campus dorm/apartment for 4 years. However, I was in a big city, and could easily get anything I needed down the block. I was also so close to home, that I often went home on the weekends, and could pick up anything I needed. Also important to note that I could use Amazon, unlike St. Kitt’s. Every time I moved in/out, it took about 2-3 car loads of stuff!

2) Buying textbooks/school supplies.

I guess I should wait till I get to the island to get books? Do they have a school bookstore? Will other students be selling them? I worry if I wait till I get down there, I won’t be able to find them.

Should I order them in advnace and pack them? I worry this will take up too much space/weight in my suitcase. Should I order them in advance and have them shipped to St. Kitt’s? This would probably be super expensive, and what if they take too long to get there or go to the wrong location?

3) Buying a car (getting license/insurance/mechanics, etc.)

When should I buy a car? Second semester? I’m worried I’ll be taken advantage of and pay a lot of money for a really crappy car. I’m nervous about driving a dangerous car. I’m nervous about going through all the processes of getting a license, insurance, legally buying the car, etc. I love my US car and I’m gonna miss it and hate leaving it at home for a few years! I’m also terrified to find a reliable St. Kitts mechanic, since I’ve heard horror stories about being overcharged and taken advantage of. Mechanics who “fix” your problem, but purposely create more. Criminal mechanics who steal your car and sell parts. Agh.

4) The bus system/traveling.

Super nervous about figuring it out and navigating it while I don’t have a car yet. What if I get stranded in some bad area alone as the sun sets?!

5) Food shopping (bugs, giardia).

I've heard horror stories about food on grocery store shelves being rancid and expired. I’ve been told to check the dates on everything before buying it - even milk and cheeses. I’ve been told about boxes of pasta full of bugs and peanut butter full of worms. I’ve also heard there is giardia and mycoplasma in the tap water? Definitely scared of that. Is this true of bottled water or other drinks?

6) Bugs/centipedes/spiders/ticks.

I am terrified of bugs. The pictures I see of giant spiders, moths, and aggressive, hard-to-kill venomous centipedes in homes/beds/clothes give me absolute nightmares. I’m also scared of ticks and tick-borne diseases due to all the outdoor activity. 

7) Living arrangements.

The uncertainty here is killing me. I know I'll be living in a dorm my first semester, but that’s only 3 months. And will I be living alone? With 2 roommates? 3? How do I apply? I’m nervous to be living alone - but what if I get roommates I hate?

8) Wild animals/monkeys/sea animals/hiking.

Are there dangerous wild animals? What about the monkeys? What about in the ocean? Are there aggressive fish/octopi? Do I need to worry about jellyfish? Sharp sea urchins? I know there are a lot of great hikes - but I'm an inexperienced hiker. Do I need to be scared of animals on the trails? What about tick-borne diseases? What about being robbed/attacked by humans on the trial? Or getting lost in the woods with no cell signal? I don’t even know what clothes to wear or what hiking shoes ARE! HELP.

9) Personal Safety/Being burgalarized.

I’ve heard that as long as you are generally street smart, you should be okay. But I also hear horror stories of native drug deals gone wrong right near St. Kitts students - of guns shots and murders. I’ve heard of armed car jackings, robberies, rapes. I’ve heard of break ins and burglaries. Definitely nervous about personal safety. Even if just my STUFF is stolen - I’m so nervous I'll lose expensive items, as well as personal valuable like photos and class notes. I’m investing in personal property insurance that extends to St. Kitts, as well as external hard drives to copy all my stuff. Do I need to buy a pocket knife or mace or something?

10) Cell phones.

I still don’t really understand this concept. So I can bring my iphone, and simply put it in airplane mode and turn on the wifi? That way I can use iMessage, email, Facebook messenger, WhatsApp, viver, etc. for phone calls/text - but, it will only work when there is wifi around. This way, I won’t be charged an exorbitant amount for international cell service. Should I stop paying for my phone plan?

I’m also told you’re given an old block phone from Ross for calls to other students and businesses on the island. 

11) Massive debt.

Yep. Probably gonna be in $325,000 of debt and start at $40,000 a year while I have clients scream at me about how rich I am and don’t care about animals. 

12) Failing out. 

Definitely scared of vet school being “too hard” and failing out. I know I’m a good student and I’m planning to study my ass off - but this fear is still there.

13) Living on my own.

Like I said, I lived about 30 minutes from my house for four years in undergrad college. I could go home on the weekends, and ask my mom for help with anything. I lived on campus, so I had maintenance and security staff always present. I never lived off campus. I also lived with 1-3 roommates every year, and always shared a bedroom - so I was never completely alone.

14) Making friends and knowing no one.

Definitely a big fear - but everyone else seems to manage it, right? I guess when you’re all in a completely new country with no friends/family, everyone’s a bit more open. 

15) Logistics - setting up a bank account, loans, FAFSA, paying pills, receiving monthly loan allowals, visas, passports, customs, flights, vaccines.

SO MUCH TO DO. 

16) Rabies vaccine

It’s gonna hurt, isn’t it? What other vaccines do I need? Can I get them on the island? Is it cheaper?

17) My dog.

My dog is 13 with CKD. I’m terrified that when I get on that flight, it’ll be my last time seeing her. ):

18) Mail system.

Seems very complicated and expensive. I’ve heard people dig through your personal mail right in front of you. And SO. EXPENSIVE. Also gonna greatly miss amazon.

19) Disease (Zika, HIV, Lyme, parasites - vaccines)

Definitely scared of getting some crazy topical diseases that we don’t have up here in NYC. Definitely scared of parasites - is that gorgeous water there safe to swim in? Not just the oceans/seas, what about lakes? I don’t need some crazy vagina parasite swimming into me or accidentally swallowing some giardia. Or is just the drinking water dangerous?

20) The health system (getting insurance, birth control, allergy shots, hospital visits)

Trying to figure out how to continue my birth control and allergy shots while I'm down there. Apparently my birth control is $4/month over the counter down there. Apparently Ross Health Services can administer my allergy shots, but I’ll have to bring the refrigerated vials down from NYC with me, and have them changed out every 9-12 months. God knows how much that would cost to ship - might be cheaper for me to just fly up and back and get em!

Definitely nervous about the quality of health care and emergency health care down there. I heard chickens roam the hospital. Hoping to get all my general/preventative care done on my breaks back home. 

21) Being okay with “island time” (everything being closed)

I’ve lived my entire life in a busy city - nothing closes, ever. Weekends, nights, holidays - there’s always somewhere I can stop and get food/drinks. Adapting to there being no drive throughs or quick delis to stop into when I had 5 minutes before class is gonna be rough. And so is realizing that by 5pm on a Friday, I’m screwed until 8am on a Monday for any business I need to go to or contact. Especially dreading this with a car breakdown. 

22) Not being able to find things from the US (Certain drinks, snacks, cosmetics)

Again, this is just something I’m gonna have to adapt to - but I will miss it!

23) Deciding when I can afford to go home.

I have no idea if I should go home after every semester? Is that something people normally do? Or once a year? 

From what I'm reading on flight websites: It’s gonna be about a $400-600 flight ($1000-1200 round trip), take about 5 hours (10 hours both way) and need to have 1-2 stops. With the stops, it’ll be about 7-22 hours one way (14-44 hours round trip). Ugh. 

24) Not taking advantage of all the great opportunities/trips available. 

I’m scared I’m gonna be so overwhelmed with classes and exams, that I’ll miss out on some of the great extracuricular activities, clubs, sports, games, hikes, etc. Or the great “vacation” trips abroad available on breaks. 

25) Second semester - rent, laundry, landlords, safety, finding roommates.

Definitely scared of moving on to second semester and out of the dorms where I'll be pressured to find a safe, convenient, cheap apartment. I’ll have to move all my stuff (how? rent a car?), pay bills, pay rent, deal with a landlord, all for the first time in my life. And I’m definitely scared about picking the “Right” roommates to live with. 

26) Restaurant food/native food

How is the food there? I’m unfortunately not a huge seafood fan, but not averse to trying the native food. However - is it safe? Should I make sure I ask for no ice (water parasites)? Is there a possibility of undercooked meat/seafood or spoiled/expired meat/seafood? Is there a possibility of parasites in the food?

27) Hobbies

I’ve been going to school part time and working full time the past year, and I haven’t participated in any of my hobbies in over a year. I love learning foreign languages and I love horseback riding - and I haven't had time (excuse excuse) or money to do either. I worry this will just continue on in veterinary school, as I’ll be even more stressed, and have even less time and less money. Is there even any horseback riding availability down there? I mean, I can’t really pack all my language books (guess I can do a lot online), and I definitely can’t pack all my riding stuff (boots, helmet, clothes, saddle, etc. etc.)

28) Fun one: So when do I change my blog name from mylifeasaPREvet student to mylifeasaVETstudent? I also think I’m gonna start a website blog about life on the island - no only for future nervous students (like me right now) - but for my friends and family to see via Facebook. Don’t exactly wanna share all my tumblr info on Facebook! Best website for a blog?