Doing the DEU stuff for work sometimes really pisses me off, although it makes me laugh at the same time because of absurdity.
I get to see the job title and the (gross) weekly earnings of these injured workers. This morning I found a person whose title was given as Clerk/Typist and her weekly income is around $1500.
And that's when I giggled in anger/frustration.
Showing posts with label money. Show all posts
Showing posts with label money. Show all posts
Thursday, September 03, 2009
Tuesday, September 16, 2008
Lended
Got my student loan statement/bill yesterday. I owe $3001.20. I have more than that in my savings account. Would really like to pay the damn thing off.
Should I?
Should I?
Monday, August 04, 2008
Budget Woes
Any who perused this place last week probably saw that I may, or may not, have had my pay cut to $6.55 an hour. And if I haven't, I only haven't had it cut until the September. (Although I'm not sure if it's my paycheck for September, which comes out on the 30th, or the check for October which would first be affected.) Something that I haven't mentioned, though, is all the "vets" who keep telling me not to worry about this budget thing and that it happens all the time.
I get that this state never passes a budget on time. It's supposed to be passed in January (to, you know, spell out what spending will be like for the next fiscal year, you know, before the fiscal year actually starts), but it's not late until July 1st. I don't think it's ever been passed before June. If it has, well, color me surprised.
Okay, so the June deadline comes and goes, no big deal. We meander our way through July wondering why the Assembly and Senate are allowed to take time off without a budget passed, but we let it go. All the while, in the back of our heads, we think about what might happen to us in November because usually there aren't any announcements or major concerns until then.
Then it's the last full week in July and there are rumors floating around that the governor is thinking about cutting our pay to minimum wage, not the state's minimum wage, but the federal one which is nearly $1.50 less. We talk and we worry, but very few of us believe that the governor is that desperate. He won't do it. It's just a threat to get the legislature moving.
Besides, if something is going to happen, it'll be more like what's been done in the past. He's going to ask each employee to take a 10% cut in pay, but make up for it in vacation time, like the state did five or so years ago. He's going to do mandatory time off, so we only have a four day work week for a while, like the state did ten or so years ago. Or, if nothing's resolved by December, he's going to shut down all but the most essential government services to force the issue and get a budget passed, like the state did fifteen or so years ago. But nothing like any of those things, will happen until the beginning of October because it'd be nuts to do it in the beginning of August when the budget is only one month late.
And then it's the last day of July and the first day of a new pay period and the man a plurality of people voted to be in charge of the executive branch signs an order that cuts pay to almost all full time civil servants and fires all part timers and student helpers and retired annuitants.
So the employees get outraged, but in a quiet way. We bitch and moan to each other because, for everyone left, pay has been cut drastically. It's the main thing we talk about with our friends and family. Even when we're sick of hearing and talking and thinking about it, it's all we can focus on because it's a big deal. And even though we're whining about the cut, we know that we're lucky because we still have our jobs. We will get paid something. And when the budget gets passed, we get everything back that we lost, except for the interest we would have made while it sat in the bank and the interest we accumulated because some weren't very well prepared and had to use their credit cards to buy food and pay other bills.
When we finally do shut up about the pay-cut, we watch TV or read (yeah, right) the newspaper and we see the average citizen's reaction. Sure, the average person's upset about the lay-offs at the DMV, where probably one third of the workforce is part time, because the hours have been cut and less staff means more time waiting in line. Other than that, they don't care as long as it doesn't inconvenience them too much. Some people even think that state employees are too well paid and we deserve what's happening. While those people may think civil servants deserve a livable wage, they don't think we should get the benefits and retirement package we have because regular folks don't get 'em.
Of course, we all know we're a political football to be tossed around during times of stress, like every single election ever, and then left to go flat in the corner when saying how greedy and horrible we are won't gain any political clout for anyone. We know we piss people off because we enforce the rule and regulations. We know we hurt families when we cut off unemployment or disability payments because the time has run out. We know that we annoy those who make a comfortable living by making them deal with the lines at the DMV. Before we started working for the state, we made all the same jokes everyone else does.
Doesn't mean we like it, though. It's just a shitty part of the job we put up with. I'm sure it happens at every job. At least we come in knowing about it.
This is the first, and probably not the last, time my paycheck is used by jackass politicians. I'm trying not to worry. I'm trying really hard because if I worry I'll start baking and if I start baking I'll start eating because it'd be a waste to eat the baking and I really don't need to do any extra eating.
I do worry, though.
How can I not?
If I do only get $6.55 an hour, my paycheck will have been cut by about two thirds its usual amount. The pay I take home will be less than my rent. Deductions for medical and retirement, which I want, will hurt a lot more.
Yes, I have savings. Right now I have more money saved than I've ever saved in my life. Sure, I wanted to get a new car in a week or two and then take a few days to go to Las Vegas to check out Star Trek: The Experience before it leave on the first of September, but I guess I don't need to do something fun.
I get that this state never passes a budget on time. It's supposed to be passed in January (to, you know, spell out what spending will be like for the next fiscal year, you know, before the fiscal year actually starts), but it's not late until July 1st. I don't think it's ever been passed before June. If it has, well, color me surprised.
Okay, so the June deadline comes and goes, no big deal. We meander our way through July wondering why the Assembly and Senate are allowed to take time off without a budget passed, but we let it go. All the while, in the back of our heads, we think about what might happen to us in November because usually there aren't any announcements or major concerns until then.
Then it's the last full week in July and there are rumors floating around that the governor is thinking about cutting our pay to minimum wage, not the state's minimum wage, but the federal one which is nearly $1.50 less. We talk and we worry, but very few of us believe that the governor is that desperate. He won't do it. It's just a threat to get the legislature moving.
Besides, if something is going to happen, it'll be more like what's been done in the past. He's going to ask each employee to take a 10% cut in pay, but make up for it in vacation time, like the state did five or so years ago. He's going to do mandatory time off, so we only have a four day work week for a while, like the state did ten or so years ago. Or, if nothing's resolved by December, he's going to shut down all but the most essential government services to force the issue and get a budget passed, like the state did fifteen or so years ago. But nothing like any of those things, will happen until the beginning of October because it'd be nuts to do it in the beginning of August when the budget is only one month late.
And then it's the last day of July and the first day of a new pay period and the man a plurality of people voted to be in charge of the executive branch signs an order that cuts pay to almost all full time civil servants and fires all part timers and student helpers and retired annuitants.
So the employees get outraged, but in a quiet way. We bitch and moan to each other because, for everyone left, pay has been cut drastically. It's the main thing we talk about with our friends and family. Even when we're sick of hearing and talking and thinking about it, it's all we can focus on because it's a big deal. And even though we're whining about the cut, we know that we're lucky because we still have our jobs. We will get paid something. And when the budget gets passed, we get everything back that we lost, except for the interest we would have made while it sat in the bank and the interest we accumulated because some weren't very well prepared and had to use their credit cards to buy food and pay other bills.
When we finally do shut up about the pay-cut, we watch TV or read (yeah, right) the newspaper and we see the average citizen's reaction. Sure, the average person's upset about the lay-offs at the DMV, where probably one third of the workforce is part time, because the hours have been cut and less staff means more time waiting in line. Other than that, they don't care as long as it doesn't inconvenience them too much. Some people even think that state employees are too well paid and we deserve what's happening. While those people may think civil servants deserve a livable wage, they don't think we should get the benefits and retirement package we have because regular folks don't get 'em.
Of course, we all know we're a political football to be tossed around during times of stress, like every single election ever, and then left to go flat in the corner when saying how greedy and horrible we are won't gain any political clout for anyone. We know we piss people off because we enforce the rule and regulations. We know we hurt families when we cut off unemployment or disability payments because the time has run out. We know that we annoy those who make a comfortable living by making them deal with the lines at the DMV. Before we started working for the state, we made all the same jokes everyone else does.
Doesn't mean we like it, though. It's just a shitty part of the job we put up with. I'm sure it happens at every job. At least we come in knowing about it.
This is the first, and probably not the last, time my paycheck is used by jackass politicians. I'm trying not to worry. I'm trying really hard because if I worry I'll start baking and if I start baking I'll start eating because it'd be a waste to eat the baking and I really don't need to do any extra eating.
I do worry, though.
How can I not?
If I do only get $6.55 an hour, my paycheck will have been cut by about two thirds its usual amount. The pay I take home will be less than my rent. Deductions for medical and retirement, which I want, will hurt a lot more.
Yes, I have savings. Right now I have more money saved than I've ever saved in my life. Sure, I wanted to get a new car in a week or two and then take a few days to go to Las Vegas to check out Star Trek: The Experience before it leave on the first of September, but I guess I don't need to do something fun.
Thursday, July 10, 2008
The Road
I really want a new car.
The longer I drive the car I'm in, the closer the word "want" gets to "need."
This month is the 18th anniversary of when my current car was bought. I can remember spending the day at my grandparents' house, with my brothers, waiting for our parents to get back from Cowcity. When they got there, we were in awe. The three of us piled in as our parents got out and played Star Tours because it reminded us of the shuttle from that ride. (If our parents had bought it a year later, we would have played Star Trek, but we hadn't quite discovered the wondrous world of The Next Generation, yet.)
That's not what matters, though. It's getting old. It makes funny whine in four out of the five gears. Stuff leaks. And, frankly, I'd just like to feel cool driving a newer car.
If I had the money, I'd buy a brand new Prius or some other kind of hybrid. I figure that no new hybrid will sell for less than $23000. (Unless I get the teeny-tiny Yaris, but I'd really like to seat four people comfortably in my car, even if no one else ever rides with me.) I couldn't put more than $3000 as a down payment. That means if I want to pay it off in a reasonable amount of time, I'd have to pay more than $400 a month. I do not have an extra $400 a month in my budget, especially since my insurance would at least triple.
So, what about pre-owned? Well, since hybrids haven't been around very long, the used ones are all selling for more than $10000. All the ones at dealers, that I've seen on the interblub, are $16000 or more. My payment would be closer to $250 a month, which I could probably handle, but I wouldn't be putting much, if anything, in my savings during that time and I'd have to put paying my student loan on a much slower schedule. At a dealership, though, it's possible.
The hybrids that owners are selling are cheaper. Sure, still hovering around that $10000 mark, but that's thousands less than the dealer wants. The problem is that if I bought from someone who owns the car they're going to want the all the money the day I buy it from them. The fastest that I could save up $10000 is five months. Of course, that's five months without paying rent or utilities or car insurance or buying food or comics or gasoline. Five months with me not spending money at all. (Okay, if I drained my savings all the way to zero, it'd be closer to three months. But then I'd have no money at all. That seems like a stupid plan to me.)
Then I move on.
What type of car would I like to have if I can't have a hybrid?
Well, I'd like something that has the room to hold stuff. A car that can carry me and three other adults comfortably. I'd like reasonable gas mileage, like over 25 MPG. And, since I still hope to move up to Cowtown, 4-wheel drive would be a nice option for those all too common times that the county doesn't plow the roads until the morning after the night where all the snow that stuck froze solid and all the plows do is pack the icy snow down harder so when it starts to thaw, instead of melting away, it just creates a thin film of water making the roads even slicker than they would have been before the plows went by and then when it refreezes overnight the ice is even harder and therefore more slippery the next day when the sun comes out to tease a freezing world with its rays. (Also, they use sand in Cowtown, not salt, on the roads, which is fine when the ice is thin and going to be mostly melted away by that after noon, but not so good when the compacted snow/ice is half an inch thick.)
A car with space, reasonable mileage, and 4-wheel drive? Well, the only one that comes to mind is that Subaru Outback. I had a teacher who drove one of those when I was at JC. She was a graphic designer by trade, and used her car to pick up things that were printed and to travel to semi-faraway places to meet with clients. She really liked the car, too. Also, I used to drive Subaru Wagon, from, you know, the mid 80s. It was a pretty good car. (Yes, there were a few very expensive problems. One of the problems was caused by the previous owner putting a water tube on backwards so it was up against the hot engine so it melted and the car overheated and the engine because useless and then I got an engine, that wasn't rebuilt, just dropped into the car, and this led to other expensive problems because I don't think they really put in the same sort of engine. I really hated the place that "repaired" my car.) I could live pretty comfortably for several years driving an Outback that's five to ten years old.
Ah, but then there's the pricing. The cheapest, in my admittedly brief search, came up with a '97 for about $4900 sold by its owner. The pre '00 to '02 were all priced closer to $6000, though. Most of the dealer ones were $8500 or more. I could handle a car payment that would come off of that price. I'd rather just be able to buy it right out, though.
*sigh*
This weekend, I'm thinking of a test drive.
The longer I drive the car I'm in, the closer the word "want" gets to "need."
This month is the 18th anniversary of when my current car was bought. I can remember spending the day at my grandparents' house, with my brothers, waiting for our parents to get back from Cowcity. When they got there, we were in awe. The three of us piled in as our parents got out and played Star Tours because it reminded us of the shuttle from that ride. (If our parents had bought it a year later, we would have played Star Trek, but we hadn't quite discovered the wondrous world of The Next Generation, yet.)
That's not what matters, though. It's getting old. It makes funny whine in four out of the five gears. Stuff leaks. And, frankly, I'd just like to feel cool driving a newer car.
If I had the money, I'd buy a brand new Prius or some other kind of hybrid. I figure that no new hybrid will sell for less than $23000. (Unless I get the teeny-tiny Yaris, but I'd really like to seat four people comfortably in my car, even if no one else ever rides with me.) I couldn't put more than $3000 as a down payment. That means if I want to pay it off in a reasonable amount of time, I'd have to pay more than $400 a month. I do not have an extra $400 a month in my budget, especially since my insurance would at least triple.
So, what about pre-owned? Well, since hybrids haven't been around very long, the used ones are all selling for more than $10000. All the ones at dealers, that I've seen on the interblub, are $16000 or more. My payment would be closer to $250 a month, which I could probably handle, but I wouldn't be putting much, if anything, in my savings during that time and I'd have to put paying my student loan on a much slower schedule. At a dealership, though, it's possible.
The hybrids that owners are selling are cheaper. Sure, still hovering around that $10000 mark, but that's thousands less than the dealer wants. The problem is that if I bought from someone who owns the car they're going to want the all the money the day I buy it from them. The fastest that I could save up $10000 is five months. Of course, that's five months without paying rent or utilities or car insurance or buying food or comics or gasoline. Five months with me not spending money at all. (Okay, if I drained my savings all the way to zero, it'd be closer to three months. But then I'd have no money at all. That seems like a stupid plan to me.)
Then I move on.
What type of car would I like to have if I can't have a hybrid?
Well, I'd like something that has the room to hold stuff. A car that can carry me and three other adults comfortably. I'd like reasonable gas mileage, like over 25 MPG. And, since I still hope to move up to Cowtown, 4-wheel drive would be a nice option for those all too common times that the county doesn't plow the roads until the morning after the night where all the snow that stuck froze solid and all the plows do is pack the icy snow down harder so when it starts to thaw, instead of melting away, it just creates a thin film of water making the roads even slicker than they would have been before the plows went by and then when it refreezes overnight the ice is even harder and therefore more slippery the next day when the sun comes out to tease a freezing world with its rays. (Also, they use sand in Cowtown, not salt, on the roads, which is fine when the ice is thin and going to be mostly melted away by that after noon, but not so good when the compacted snow/ice is half an inch thick.)
A car with space, reasonable mileage, and 4-wheel drive? Well, the only one that comes to mind is that Subaru Outback. I had a teacher who drove one of those when I was at JC. She was a graphic designer by trade, and used her car to pick up things that were printed and to travel to semi-faraway places to meet with clients. She really liked the car, too. Also, I used to drive Subaru Wagon, from, you know, the mid 80s. It was a pretty good car. (Yes, there were a few very expensive problems. One of the problems was caused by the previous owner putting a water tube on backwards so it was up against the hot engine so it melted and the car overheated and the engine because useless and then I got an engine, that wasn't rebuilt, just dropped into the car, and this led to other expensive problems because I don't think they really put in the same sort of engine. I really hated the place that "repaired" my car.) I could live pretty comfortably for several years driving an Outback that's five to ten years old.
Ah, but then there's the pricing. The cheapest, in my admittedly brief search, came up with a '97 for about $4900 sold by its owner. The pre '00 to '02 were all priced closer to $6000, though. Most of the dealer ones were $8500 or more. I could handle a car payment that would come off of that price. I'd rather just be able to buy it right out, though.
*sigh*
This weekend, I'm thinking of a test drive.
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