exanimateFor several months, I was repulsed by the idea of analyzing my income at all, mostly because the memory of $00.00 and the unpleasant recollection of retail using me for $6.25 an hour remained very strong. It's not that bad in comparison ... it's not that bad, I kept on saying to myself. But being so in the dark about my own budget has gotten on my nerves, so I have vowed to take a closer look at what is going on.
Let us say that it is a quiet week at Cave Inc., as it has been since the chaotic month of May came to an end. I will generally "work" around 37 hours, though as graphics-related material has mostly dried up, I fear that many of these hours are actually spent zoning out while attempting/pretending to do data entry. They do not seem to know what to hire me as, so I am still an employee of the temporary agency.
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Percent of income received: approximately 80%. Yay taxes!
| Potential Guesstimates | |
| $375 | Current Rent |
| $200 | Groceries |
| $80 | Cell, Rounded Up |
| $10 | Domain Cost |
| $70 | Insurance* |
| $70 | Internet** |
| $60 | Bus Pass |
| $70 | Land Line** |
| $930 | TOTAL |
*Now offered through the temporary agency, and at present they employ me regularly enough to make it possible.
**Loosely based on Mr. Dance's fees of 2005.
The list above does not include utilities because I do not currently pay for them and subsequently have no idea what those would amount to. This leaves me with $262 extra for books, covering medication costs, miscellaneous, cosplay, sanity trips and savings purposes (or utilities). Dance or art classes would sap those free funds dry in short order. A vehicle would be an utterly impractical debt machine, as I do not think this amount could possibly cover insurance, gas and maintenance.
I live where I do because my family knows Mr. and Mrs. Dance, and rent is accordingly cheap. Unfortunately, the least expensive apartments elsewhere around here seem to be in the $500 dollar range, which would bring my "total" up to $1,055. This would reduce my leeway to $137 per month.
It is an interesting situation. I am torn between moving to a new place in New City or biding my time in The Attic until I change the county I reside in. I fear becoming bound any further here, but having the ability to stage a move from New City alone, rather than from Indiana and my current location, would be most beneficial. It should reduce the amount of stress and drama that will ensue when I at last remove my belongings from my father's (and perhaps worse, my grandmother's) grasp.
Next up: going through 2006 expenditures to see how closely they match the guesstimates listed above. This will also be useful for seeing what I can cut back on ... I am sure that caffeine and chocolate consumption could stand to be limited. But that task will have to be accomplished tomorrow. I have been so drained this week ... at this hour, I am no match for even simple columns without my calculator, which I cannot find. My math whiz days seem so long ago!
All three pieces are new additions to the exterior of an unused building but a block from where I work. The first has an optimistic message uncharacteristic of the area, so I'm wondering if someone from the vegan co-op down the street put it up there? The cookie is ... a cookie.
