6 posts tagged “money”

I found the remains of my childhood "coin collection" buried deep in my closet.  I don't even know where I got half of them.  This is what I have:

Canadian - one "loony" and one "toony" (one-dollar and two-dollar coins, respectively), two 25-cent pieces, two 10-cent pieces, and four pennies.

British - two five-pence coins, two two-pence coins, six pennies.

German - two different two-pfennig coins, one from 1989 (reading "Deutsche Demokratische Republik") and one from 1992 (reading "Bundesrepublik Deutschland"), and one 2-pfennig coin.  I'd really like to find out the history behind the two types of coins.

Austrian - two one-Schilling coins and one ten-Groschen coin.  I'm not exactly sure how the math works in that currency.

Swiss - two 1/2-franc coins

I also somehow ended up with one Swedish ore and one Greek drachma; who knows where those came from.

Reasons why my life would be a lot better if I had my own apartment:

1) Access to my own kitchen (a.k.a. not having to make the trek down to the front desk and back to get the key to the kitchen), which has the following positive effects:

                 a) Opportunity to make my own meals and bake whenever I want to,

                 b) Can maintain a well-stocked fridge and freezer, which decreases my likelihood of:

                               i) Buying pints of ice cream at the store and eating them in one sitting because I have no

                                   place to store them, and

                              ii) Eating a bunch of crap in the dining halls because it's the only thing they have that I actually

                                       like and am not tired of.

                 c) Can do my dishes as soon as I use them, cutting down on the likelihood that they will sit around and

                     get crusty and gross.

2)  Space.  This room is considerably smaller than my room at home, which means it gets messy considerably quicker.  Plus, I would get to decorate that space  in a much more creative way.

3) Not having to use a key to get into the bathroom.

Things that are stopping me:

1) Money, duh.

2) Lack of a car.  

            a) Catch - 22 - can't have good job without car, since all jobs that allow more than 20 hours a week are off-campus, but can't afford car - or apartment - without better job.

            b) Also, since the shuttles only run on weekdays and are usually full to the brim with commuter students, not having a car in an apartment would be even more of a pain in the ass than not having a car and living in a dorm.  

Any thoughts on any of the above?

I wonder if AOL Jobs factors in taxes?  I'm guessing no.

See, according to them, food service workers are the lowest paid workers in America, which I can believe.  However, they also say that these workers earn an average of $7.66 an hour.  My job is supposed to pay $7.05, but I just got my pay stub last Friday, and I've figured out that, after taxes, I actually earn about $3.88 per hour.  Is that not pathetic?

What's interesting is that, although my current job is supposed to be the lowest-paying in America, my salary at Hancock's this summer was actually lower than that - $6.65.  (And I still got more money in one week than I did from a week and a half working here, because Indiana taxes are killer.)

What do you most hate sharing with other people?

Dessert.

To a lesser extent, the spotlight, but I've mostly gotten past that.

God, today is so weird.  Not that anything particularly weird has happened, but the air outside is misty and chilly, and I somehow feel kind of detached.

I'm just kind of depressed right now because I've realized that there are two big things I want to do this summer, and they are on opposite sides of the country and would both require 1) airfare, 2) lodgings, 3) costumes, and 4) tickets that are probably set at an astronomical price.

One is Rent, which, I have been informed by Lauren, is extending its run by another fourteen weeks.  The other is an event known as LOJ, or Labyrinth of Jareth, which takes place in Los Angeles and is essentially a masque ball with undertones of wicked faery.

Incidentally, I am indebted to Lauren for information about both of the above.

I know for sure I won't be able to afford to go to both events; it's questionable whether I'll even be able to afford to go to one, depending on a) if I get a summer job and b) if so, how much it pays.  I could also conceivably sell my plasma, but the money I would get for that would be a pittance when one looks at the overall prices...

From Travelocity, using St. Louis as the starting point:

To New York City (JFK), early to mid-June: $354 (round-trip)

                        (LaGuardia), "     "    "  : $348 (round-trip)

                        (Liberty), "    "    "  : $341 (round-trip)

                        (NYC),  "    "     " : $341

To Los Angeles , mid-July: $350 (round-trip)

And that's just the airfare.  I haven't even looked up the costs for convenient hotel rooms, tickets or material to make a proper costume for the LOJ.

Sigh.

Have you ever had a day when you woke up one morning and just knew it was going to be a bad day?

It's really gross outside.  It's damp and windy and sleeting and my mood would be much improved if I could just curl up with a book and some hot chocolate, but no, I have one other class to go to today (for which, I might add, I am supposed to be reading Song of Roland, but Stephen King and blogging are so much more appealing).

Aviva joined my folk dance class.  While that is a great thing in general, since it means I'll get to see her at least twice a week, which I haven't been able to do all year, it also means that particularly today, I miss KDI more than ever.  It's impossible not to think of KDI when two-thirds of the dances we've done are ones I've been doing for years, especially when the teacher is also someone I've known for years through the same venue.

I need to get a job, but I can't yet, because to even apply for one on campus you have to have proof of citizenship, which means I have to wait until my passport gets here later this week.  I didn't need a job last semester, and not finding one now wouldn't be such a big deal, except for the fact that the only way I'm going to get a new iPod now is out of my own pocket.  Plus, I have to pay for the Tegan & Sara concert ticket I bought last night (!!!) and probably save up some money for a trip to the Nederlander this spring, if such a thing is going to happen.

First off, let me just say, my parents are currently being awesome.  (Why they decided to become this way after I left for college, I have no idea.  :P)

Basically, they are letting me know that, since I basically earned myself a free tuition, they would rather pay for my regular expenses than have me get a job that interferes with my schoolwork.  (Which is basically the only job I can get right now, considering I have to work backstage until 5 and most things on campus close at 5.  Except maybe the eating establishments.)  They suggest that maybe I should wait until second semester to get a job.  Apparently, donating plasma is not the best way out of this, either.  (I'm not exactly sure why, as long as I don't go beyond the limit that's safe to donate.)

Not only that, but they've offered to get me to St. Louis over fall break, as well as buy me a ticket to Rent so I don't have to sit out on the sidewalk with the other RentHeads in the hopes of snagging $20 front-row tickets.  (Of course, this last is something I actually want to do, but I'm not sure they completely understand that, not being RentHeads themselves.)

So I guess my question is...when do I stop mooching off my parents?

I'm not even spending all that much right now, although more money is never a bad thing, and I would always welcome someone else paying for my theatre tickets, but if I accept that offer I just know I'll feel bad about it.  I'm currently an unemployed college student being paid for by her parents.  Sweet deal, but maybe just a little too sweet.

Sooner or later, no matter how frugal I am, unless I deprive myself of any and all luxuries, I will run out of money.  And then, it comes down to either finding a job or asking Mom for more.

In high school, I had no qualms about mooching off my parents.  Everything I paid for myself was completely unnecessary.  I know now that I am a spoiled child - not in the sense that I automatically expect whatever I want, but in the sense that I never really had to work for my money.  And apparently I don't now, either.

In the midst of all this, I'm considering applying to be an RA at MoFAA next summer.  I feel kind of intimidated, though, because even though I think I could do the job really well, there are all these slots on the application for listing professional experience, volunteer experience, even teaching experience, none of which I have.  It's a bit frustrating; how am I supposed to get any jobs to put on my resume if my lack of resume is the reason I can't get a job in the first place?  If the application was an interview, now, I could handle that, but how am I supposed to explain in two paragraphs how badly I want this job, or how my enthusiasm and love for this camp would balance out my lack of experience?

I don't want to be spoiled anymore.  But I'm not sure how much of a choice I have. 

Stupid schedule.

Veruca Salt,

~Carly~