Kitty.nu » money

Gas prices can suck it

Jenn — Sat, 12 Mar 2011 05:01:39 +0000

Surprise surprise, I’m going to bitch about gas prices. But seriously, when they shoot up from $3.13/gallon to $3.49 in just two weeks, I’d say that’s pretty bitch-worthy. I use an Android app called aCar, which I use to log fuel fill-ups. Among the information logged is the gas price. This time last year the average gas price was $2.67. And now it’s $3.49… insane!

It’s times like these I’m thankful for two things:

1. That I work from home
2. That I have a fuel-efficient vehicle (28-32mpg)

I weep for my wallet

Jenn — Sat, 13 Feb 2010 20:45:50 +0000

I ventured out this morning for an eye exam. Yesterday morning I took out my left contact to gently clean off whatever debris that had gotten onto it, and the damn thing wound up ripping in half. Of course I was on my last pair, and OF COURSE my prescription had expired, literally, a few days ago. So I bit the bullet and called the local vision center to make an appointment. Luckily for me, they had an opening this morning, so I only had to suffer with four year old prescription eye glasses for about 24 hours.

The good news: my vision improved, partially. The bad: my right eye has a different prescription than my left. Also, the astigmatism in my right eye has definitely worsened in the last 2.5 years that I have spent wearing contacts, because when my optometrist held up a special glass lens in front of of my right eye (after my new contacts were in), the difference was SO amazing that I immediately asked for the astigmatism lens for that eye. Oh, and I switched from B&L PureVision monthlies to Acuevue Oasis bi-weeklies, since I was dealing with a lot of protein build-up on the monthly disposables.

The really, really, really bad news (Dear wallet: I’m so sorry! Please forgive me!): a year’s supply of contacts cost $272. That’s WITH the insurance discount, people. Ouch.

But I made myself feel better by fitting into a juniors XL sweater hoodie:

I’m seriously shocked, people. XL. I’m still of the XXXXL mindset. This whole quick weight loss thing really messes with my mind at times. I don’t view myself as small as I apparently am. 18 jeans? 18/20 tops? Juniors XL hoodies? I’d never believe that I could fit into these sizes if it weren’t for the fact that I tried them on and found out that I do! It’s so surreal…

Penny pinching

Jenn — Wed, 20 Jan 2010 17:40:43 +0000

2010 is all about frugality. Well, maybe not total frugality, or any type of frugality that is close to what I’ve seen some bloggers accomplish (if I wanted to be like them, I would sell textbooks — Dan’s college textbooks that he never uses anymore!), but we are being very careful with our money. Bills first, groceries & household supplies second, pleasurable spending last. We’re budgeting vigilantly, and we’re religiously documenting any non-bill spending. Damita mentioned using Spending Diary to track her spending, and now I’m using it too. The interface is simple, and the input is simple — type the name, the category (our categories include Grocery Stores, Stores, Pets, and Restaurants) and how much you spent. The week is laid out in a calendar format, and you can click back and forth to enter spending amounts for different days.

We hope that by seeing exactly where every last penny is going, we’ll be able to cut down excess spending and thus free up more money for savings. Wish us luck!

Can I just say…

Jenn — Fri, 09 Oct 2009 20:10:27 +0000

That I absolutely love Demand Studios? I have been working for them for two and a half weeks now, and to date I have made $607. That sounds like a decent chunk of change, and it is, but I’ve been playing catch-up with bills thanks to my usual freelance writing provider losing two clients and consequently not providing me with ANY type of work since the end of August. I really need to catch up on a bit more, because sadly, money is spent faster than it can be earned! There just aren’t enough hours in a day. Take today, for example. It’s 4:00pm and I haven’t done ANY Demand Studios work yet. Grrr. I’m hoping to get a burst of energy later and use that to really get on top of some articles. My self-set goal is four articles a day. Reasonable, right?

Besides DS, I’ve been doing my usual work for a few sponsored posting companies and for a large SEO company. I’ve done articles and helped with SEO stuff for sites that sell lab coats, sites that sell unique wedding favors, and even a site that focuses on HCG weight loss stuff.

I’ve also been busy with the kidlets, of course. Transitioning Ryan from the 0-3 special needs agency to the statewide one that covers kids until they’re fourteen has been nuts. Phone calls, letters, appointments, evaluations, meetings. And the paperwork, dear god don’t get me started on the paperwork. I think I have signed my name more times in the last four weeks than I have in the last year! But the good news is that Ryan is completely set up and integrated with all the services he needs for preschool.

And can I also say TGIF! Yeah!

Let’s just add insult to injury, shall we?

Jenn — Sun, 24 May 2009 20:11:46 +0000

From the IZEA Boards:

Unfortunately, it seems that PayPal is up to its old tricks. We have been waiting on a deposit to hit our account for a few days now and it’s looking like it won’t arrive before Tuesday (since, of course, Monday is a holiday).

What this means is that if you have had a payment come due in the past few days or are going to have a payment due between now and Tuesday, this payment will be late.

We apologize for the delay and the inconvenience. As soon as our deposit hits, we will immediately run the payout script and get everyone’s payments up to date.

full post

Well, that explains where my PPP payouts and SocialSpark cashouts are at. Ugh. I’m just batting a thousand here, aren’t I?

$10,022

Jenn — Tue, 26 Aug 2008 20:51:43 +0000

Well, I’ve done it. 1,018 opportunities, eighteen months, four blogs and God only knows how many words, and I’ve crossed the threshold of $10K in earnings from PayPerPost. As of today, I have earned a grand total of $10,022. Not bad for something I can do at home (or at the library, or Panera Bread, or my mother’s house), at any time of day or night, and only when I feel like doing it.

$10K isn’t a number to sneeze at. Sure, I could have a made a lot more if I had a job outside of the home, but I would lose a lot of it to transportation costs and daycare costs. I also wouldn’t have been able to stay at home with Alyssa and Ryan, be here to keep the house in perfect order, make three meals a day, spend quality time with our cats, and focus on my primary work (freelance writing), which brings in a hell of a lot more than paid blogging does.

If you haven’t already, consider joining PayPerPost. Then get back to me when you reach your $10K, and we’ll celebrate together.

Our stimulus payment arrived!

Jenn — Wed, 02 Jul 2008 20:56:52 +0000

For once, the IRS kept their word. The Where’s my Stimulus Payment? page promised that the check would be mailed out on June 27th, and it was waiting for us in our mailbox yesterday! :)

Good luck to everyone else who is waiting!