For those of you not in college, money can sometimes be scarce. My husband and I both work two part time jobs, but have many bills. (Sigh) We have many plans for this summer and brainstormed on how to inflate our savings for our upcoming adventures. My husband has no room in his schedule, and since I have a pretty easy semester it seemed more logical that I earn some extra dough. I thought about waitressing a couple times a week, but with our busy life, I think I would frustrate my boss with all the days I needed off. I interviewed for a bar tending job, but no luck.
So, I started my own tiny business. I'm my own boss and only employer. I choose my wages and days/hours I work each week. The work isn't glamorous, but isn't embarrassing either. I house keep! For those of you who don't know, I LOVE to clean and organize, so this wasn't a stretch for me. I got started by placing an ad in the Sunday paper and from that received about four calls. I interviewed each house by asking them what they wanted done, how many hours a week they needed me for and if they could pay what I wanted. I set my wage at $15/hour, stated what I wouldn't do (like clean cat litter boxes), and selected what day I would come clean. Sounds a tad overwhelming, but truly isn't. As it is now, I only clean twice a week, and earn an extra $120/week. No late smokey nights, no stiffs that don't know how to tip, and best of all, no working weekends. This is only temporary because we are due to move this summer, but for the mean time I'll enjoy being boss!
Wednesday, March 30, 2011
Tuesday, March 8, 2011
Dance First. Think Later.
Dancing is a huge part of my past. From the age of 9 to 18, I took belly dance classes and fell in love with dance! I've performed in shows, workshops and even taught my own classes. When I entered college in 2008, I couldn't juggle work, full-time school and dance. Sadly I had to put it on the back burner.
Now I've made room for it in my life again, and I have the pleasure of my husband's company! We both wanted to take a dance class this year, but the hard part was selecting one that we both felt comfortable in. We gave in to our spicy side and every Monday night we have salsa dance class for 1.5 hrs. We both love it! In salsa, the man leads with hand-felt pressure, the woman follows with counter-acting pressure. This is a little of what we've learned so far http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iJtWyfFWfrA&feature=relmfu Our instructor has his PhD in psychology along with 20 years dance experience, so not only can he dance, but he can obtain a sense of a couple's relationship just from watching them dance. I know this because he pulled us aside and just from watching us dance these past weeks, knew us pretty well. He looked at Kit and said, "Now she's one dominant pistol, so to lead, you have to make sure she can feel you. You must give her something to follow." Then came my turn, "Now you have to learn to follow, don't take the lead even when he needs help, you have to let him figure it out." He told us he could tell I was the more dominant personality and he the more submissive. That I needed to take a step back and Kit a step up for us to be able to dance well together. We accepted the challenge and over the last couple of weeks have experienced real chemistry dancing together. Within our relatioship we have also worked on taming my personality a little more and allowing more of Kit's to shine through. Who knew salsa class could be such good relationship counseling?
Now I've made room for it in my life again, and I have the pleasure of my husband's company! We both wanted to take a dance class this year, but the hard part was selecting one that we both felt comfortable in. We gave in to our spicy side and every Monday night we have salsa dance class for 1.5 hrs. We both love it! In salsa, the man leads with hand-felt pressure, the woman follows with counter-acting pressure. This is a little of what we've learned so far http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iJtWyfFWfrA&feature=relmfu Our instructor has his PhD in psychology along with 20 years dance experience, so not only can he dance, but he can obtain a sense of a couple's relationship just from watching them dance. I know this because he pulled us aside and just from watching us dance these past weeks, knew us pretty well. He looked at Kit and said, "Now she's one dominant pistol, so to lead, you have to make sure she can feel you. You must give her something to follow." Then came my turn, "Now you have to learn to follow, don't take the lead even when he needs help, you have to let him figure it out." He told us he could tell I was the more dominant personality and he the more submissive. That I needed to take a step back and Kit a step up for us to be able to dance well together. We accepted the challenge and over the last couple of weeks have experienced real chemistry dancing together. Within our relatioship we have also worked on taming my personality a little more and allowing more of Kit's to shine through. Who knew salsa class could be such good relationship counseling?
Tuesday, February 22, 2011
Every Man Dies, Not Every Man Really Lives
Monday morning I woke to a call from my mother. She never calls me at 6:30 a.m. unless something important happens. In turn, I always sort of dread answering her early calls. This was definitely an important phone call. My maternal great grandmother passed away that morning. She had lived the last five or so years in a nursing home, so it wasn't totally unexpected. She was a very kind, creative and crafty sort of grandmother. Every time we'd visit she would give us some crocheted piece she'd been working on. I treasure those items a little more now.
I'm not the usual case when it comes to death. I'm one of those people that gets hit late. I'm strong when I hear the news. Strong when I sit down in the church surrounded by tears and black clothing. Still strong when all the family members I haven't seen in years whisper soothing words in my ear while they hug me. It is only way later, that it becomes my turn to cry. I have never been a very emotional person. My dad even jokes that I'm a Snow White Queen, because I appear to be cold inside. I'm not quite the Ice Queen, I do feel and express my emotions, just not for the world to see. When my Grandmother June passed, I didn't shed a tear for seven months. Then all of a sudden, I came across my collection of porcelain dolls she gave me and let go.
My dear mother is very emotional. She cries at Hallmark cards, ASPCA commercials, and of course, funerals. I have many people in my life like this and I love them all for it. Through the years, and many deaths, I've taken the unemotional stance and have learned to be there for people like my mother at distressing times such as these. I am very much a rock for people in times of emotional need. So this week, my family will head up to Nebraska to pay our respects to my dear sweet Grandmother Duncan. God rest her kind soul.
I'm not the usual case when it comes to death. I'm one of those people that gets hit late. I'm strong when I hear the news. Strong when I sit down in the church surrounded by tears and black clothing. Still strong when all the family members I haven't seen in years whisper soothing words in my ear while they hug me. It is only way later, that it becomes my turn to cry. I have never been a very emotional person. My dad even jokes that I'm a Snow White Queen, because I appear to be cold inside. I'm not quite the Ice Queen, I do feel and express my emotions, just not for the world to see. When my Grandmother June passed, I didn't shed a tear for seven months. Then all of a sudden, I came across my collection of porcelain dolls she gave me and let go.
My dear mother is very emotional. She cries at Hallmark cards, ASPCA commercials, and of course, funerals. I have many people in my life like this and I love them all for it. Through the years, and many deaths, I've taken the unemotional stance and have learned to be there for people like my mother at distressing times such as these. I am very much a rock for people in times of emotional need. So this week, my family will head up to Nebraska to pay our respects to my dear sweet Grandmother Duncan. God rest her kind soul.
Tuesday, February 15, 2011
I Have a Dream
The dream is this, that we will finally be happy once we finish our goals. After we find the perfect spouse, attain the perfect job, and live the perfect life we will feel complete. Then we get there, and since we’re human, we immediately start dreaming of something else. Because if this is the dream, then I'd like to wake up, now please.
At some point, maybe we have accepted the dream as a nightmare. We tell ourselves the reality is better. We convince ourselves maybe it’s better to never dream at all. But the strongest of us, the most determined of us, we hold on to the dream, or we find ourselves faced with a fresh dream we never considered. We awake to find ourselves, against all odds, feeling hopeful. And if we’re lucky, we realize, in the face of everything, in the face of life, the true dream, is being able to dream at all.
Sunday, February 13, 2011
I Get Taxed for What!?
It's tax time and that means extra money to start the year off with! Woohoo! I got curious to see where my tax money that I didn't get back went to. Here is what I found.
A U.S. taxpayer earning the 2009 median income ($34,140) and paying $5,400 in federal income tax and FICA ponies up for the following:
Social Security $1,040.70
Medicare $625.51
Medicaid $385.28
Interest on the national debt $287.03
Combat Op in Iraq/Afghanistan $229.17
Military Personnel $192.79
Veterans Benefits $74.65
Federal Highways $63.89
Health-care Research (NIH) $46.54
Foreign Aid $46.08
Education Funding for low-income K-12 students $38.17
Military Retirement Benefits $32.60
Pell Grants for low-income college students $29.75
NASA Space Program $28.09
IRS $17.69
EPA $11.67
FBI $11.21
Head Start $10.91
Public Housing $10.50
National Parks $4.27
Drug Enforcement Administration $3.14
Amtrak $2.23
Smithsonian Museum $1.12
Funding for the arts $0.24
Salaries and benefits for members of Congress $0.19
Interesting......very interesting.
Tuesday, January 25, 2011
Financial Freedom
Money. Most often I wish that word didn't exist. I have seen troubled finances confine people's dreams, end marriages and even lead people to take their own lives. When I was single, I didn't have a real problem with cash flow. I was self-sustaining and with only myself to monitor, it was pretty maintainable. Now that I'm married, mo' $$$ mo' problems, as my thug passioned husband likes to say.
Before we said "I do", my husband and I enrolled in a finance management class that his parent's highly recommended http://www.daveramsey.com/fpu/home/ This class helped us tremendously. The class started from the very basics on how to budget and set boundaries for your family to mortgages and retirement. Not only did we walk out of the 12 week class informed, but on the SAME page as well. We learned that in most marriages one spouse, usually the woman, handles the budgeting and bill paying, while the other spouse just follows suite. We didn't want to fall into that habit, so we took charge together of our finances.
Every beginning of the month, Kit and I sit at our excel spreadsheet on the computer and cuss and discuss. First, we calculate what we will make total that month, since we both have part time jobs, ours varies monthly. On our spreadsheet we have two columns, one is for what we project our budget will be, the other column is what it actually amounts to. For instance, you may estimate the gas bill will be $35 but then you open the envelope and it's $55. Secondly, subtract the bare necessities like rent, utilities, insurances, any car/student loan payments, and subtract 10% of your total monthly income to put into a savings account. After those are done, we budget for our expenses like fuel, Netflix, and Wal-mart trips. This was one area we struggled in, so we took a page from Dave Ramsey and tried his advice. We were over spending greatly on trips to Wal-Mart and fuel so we bought two re loadable gift cards to Wal-Mart. At the beginning of each month we put $300 on one for fuel and $400 on the other for household/grocery/pet food. So each week we only spend 1/4 of the cards and if we happen to run out at the end of the month, then we tough it out till next month. This forces us to really monitor our driving around and take a calculator with us shopping so we don't overspend.
After all that is done, take a look at what you have left and that is the money that goes to eating out and entertainment. This usually only leaves us with about $50 a week to play and dine out on. As college students, we aren't saving for things like a down payment for a home or retirement yet, not until we both get full time jobs, so that maybe something you'd like to add to your budget. I really hope this helps! Sitting down every month together and setting boundaries has put an end to most of our squabbles, and allows us to control our money instead of our money controlling us.
Before we said "I do", my husband and I enrolled in a finance management class that his parent's highly recommended http://www.daveramsey.com/fpu/home/ This class helped us tremendously. The class started from the very basics on how to budget and set boundaries for your family to mortgages and retirement. Not only did we walk out of the 12 week class informed, but on the SAME page as well. We learned that in most marriages one spouse, usually the woman, handles the budgeting and bill paying, while the other spouse just follows suite. We didn't want to fall into that habit, so we took charge together of our finances.
Every beginning of the month, Kit and I sit at our excel spreadsheet on the computer and cuss and discuss. First, we calculate what we will make total that month, since we both have part time jobs, ours varies monthly. On our spreadsheet we have two columns, one is for what we project our budget will be, the other column is what it actually amounts to. For instance, you may estimate the gas bill will be $35 but then you open the envelope and it's $55. Secondly, subtract the bare necessities like rent, utilities, insurances, any car/student loan payments, and subtract 10% of your total monthly income to put into a savings account. After those are done, we budget for our expenses like fuel, Netflix, and Wal-mart trips. This was one area we struggled in, so we took a page from Dave Ramsey and tried his advice. We were over spending greatly on trips to Wal-Mart and fuel so we bought two re loadable gift cards to Wal-Mart. At the beginning of each month we put $300 on one for fuel and $400 on the other for household/grocery/pet food. So each week we only spend 1/4 of the cards and if we happen to run out at the end of the month, then we tough it out till next month. This forces us to really monitor our driving around and take a calculator with us shopping so we don't overspend.
After all that is done, take a look at what you have left and that is the money that goes to eating out and entertainment. This usually only leaves us with about $50 a week to play and dine out on. As college students, we aren't saving for things like a down payment for a home or retirement yet, not until we both get full time jobs, so that maybe something you'd like to add to your budget. I really hope this helps! Sitting down every month together and setting boundaries has put an end to most of our squabbles, and allows us to control our money instead of our money controlling us.
Sunday, January 9, 2011
Reciprocal Inspiration
Inspiration. That's what my mother has been to me since I can remember. My mother is one ah-mazing woman. She was a best friend to me in junior high, biggest fan in the stands during soccer, volleyball, and basketball, my relationship counselor in high school, and my biggest driver to continue onto college. She once told me about her dream to become a nurse once upon a time. Sadly she had to give that up for her family, and just hearing the regret in her voice inspired me. I vowed to never have that regret in my voice if I could help it. With my parent's willingness to co-sign on loans, my college dreams materialized.
With my college chapter coming to an end, I'm very proud to say I won't be the last Shellito hitting the college campus. Along with my brilliant brother who was accepted to UCO this week, my heavily-encouraged mother has plans to start at NOC Enid this summer/fall! She credits my relentless badgering for 4.5 years and just me. She said that I inspired her to go to college, to want more, and to push herself.
So as I look back at my role model as a child, I smile with a warm heart because I was able to pay her back the best that I knew how. The role model became the role modelee. She is truly the most unselfish woman I know, and she deserves every good venture that comes her way. I know once she sets her mind to something, she will accomplish her goal. I'm now looking forward to the day where I get to sit in the stands and scream for her name when she collects her degree.
With my college chapter coming to an end, I'm very proud to say I won't be the last Shellito hitting the college campus. Along with my brilliant brother who was accepted to UCO this week, my heavily-encouraged mother has plans to start at NOC Enid this summer/fall! She credits my relentless badgering for 4.5 years and just me. She said that I inspired her to go to college, to want more, and to push herself.
So as I look back at my role model as a child, I smile with a warm heart because I was able to pay her back the best that I knew how. The role model became the role modelee. She is truly the most unselfish woman I know, and she deserves every good venture that comes her way. I know once she sets her mind to something, she will accomplish her goal. I'm now looking forward to the day where I get to sit in the stands and scream for her name when she collects her degree.
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