PapaC has had some rather major changes at work. The company that he has worked for has been bought out, completely, by another company. Now, the other company was looking to expand, and the main assets of consulting firms (which is what PapaC works for) is the brains inside the heads of the people who work there. So, it doesn't appear likely, at the moment, that there will be any downsizing, etc. And I say thank God for that!
But in any changeover, there are new things that come into play. Things that will be do-able once we're used to them, but in the interim are a giant pain.
One of those pains is going from a semi-monthly pay period to a bi-weekly one. On the surface, it sounds like it'd be no big deal, but when you take the same salary and divide it into 26 pieces instead of 24. Well, let's just say that after having a budget for 15 years built on one system and having to try to make it work a different way it's no small matter to figure out how that's going to happen. Yeah, I know that some month or other we'll actually get three paychecks instead of two, and that money will then be put into savings to be the "catchup" money.
BUT.
But that doesn't happen for a good many months. AND our health insurance has changed and made things a little tight around here for the next several months.
SO--I set myself a challenge for this month. Aside from budgeted expenses (my once a month supper with the Women at the Well and Wednesday McKid Slurpees), I'm trying to spend exactly ZERO money except going to the grocery store and putting gas in my car.
This is the part that has stunned me: I WANT TO SPEND MONEY BADLY. How weird is that? There's not a thing I need. I have stacks of books I haven't yet read. I don't even like to shop that much.
But being told, even by myself, that I can't spend any money? Why, I practically have to grip the wheel of my car with a death grip to keep from turning into the Half-Price Books parking lot. I want to stop at CVS. I DON'T EVEN SHOP AT CVS!
Oh, dear. I knew it all along.
I really am crazy!
But I will prevail. Wouldn't it be awesome if, on an even lower amount of money, I could pay off part of Zman's summer school tuition? Without having to take it out of savings?
And what would that say about the amount of money that I've been wasting?
Well, I won't think about that last part.
We'll see how the rest of the month goes.
Hi
You're not the only one who decides to spend zero dollars except on necessities and then craves shopping. I don't like to shop at all but when I'm in a zero month it is hard not to. If I'm not careful I'll buy really useless but inexpensive stuff just to satisfy the craving. One good thing is that my family tends to pick up half-price books gift cards for me throughout the year. I hoard those for bad months... at least I can buy books. I don't need books either...but I love to buy them.