financial aid and rants and raves

Absent any news on starting my EBAY store or internationalizing, I feel I should chronicle what I have been accomplishing, and that's working on my place and paying down debt. The apartment was a huge mistake in a lot of ways, and I'm finally serious about getting out of it. The place needed tons of work when I bought it, and the only work done so far was a new kitchen floor, commode, sink, and medicine cabinet. Now I'm getting a little electrical work done, along with re-stained cabinets and a new kitchen counter top. Additionally, I'll want to get the place repainted, and that should be enough. With that, I should be ready to list it and see what the damage will be. I know I won't get the mortgage covered, so it's mainly a question of what I'll need to cover, and saving a down payment on the new home. I have excellent credit, so there's a small chance I can pay a similar amount to what I pay now, but in a much nicer, bigger place.

Buying the refrigerator has become short-hand for using whatever money I have to do something needed instead of something wanted, like trips to Canada. I probably won't be buying a new fridge, as I'm at the point where any further upgrades in the apartment won't be worth it. I've been pretty fiscally prudent this registration period, and was able to include a trip to Florida without breaking the bank. That makes me happy, but the larger accomplishment in my mind was starting to pay off the last of my retirement loans, and a big one was summarily dispatched. I also followed Dave Ramsey's advice and replenished my emergency fund, so all signs point to fiscal solvency once more. My tentative order of expenses is as follows: finish the work on the apartment, head out an another adventure - destination TBA,  work in another drive to Florida, pay off another loan, take my trip to Greece, head to Montreal, pay off the rest of my retirement loans, drive to Niagara, hit Lake George, and escape to Pennsic. The will bring me to the first week of August. Registration will bloom anew, and I'll be working like a dog until end of September. The only true variables are the trips to Canada; the other trips are more or less set. The reason all of these things are possible is a major influx of overtime, which will last throughout the spring and summer, be superseded by the fall registration period, then resume until the end of the year.

So as this day ends, I have some more good news. I may be able to buy into the pension plan after all, and I finally sucked it up and went to the County PD and had my finger printing completed. So there's some movement in the right direction, though much more work needs to be done.

I can't even get up to bat. The EBAY store has yet to start. I was having a conversation with a close friend, and I mentioned this was in my mind. He replied that he has been wondering when my next distraction would pop up, and I was floored. This statement engendered doubt, and I've been second guessing myself since.

That I'm full of hot air on the subject was further demonstrated when I finally took the plunge and drove to a Dept. of the Treasury auction in New Jersey. First, I woke up very late, 30 minutes after the auction began, met someone for breakfast, and then got lost using GPS. It would have been much better just to stay home, or hit the Greenwich CT. thrift shop. But no, I was determined. I got there at 1pm and missed everything. As such, I didn't even accomplish the scouting mission I'd hoped to finish. I wasn't sure I'd buy anything, but I did want to get an idea of the quality of the items, prices compared to EBAY, etc. All I did was waste gas and eat horrible road food.

I've no idea when the next auction will be or where it will be located, but the next Dayton, NJ auction will find me there at 8am. I still need to buy a few things on EBAY prior to listing, but my finances are tight for the next 2 weeks. I'll buy a few things here and there to boost my rating.

Ed. note: It's now 02/27. I'll end here and start a new post on the progress I have made.

Another January, another registration period kicking my ass. This one wasn't even that bad. Actually, considering Spring 2011, none of them are ever that bad. Still, maybe I'm getting too old for this job, or I need to change my approach, or whatever. Anyway, few of the things I listed in the prior post were even begun, much less accomplished. I did have a friend look at my kitchen, and I have an estimate for a new counter top, and resurfaced and re-stained cabinets. It's pricey, but much cheaper than a new kitchen. He began the work, and I paid him most of the cost.

Speaking of payment, I also earned plenty of extra money, but due to a glitch in the calendar, I didn't get the overtime on the most recent check. This makes the next two weeks difficult, but in effect I'm saving money for a big ticket item, whether it's paying off all my retirement loans, or having a new kitchen with appliances, or something like that. The aim is to eliminate one major expense, whatever fate decides is the best use of the money, and have enough left over for a trip (or two or three). I should broadened the role

Teaching is out, as I more or less expected. The question now is whether or not I volunteer. There is the opportunity to volunteer as an ESL teacher for Mercy, which is so pregnant with irony I'd be giving birth to triplets. Aside from the zero pay, I'm resistant, with so many trips in the planning. I just can't see myself taking on the responsibility right now. Further strengthening my reticence is the location: the Bronx campus off the Hutch. I should still contact Mercy to get more details.

The background check has been started, and by that I mean I printed out everything, but still need to get my fingerprints. I can call the County PD on Friday.

Starting my store is morphing into a post unto itself, loaded with subtext. That comes next.