Monday, April 29, 2019
Side gigs, epilogue, or...
The stars might lie, but the numbers never do - or do they?
I began this series last November, and whatever time line I had in writing these posts fell victim to working up to 3 jobs at one time, severe knee pain, Christmas vacation, and eventually, a blown laptop, which kills me. I even just got back from SUNYFAP in Corning, a trip worthy of a post in its own right, one that will put ranting at the top of this blog, right where it belongs. I have to finish this long and torturous journey first, so it's time to reflect as whether or not all the extra work I did was worth it, or even a good idea, what I would do differently, and if I'll continue.
To properly answer the question, I had to go back and read my earlier posts to remember what I wrote and avoid repeating myself as much as possible. As usual, I wrote exclusively about the trees, ignoring the forest. I never actually explained why all this extra money was needed. or at least why I felt that way. Here's the abridged version: I wasn't able to sell my co-op as quickly as I thought, so I was carrying two mortgages, two maintenance charges, and all the other costs that were duplicated by living in two places: food, electric, Internet, insurance, etc. Additionally, I needed to borrow money from my retirement for my half of the down payment, so I needed to pay that loan as well. The total was $1772 per month, not including the new condo. We needed to outfit the new place with furniture, and since I'm allergic to borrowing more money, I used my credit card, and paid it off in rapid fashion, with Carolyn paying her share and with her buying more items directly. I couldn't stand the thought of financing our new stuff. There were other bills as well, like paying to have my car repaired, because I'm an idiot who caused an accident on Palm Sunday 2018, buying a Murphy bed because I thought it would help me sell my place, or having my house painted. More recently, Christmas and a trip to Orlando in February of this year needed to be paid as well. Closing costs on the condo all but eliminated my savings. To quote Billy Joel, the money comes; the money goes. Of course, I could have matched the increase in bills with a comparative reduction in other spending. I did to the extent I felt able, but it wasn't going to reach $1772. Only until I paid off some of the debt, stopped paying into my 401(k), reduced my withholding, and shuttered my co-op, eliminating some of the duplicate costs, did my finances stabilize. Palm Sunday 2018 was March 25th, so for over a year, I have been under serious financial pressure to one degree or another, much of it self-inflicted.
With all this in mind, it's easy to answer the other questions. It was worth it, because the alternative was unfathomable. This means it was a good idea, much in the same way that taking methadone is a good idea for heroin addicts, and for the same reason, and, just like methadone, didn't really improve anything either, besides our sneaker collection. The extra money I earned staved off the pain of really looking at my budget, seriously diminishing my lifestyle, making other hard choices, not traveling, or having difficult conversations. I didn't have to give up WoW, or the gym, or satellite radio, or clean out my storage container, or give up breakfast with Scott, etc. Now, if I had done all those things and did all the extra work, I'd be in even better shape, though far mopier.
This does not mean working all these extra hours was without consequence. I've already covered what happened with my knee, but on the 18th, after driving home from Corning, I drove for Lyft that afternoon and proceeded to lose my wallet, with a host of very important documents therein. I spent the weekend hunting for it, trying to fix any potential damage, and castigating myself, realizing that I overdid it yet again, this time suffering not a physical lapse, but a mental one. Thankfully, Carolyn found it a few days later, and I am beyond relieved. It was a painful reminder of my own limits; at 48, my physical and mental capacities are lower than I'm comfortable admitting. Nevertheless, it was worth it, if only because I felt I had no other choice. If there was a mistake in made, it was either creating the circumstances where I felt this was required, or at least believing it was. Making more money was not a mistake, or was it?
I ask this because I just found out that the college is less than thrilled with my extracurricular activities. By that I mean that 45 minutes ago I was told that there's a rumor that I was driving for Lyft on company time. Without a specific time and day where I was supposedly double dipping, I can only say that I wasn't. This is probably envious bullshit, but I have to to toe the line here, and realize that there was always the possibility that questions would be asked by the administration. There could be a further subtext looking to discredit financial aid overall, but let's not get too paranoid. With that I may have to stop all my side gigs for the moment, including New Balance. I'll also want to speak to the union.
Thankfully, the reason all of this occurred has finally been resolved. As of Friday, my co-op is sold. In keeping with the theme, the closing was a miserably torturous affair taking 5 hours. Also, I sold the place at a slight loss: $1359, but that's manageable. With that, I'm free to shed all these jobs. If the rumors are true, I have the best possible rebuttal, and everyone who is running his or her mouth can officially shut the fuck up. To answer what I would have done differently, I would have cut down the number of days that I worked for Horseman's Hollow, and would have stopped working New Balance after Christmas. Now I may have to give notice at the store, which is a bummer, as I like working there. even as I didn't earn a lot. I still need to further cement my financial situation, but these gigs, save Lyft, were always limited in scope. They did what I needed them to do. There's more work to be done, but that is the topic for another post.
I began this series last November, and whatever time line I had in writing these posts fell victim to working up to 3 jobs at one time, severe knee pain, Christmas vacation, and eventually, a blown laptop, which kills me. I even just got back from SUNYFAP in Corning, a trip worthy of a post in its own right, one that will put ranting at the top of this blog, right where it belongs. I have to finish this long and torturous journey first, so it's time to reflect as whether or not all the extra work I did was worth it, or even a good idea, what I would do differently, and if I'll continue.
To properly answer the question, I had to go back and read my earlier posts to remember what I wrote and avoid repeating myself as much as possible. As usual, I wrote exclusively about the trees, ignoring the forest. I never actually explained why all this extra money was needed. or at least why I felt that way. Here's the abridged version: I wasn't able to sell my co-op as quickly as I thought, so I was carrying two mortgages, two maintenance charges, and all the other costs that were duplicated by living in two places: food, electric, Internet, insurance, etc. Additionally, I needed to borrow money from my retirement for my half of the down payment, so I needed to pay that loan as well. The total was $1772 per month, not including the new condo. We needed to outfit the new place with furniture, and since I'm allergic to borrowing more money, I used my credit card, and paid it off in rapid fashion, with Carolyn paying her share and with her buying more items directly. I couldn't stand the thought of financing our new stuff. There were other bills as well, like paying to have my car repaired, because I'm an idiot who caused an accident on Palm Sunday 2018, buying a Murphy bed because I thought it would help me sell my place, or having my house painted. More recently, Christmas and a trip to Orlando in February of this year needed to be paid as well. Closing costs on the condo all but eliminated my savings. To quote Billy Joel, the money comes; the money goes. Of course, I could have matched the increase in bills with a comparative reduction in other spending. I did to the extent I felt able, but it wasn't going to reach $1772. Only until I paid off some of the debt, stopped paying into my 401(k), reduced my withholding, and shuttered my co-op, eliminating some of the duplicate costs, did my finances stabilize. Palm Sunday 2018 was March 25th, so for over a year, I have been under serious financial pressure to one degree or another, much of it self-inflicted.
With all this in mind, it's easy to answer the other questions. It was worth it, because the alternative was unfathomable. This means it was a good idea, much in the same way that taking methadone is a good idea for heroin addicts, and for the same reason, and, just like methadone, didn't really improve anything either, besides our sneaker collection. The extra money I earned staved off the pain of really looking at my budget, seriously diminishing my lifestyle, making other hard choices, not traveling, or having difficult conversations. I didn't have to give up WoW, or the gym, or satellite radio, or clean out my storage container, or give up breakfast with Scott, etc. Now, if I had done all those things and did all the extra work, I'd be in even better shape, though far mopier.
This does not mean working all these extra hours was without consequence. I've already covered what happened with my knee, but on the 18th, after driving home from Corning, I drove for Lyft that afternoon and proceeded to lose my wallet, with a host of very important documents therein. I spent the weekend hunting for it, trying to fix any potential damage, and castigating myself, realizing that I overdid it yet again, this time suffering not a physical lapse, but a mental one. Thankfully, Carolyn found it a few days later, and I am beyond relieved. It was a painful reminder of my own limits; at 48, my physical and mental capacities are lower than I'm comfortable admitting. Nevertheless, it was worth it, if only because I felt I had no other choice. If there was a mistake in made, it was either creating the circumstances where I felt this was required, or at least believing it was. Making more money was not a mistake, or was it?
I ask this because I just found out that the college is less than thrilled with my extracurricular activities. By that I mean that 45 minutes ago I was told that there's a rumor that I was driving for Lyft on company time. Without a specific time and day where I was supposedly double dipping, I can only say that I wasn't. This is probably envious bullshit, but I have to to toe the line here, and realize that there was always the possibility that questions would be asked by the administration. There could be a further subtext looking to discredit financial aid overall, but let's not get too paranoid. With that I may have to stop all my side gigs for the moment, including New Balance. I'll also want to speak to the union.
Thankfully, the reason all of this occurred has finally been resolved. As of Friday, my co-op is sold. In keeping with the theme, the closing was a miserably torturous affair taking 5 hours. Also, I sold the place at a slight loss: $1359, but that's manageable. With that, I'm free to shed all these jobs. If the rumors are true, I have the best possible rebuttal, and everyone who is running his or her mouth can officially shut the fuck up. To answer what I would have done differently, I would have cut down the number of days that I worked for Horseman's Hollow, and would have stopped working New Balance after Christmas. Now I may have to give notice at the store, which is a bummer, as I like working there. even as I didn't earn a lot. I still need to further cement my financial situation, but these gigs, save Lyft, were always limited in scope. They did what I needed them to do. There's more work to be done, but that is the topic for another post.
