The buck stops here - well maybe the $.85 does anyway.

There were a mass round of layoffs yesterday at Starbucks and I’m sure more at smaller companies. I wanted to wish everyone who lost their jobs all my best. It’s a weird world and it is my hope for all of them that there are great jobs for them out there when they’re ready.

So I realize that back in the day when I lost my job, I boldly said I would have a new job in six weeks. Maybe I said I would like to have a new job in six weeks. Well I don't, so there. What of it? Where does this amount of time not working leave me money-wise. I’ll tell you.

So managing with a lot less money coming in has been really interesting. I have a limit where I try to only allow myself to spend the money on lunches out or drinks with friends that I have earned through doing surveys, or my online articles. I’m up to earning about $.85/day on my online articles which is great and my goal is $1/day. Before you laugh, it’s all residuals in that it takes me no time to write them AND the money just keeps coming in. Plus I was able to repost them on a second website and am making money from there too (not enough to mention just yet though). Money-wise, I am doing pretty well and since I try to only go to lunch once a week I’m able to bank up my money from surveys all week! It’s been really empowering to move towards spending less money on things like lunches out and that kind of thing and realize that I’m able to see and keep up with family and friends and have just as much, if not more fun than before.

My friend Celeste was telling me today that when she changed jobs, she had a long period where her income was not yet at the level she was at before. The income at her new position would grow but it would take time so in that interim she learned to spend less and has kept those habits and now finds herself saving more. I’m hoping that happens for me too.

I know in the past I would consistently spend more money than I needed to. I’d say it’s likely an American thing but it’s important to admit it was a me thing. If I was bored I’d go to the drug store to buy myself hair products or lipsticks, and if I was lonely or sad or whatever I would buy clothes. (True story, I once got home from a final and my parents assumed I did badly because I bought myself a pair of shoes on the way home. Actual truth was the shoes were cute and they were a reward for doing great on the test). All of the things I would buy to pick myself up or reward myself were just things and I was spending money I should have been saving or worse, didn’t have in the first place instead of just realizing that you don't need stuff to make you feel better.

So, I just have a moratorium and can’t buy new things – except the new swimsuit and sneakers I bought myself two months ago! I am finding that if I don’t go to Walgreens or Bartell’s to aimlessly browse and spend money when I’m bored, or buy myself clothes when I’m sad and lonely that I’m actually dealing with the feelings. What a revolution in mindset, huh? It's not about denying myself stuff but really thinking about what I really want to spend money on and why. I’m saving to continue to put into my IRA for my retirement, and saving a bit of spending money for my upcoming trip, and working on keeping the spending down because not sure how long the unemployment will last and I do have health insurance to pay for. If I only buy things that I really need and not to fill an emotional need, I am finding that I want a lot less “stuff”. Plus, when I get bored, the trip to Bartell Drugs or Walgreens to poke around for an hour and buy random stuff can be replaced by just a walk around the block. New t-shirts are not going to cheer me up. Workouts do.

See so you can see that I'm replacing buying stuff when I don't need it with actual positive activities like going to the gym and going for walks. But before you ask if I've met my goal of getting in much better shape, I gotta admit that watching TV and eating ice cream also make me feel better.