So it’s been a rough summer. The expectation that my income would go down by 25% led to a lot of stress, not to mention a lot of scrimping. Practice, I told the child. Let’s see if we can live on our new income before it’s our income.
The answer being no led to more stress. Half-hearted and miserable job-hunting. Wailing and gnashing of teeth. Then–a miracle! The good people of this fair city decided the state legislature was a pack of howling lunatics (pretty much, they are) and that education should not be chopped into radish roses or the like. My hours were not slashed. My income remained intact.
For three weeks after the news, I held it together. I’ve been scrimping, yes, but not saving–for months I’ve thrown every spare dime at my debt–and until I got a real paycheck, we were not out of the woods.
Friday I got paid. Not only that, but my friend who has cheered me on for months as I worked to get healthier insisted on sending me shopping for pretty clothes.
I spent. I spent what she gave me, and then I spent a bit more. I went to Starbucks. I went to Long John Silver’s. I went to Woot.com. I went to the grocery store. I took the kid for a haircut.
I haven’t overspent yet. It was a close call, though, and if the weekend had gone on one more day it probably would have happened. As it is, I’ll have to spend some of the money I’d meant to devote to Yaoi-Con on bills instead. (That was how I bought the camera at Woot.com–with the thought that I could take much BETTER bishie pictures with a 15x zoom and a wide-angle lens.)
So this is my official notice to myself. After I buy a bulletin board (no, really–I must have it) I stop spending. Back to the scrimping I go, but this time–oh, this time it’s for the bishies.
This time it’s going to happen. I’ll do anything for the bishies. Especially since the incredible awesome HamletMachine is going to be there. SQUEE!