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I am wondering just how much cool stuff I can afford to do. 'Afford' here refers both to limited funds and limited vacation time.
- I am getting a new apartment. I think that if I get apartment #4, I only have to pay 1st month's rent and the security deposit, for a total of $1450. That would almost clear out one of my savings accounts, but I have way more money in my ING account. If I need to do 1st, last, and security, that would be $2175, which would hurt a bit more, but I'm pretty sure I can do it without touching my ING account. I plan to take at least one day off work for use in moving.
- I need to reschedule a time to go to Denver with Sarah to visit Amy and Josh. We've already paid for this, so we just have to find a weekend to do it and US Airways flights under $404, which was high to begin with, so it should be do-able (even though I'm not finding much at the moment. But I'm also searching for President's Day weekend, which is probably bumping up the prices). I will need 1-2 days off for this.
- I want to visit Fritz in California. Flights to San Francisco/Oakland are not looking cheap at the moment. They are looking like the only flights under $300 aren't nonstop and therefore will involve 8+ hours of traveling each way. Ugh, I say. And I will want at least one day off for this.
- Fritz mentioned that he's going to AWP in Atlanta. I haven't gone in two years, and I had promised myself I wasn't allowed to go again until I started writing again and therefore it would be "worth it" to go. But Fritz is going, and he says Xina and JT are thinking about going, and there's apparently a bunch of Greensboro MFA people going, like Stuart and Jim and Terry and Dan. So it could be really fun. I could get a flight in the mid-$200s, and then I would have to eat and pay for a hotel room. It would be awesome if I could share a room with Fritz and Xina and JT. And maybe going to AWP, and seeing writing people and going to sessions about writing and publishing, would kickstart me into writing again, and being excited about writing. Because afterwards I would be coming home to my own apartment, and my current lack of a social life, and it's possible all that drive and excitement might not go to waste because I'd have time and space to actually write. If I went I would try to fly on Thursday night and take only Friday off, so I would miss a full day of the con, which would be okay. It would be a compromise with the me who doesn't want to waste money and vacation time on writing stuff when I'm not writing. (However, we all really know that my major motivation for wanting to go is to see Fritz and Xina and JT. Although I need to do something to start writing again.) Also, if I see Fritz at AWP, I can then put off visiting him in California for a bit, which I don't want to do, but you know, the whole killing multiple birds with a rock thing.
- Oh, and I'm a bridesmaid in two weddings, and I need to plan (and fund) Missi's bridal shower in April-ish, and I'll need to buy two dresses, and I'll have to pay for three nights in a hotel in June for Missi's wedding. Which will also require at least one, possibly two vacation days. And we're not even talking about the other three weddings I'm attending this year, two of which will require travel and possibly time off, all of which will require gifts.
I get 10 vacation days per year. I get 3 personal days. I carried over 3.3 vacation days from 2006 which must be used before the end of March 2007. That gives me a total of 16.3 days for the year, not counting holidays like President's Day. The carryover days will go towards 1) moving, 2) Denver, and 3) AWP if I go, if I take one day off for each event. Ideally I'd like to take two days for Denver and two days for moving, but I must be thrifty. If I do a very, very good job of planning my vacation time and being a very good girl, then I will have time left over for Christmas 2007 and hopefully to carry over a few days to 2008. If I make it to 2009 at this job, I'll get a bump up to 15 vacation days per year. Let's not think about that now. Need to be thrifty.
In terms of finances, I'm doing pretty well. I've been really careful about charging things this month, so I won't have a big credit card bill and that will help. Oh! And my credit card company reimbursed me for the bad Indian jeans! That paid for half the bad New Year's Eve party, so I feel better on both counts, like I'm getting a discount on my stupid tax. Thinking now as I type this, I think I can afford to move, go to Denver, and then take one trip, either Cali or AWP. I won't be able to pay extra on my car payment for a few months, or put extra into my savings. But moving and taking trips will both do a lot for my mental health, and that's worth it. Crap, that reminds me, I didn't include my therapist in my budget! But I still think I can manage. Le sigh.
- I am getting a new apartment. I think that if I get apartment #4, I only have to pay 1st month's rent and the security deposit, for a total of $1450. That would almost clear out one of my savings accounts, but I have way more money in my ING account. If I need to do 1st, last, and security, that would be $2175, which would hurt a bit more, but I'm pretty sure I can do it without touching my ING account. I plan to take at least one day off work for use in moving.
- I need to reschedule a time to go to Denver with Sarah to visit Amy and Josh. We've already paid for this, so we just have to find a weekend to do it and US Airways flights under $404, which was high to begin with, so it should be do-able (even though I'm not finding much at the moment. But I'm also searching for President's Day weekend, which is probably bumping up the prices). I will need 1-2 days off for this.
- I want to visit Fritz in California. Flights to San Francisco/Oakland are not looking cheap at the moment. They are looking like the only flights under $300 aren't nonstop and therefore will involve 8+ hours of traveling each way. Ugh, I say. And I will want at least one day off for this.
- Fritz mentioned that he's going to AWP in Atlanta. I haven't gone in two years, and I had promised myself I wasn't allowed to go again until I started writing again and therefore it would be "worth it" to go. But Fritz is going, and he says Xina and JT are thinking about going, and there's apparently a bunch of Greensboro MFA people going, like Stuart and Jim and Terry and Dan. So it could be really fun. I could get a flight in the mid-$200s, and then I would have to eat and pay for a hotel room. It would be awesome if I could share a room with Fritz and Xina and JT. And maybe going to AWP, and seeing writing people and going to sessions about writing and publishing, would kickstart me into writing again, and being excited about writing. Because afterwards I would be coming home to my own apartment, and my current lack of a social life, and it's possible all that drive and excitement might not go to waste because I'd have time and space to actually write. If I went I would try to fly on Thursday night and take only Friday off, so I would miss a full day of the con, which would be okay. It would be a compromise with the me who doesn't want to waste money and vacation time on writing stuff when I'm not writing. (However, we all really know that my major motivation for wanting to go is to see Fritz and Xina and JT. Although I need to do something to start writing again.) Also, if I see Fritz at AWP, I can then put off visiting him in California for a bit, which I don't want to do, but you know, the whole killing multiple birds with a rock thing.
- Oh, and I'm a bridesmaid in two weddings, and I need to plan (and fund) Missi's bridal shower in April-ish, and I'll need to buy two dresses, and I'll have to pay for three nights in a hotel in June for Missi's wedding. Which will also require at least one, possibly two vacation days. And we're not even talking about the other three weddings I'm attending this year, two of which will require travel and possibly time off, all of which will require gifts.
I get 10 vacation days per year. I get 3 personal days. I carried over 3.3 vacation days from 2006 which must be used before the end of March 2007. That gives me a total of 16.3 days for the year, not counting holidays like President's Day. The carryover days will go towards 1) moving, 2) Denver, and 3) AWP if I go, if I take one day off for each event. Ideally I'd like to take two days for Denver and two days for moving, but I must be thrifty. If I do a very, very good job of planning my vacation time and being a very good girl, then I will have time left over for Christmas 2007 and hopefully to carry over a few days to 2008. If I make it to 2009 at this job, I'll get a bump up to 15 vacation days per year. Let's not think about that now. Need to be thrifty.
In terms of finances, I'm doing pretty well. I've been really careful about charging things this month, so I won't have a big credit card bill and that will help. Oh! And my credit card company reimbursed me for the bad Indian jeans! That paid for half the bad New Year's Eve party, so I feel better on both counts, like I'm getting a discount on my stupid tax. Thinking now as I type this, I think I can afford to move, go to Denver, and then take one trip, either Cali or AWP. I won't be able to pay extra on my car payment for a few months, or put extra into my savings. But moving and taking trips will both do a lot for my mental health, and that's worth it. Crap, that reminds me, I didn't include my therapist in my budget! But I still think I can manage. Le sigh.
