I'm Okay With That

Tonight the reality of unemployment is hitting me. I still have a few dollars saved up, but they won't last long. I have a few freelance gigs lined up, but they don't pay nearly enough to cover all my expenses.
My COBRA health insurance information finally arrived (2 days after my plan expired, which is how I found out which day my plan expired). $643 a month???
Um, no thanks.
I guess I will be going with ObamaCare after all. $40 a month, plus a $6000 deductible. Ha.
Well, hopefully I just won't ever get sick, right?
Speaking of which, back in December I had to go off a weight management medication I was on for 3 years in prep for my surgery. I never went back on it because my doctor didn't think it was doing me any good anymore.
Ha. Double ha.
I've gained 15 lbs since December, in spite of going off gluten, corn, and most sugars. (Paleo diet.) Yep. I gained 10 lbs while on the Paleo diet. Go figure. (the other 5 I gained before the diet, which prompted me to go on the diet.)
I think I'll be asking to go back on my medication again!
I just wrote up a to-do list for tomorrow.
37 items on it.
Thankfully 1 of those things actually pays. And 8 more will eventually bring in some passive income.
It's not much, but at least I'm not spending money (except on health insurance) tomorrow. I hope.
I'm sitting in my bed, KayaDog snuggled up by my side, listening to the trampoline sounds and conversations of the upstairs neighbors, forced to play music loudly so I don't have to hear them (b/c my goodness someone up there has a potty mouth), reading a book (just finished "Sex, Drugs, and Cocoa Puffs" and just started "Outliers" in the last hour), and you know what?
Life isn't perfect.
It's far from rosy.
There is far more to be worried and concerned about than I can actually count.
But I'm pretty darn happy.
I have good friends.
I have a great family.
I have a very cute dog with a serious snoring problem.
I have prospects.
I have a good attitude.
I have the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
I have no idea what tomorrow will bring, and I am completely okay with that.

Reason #567 Why I Love Amazon Prime

You can thank me later.
I just discovered that Amazon Prime is doing a free trial for all of October. Free shipping, free shows, special deals. All the good stuff. FOR FREE TO YOU. 

Tomorrow I am canceling my cable (I've been planning this for a while), going to Amazon, and buying myself this-

And then I will be watching TV pretty much only via Netflix, Amazon Instant/Amazon Prime, and Hulu (all on my TV, via the blu-ray player). And by doing so, I will be saving about $90/mo.
And I could really use an extra $90/month. 

What do you do in the summertime when... you have just been ripped off?

In the past few weeks I have been ripped off not once, but twice, by clients. I was hired to do a specific job for a specific amount of money. I performed both jobs not just well, but very well. Both clients expressed satisfaction and appreciation for the well done work.
And yet neither has paid me.
I am in the process of taking the proper steps to recover what I am owed. In the meantime, I'm left with the emotions that come with such dishonesty. It frustrates me to no end that people do this sort of thing. Why would you hire someone if you have no intention of paying them, unless you really do have dishonest and quite frankly immoral or evil intentions? And how can you live with yourself?
To say the least, the dishonesty of these other parties has had a very negative effect on my life. I am a freelancer. I depend upon the work I do to make the money I need to support myself. When someone intentionally hires me, accepts my work, and then doesn't pay me, it isn't just some mere inconvenience. I don't have other forms of income coming in. It's the money that was supposed to pay for my food, shelter, gas, etc..
When I go into job interviews for full-time jobs I always get asked, "Why do you want to leave self-employment?" (Actually what they almost always insensitively say is, "why do you want to get a job now?" Because apparently working 50 hours/week from home isn't a real job.) The answer I want to give is, "I'm tired of getting ripped off by my clients, and I'm tired of working three times harder than I have ever worked before to make 3 times less money." But that is not considered a professionally appropriate answer, so instead I say, "I miss being part of a larger, dynamic team." (But I'm always thinking, "I really want a consistent paycheck every 2 weeks.")
So help me get back at the guy who hired me to write a 25 page e-book (10 pt font, single spaced) on how to use Facebook for small business marketing, and then didn't pay me, by buying, "Increase e-Book Sales with Social Media Marketing." It's not the same exact book I wrote for him. (I'm still trying to be somewhat honest. I said I would write it, he would pay me, and he would own the rights to the book. But since he hasn't paid me, I've made some changes, and decided to sell it direct myself.)
It's just 99 cents to buy.  Use this magic little linky straight to PayPal, and I email you the PDF (or .mobi file if you prefer) book right back! (I swear to you this is a totally safe and secure link!)

PS- I don't say too much about my job hunting efforts around here. It's considered unprofessional to do so. But today I could just use the moral support from my friends.
I was interviewing last fall for some jobs, but nothing really panned out. I took a short break from looking, but have resumed my efforts again. In the past month I've had 3 really big disappointments. 3 different opportunities where it came down to me and one other person for an ideal job. And obviously in each case I didn't get the job.  I'm reaching the end of my "able to handle so much rejection rope." (couple all of that with clients ripping me off, and you can start to get an idea of what it feels like on my end of this internet connection.)
Last week I had a job interview that was just... ridiculously bad. The interviewer talked about random, unrelated subjects for 20 minutes, and then said, "So you really aren't a good fit for this position. Why did you apply?" And this is after I have just spent 5 hours in a car to drive to the interview, not to mention close to $80 in gas for the travel. And that was the only question she asked me. She couldn't have asked me that over the phone and saved me the trouble?? Ugh...
Back to my point... I have [another] interview this week. And this job (what little I know about it so far), really does sound perfect for me. I'm excited about it. I am a very good fit for the position, and it is something I can see myself doing for a long time. Can you think some happy thoughts for me? Hope for a good interviewer who knows how to ask the important questions, and that the 500 crucial details I have to get worked out between now and then all come together. (Just one of them being getting paid!)
Thanks. I appreciate it.
Hmm... you know what? I just might go publish the Facebook for small business marketing book too. I can't really think of a good reason not to.

The Price of Being Single

 A few weeks ago I reached my breaking point. I was desperate for social interaction, preferably with other Mormon singles. My local area does not have a singles program, so I rely on friends in other towns to keep me informed of activities. And as luck would have it, there was a singles activity taking place near one of my friends.
I had to drive a few hours to get there. I left at 8:30 a.m. and got home around 8:30 p.m. I spent about $50 in gas, plus $10 admission, and money for food. All in all, this singles activity took up 12 hours of my day, and cost me about $75.
$75 is a lot of money for a social outing, but especially so in my underemployed condition.
Was it worth it? Well... not really.
The activity itself was okay. I got to see my friend and chat with her, and that was nice. I don't think she will be offended though if I say that I wouldn't normally spend $75 just for the chance to hang out with her. I met some nice people at the activity, but nothing really important or interesting. It was mostly just chatting to pass the time. There were 15 women and 3 men there. If you are a Mormon single over 30, and not in a singles congregation, you probably are impressed with that number. 3 whole men! That's not a bad number! If you are not over 30, Mormon, and single, (or you are in an industrious and active singles ward), you probably are shocked that I would drive a round-trip 6 hours and spend $75 for those odds. Such is life as an old maid Mormon.
As for me, I just kind of feel like it wasn't a good use of my funds. It did get me out of the house, and I did get to see an historical site I have never visited before, so I can't complain too much. But mostly I wish I had my $75 back to buy a new dress or put into savings.
This is the cost of being single. You have no choice but to invest financially and hope for a payoff. But after so very many years of being single, I can't help but feel like I have made some very poor investment decisions. And maybe I should save my money rather than throw it after big dreams with poor returns.

Hey You! Check out my new novels, "You Heard It Here First" and the sequel "This Just In!"

Do you know what a "looming fiscal cliff" is and why it is important?

So the question of the day is, how many of you know what "Taxmageddon" or the "fiscal cliff" really means? It is a word that has been tossed about in the news media for nearly 6 months now. Has it just sounded like a scary word about taxes? Or do you know what it actually means? 

In my new novel, "You Heard It Here First," the main character, Haley, finds herself in the middle of a political scandal regarding taxes. When I wrote it- more than 6 months ago- I had never heard the terms "fiscal cliff" or  "taxmageddon." You can only imagine my surprise when I began to research those terms a few weeks ago, and discovered that the completely fictitious storyline in my book, is actually a real life scenario right now (minus the political subterfuge and bad guys plot). 

Just like my character in the book, I'm starting to see a need more and more for women to learn and understand financial responsibility. I wrote a blog piece for the Motley Fool ("5 Ways to Protect Yourself from the Looming Fiscal Cliff") that hopefully explains what is going on right now, and why it is so important. And hopefully I wrote it in plain enough language that anyone could follow along.

Normally I just post pieces and say, hey, go check out my latest article! But today I'm going to ask you to check it out because I really do believe it is important to understand. The "fiscal cliff" or "taxmageddon" (which, btw, are the same thing) is not only very real, it is a very real threat to you personally, and to the economy. And once you understand the reality and severity of the situation, you'll see why those 2 names are not just for dramatic effect. The potential fallout of the current situation really would be a financial Armageddon!

I'm Cheap, and I'm Proud

My love of coupon cutting has been well-documented on this blog. Today was one of those days where I actually took the time to research deals and cut coupons in an effort to save a few pennies. But I saved more than just a few pennies. I'll tell you how much I saved in a minute. First you have to read how I saved them.
On Sunday (while I was sleepwalking- I have almost no memory of going to the store. Its an odd dream.), I bought the 2 pack Sunday paper. (In Utah they sell both of the local major papers in a set on Sunday so you can get "double the deals.") This gave me 2 sets of all local coupons. I cut out all the coupons that were applicable to me.
Next, I reviewed all of the circulars for the local stores to see who had the best deals- Albertsons, Smiths, and Target. My research told me that Albertsons had the best deal on produce, but Target had a lot of non-food items on sale (cleaning supplies, toiletries, etc.). Smiths Marketplace (which is like a Super Walmart or Super Target), however, had a lot of items on sale, including flip flops, gardening gloves, garden supplies, and frozen foods.
More importantly though was that I got my Smiths coupons in the mail. Smiths rewards members get coupons in the mail, specifically targeted for them, every great once in a while. My pack of coupons included $3 off produce (if $15 or more was spent), and several BOGO items. And I do love a good BOGO.
I checked my coupon items against items for sale at the various stores. I found that Smiths had provided me with a coupon for Tysons chicken, and I had coupons from the newspaper for Tysons, and on top of that, Tysons chicken was on sale at Smiths. Needless to say, I bought a lot of chicken. My freezer is packed!
My other favorite coupon I found was for Clear Care contact lens cleaner. It should come as no surprise to you that in addition to being allergic to all things that grow in Utah, wheat, corn, and air, I'm also allergic to most contact lens cleaners. The only kind I can use is Clear Care. The problem with this is that at some stores (and not all carry it) it can run as much as $12/bottle. (The generic brands are as cheap as $2! This is a great injustice I tell you!) So when I found a coupon for $3 (and actually had 2 coupons, since I had 2 sets), and that it was on sale at Target for $3 off, you had better believe I was happy. $6 off!!! YEAH!!!
I was a little irritated that I had a couple of coupons for items I couldn't find at either store. Some brand called "White Cloud" toilet paper and paper towels was not to be found anywhere.
I should also mention I did buy a few items without coupons, but were still on sale.
In other words, I didn't pay full price for one thing I bought today.

So how much did I save?

I'm going to let you guess. Below is how much I spent, and what I bought. Assume the quantity is 1, unless otherwise specified.

At Target I spent $50.55.
2 bottles Clear Care contact solution
Quaker Instant Oatmeal
Activia yogurt
garbage bags
DanActive
St Ives lotion
2 packs Dixie Ultra plates
body wash
ziploc bags
magic erase "sponges"
disposable razors
hair ties

At Smiths I spent $128.
Produce- apples, peppers, lettuce, nectarines, avocados, and tomatoes
toilet paper
paper towels
2 pairs flip flops
hand trowel
hand spade
weed puller thingy
2 pairs gardening gloves
3 boxes deli meats
3 things of cheeses
5 frozen dinners
6 Tyson chicken things
2 bistro dinners
12 pack Diet Dr Pepper
2 loaves bread
bag of salad
pie tin
shampoo and conditioner
cake mix and frosting
bagelfuls (I so do not recommend becoming addicted to these things!)
outdoor camp chair

(If you follow me on Twitter you are excluded from winning!)

But wait! There's a prize! I still have several more good coupons. I will mail the person who gets the closest answer more of my coupons.

Oh and bonus! Smiths Marketplace also has a gas station. The more you shop there the more you stock up on gas savings as well. So as I left the store I had more gas savings to redeem. I got 15 cents off per gallon, plus another $5 off. Bringing my full gas tank fill up to $11!

And then as I was leaving Smiths I saw on Twitter where a friend mentioned that Arbys was giving away free burgers today if you bought a drink. So I also managed to get a decent dinner for a mere $1.98.

So all in all I spent $180 roughly. Can you guess how much I saved just in coupons??

I'm Cheap and Proud of It

The economic crisis is causing a lot of people to want to be better prepared. I'd like to be one of those people. Utah probably isn't the only place in the U.S. making a huge point to stock up on emergency supplies and beef up their food storage supplies.  For the last several months (before losing my jobs), one of my priorities was to shop more at Costco, buying larger essential items, and stock up slowly on different necessities when I saw them on sale at the stores. As a result, when I lost my jobs and money, I was in a good place with food and several toiletry items. I really haven't had to spend much money at all on buying groceries over the last few months. But now it has been about two months, and... yeah. I'm down to the stuff I really don't want to eat or just wasn't very useful to start with. For instance, cans of mushrooms. What the heck did I buy 10 cans of sliced mushrooms for? If I remember correctly it was because I like to add them to spaghetti sauce, and I got them for $0.20 a piece. It seemed like a good idea at the time.
So now here we are entering a potential economic crisis, I have little in the way of funds, and I just depleted my emergency supplies! Uh oh. But on the bright side, I did have the supplies!
Today I returned to my old ways of coupon cutting. But I took it one step further than usual! I even pulled out the weekly ads for the two local grocery stores and compared who had better prices and where my coupons will be doubled. I've made my menu for the next few weeks around the coupons and options. If my math is right, I'm going to save over 40% on groceries this week. I'm actually kind of excited to go shopping, just to see how much I can save!
I'd love to get more pointers on ways to save money on essentials. I cut coupons, comparison shop, and frequent the double coupon days. I find buying bulk for just one person usually means a lot of my food goes bad before I can get to it. So what do you do? Got any suggestions?

The Numbers Game

$500- deductible paid by me on my car this week
+ $216- for damages not covered by insurance or the deductible
+ $2750- how much insurance had to pay on my car this week
+ $114- how much I pay in insurance monthly (don't judge- I freely admit I speed- a lot!)
+ $150- for the ticket I owe Nevada Highway Patrol for speeding
+ $284- how much Arlington County, Virginia claims I owe them for having a car there 2 years ago for 2 months (I say BS!)
+ $305- monthly car payment
+ $15- weekly gas (let's hear it for the 4 mile commute to work! w00t!)

= Erin missing the DC metro system (and don't even try and tell me to try Trax. it's not even close.)

Sometimes I like to give myself props

Utah is freaking freezing.
A few days ago I was talking with my cousin-friend* Matt who is my opposite in a funny way. Matt grew up in Utah, but ended up in Virginia for school, and is now back in UT. I grew up in Virginia, went to school in UT, went back to VA, and am now back in UT. We were talking about the weather, and I commented on the never ending winter and snow here. He laughed and replied, "Virginia was COLD!"
And he's right, VA was cold. But we have these blessed warm strange spikes in weather all the time. Al Gore calls it global warming. I call it a Godsend.
Utah, for those who are unaware, is a Godforsaken state. I can prove it. We never have those all important warm weather spikes. Those spikes are what keep people from falling into massive depression from the darkness, ice, snow, dirty ugly highways, and big muddy piles of more snow. Oh and my favorite, the dangerously dangling and dripping and falling icicles that double as life threatening spears if you don't think to look ALL ways before entering buildings.
But tonight I found a little moment of happiness in spite of the freaking Utah winter.
I went to REI (to buy tickets to the Banff Film Festival). And there was a 50% clearance sale.
And I didn't buy anything. I withheld. I was amazing. I chose to NOT spend money. In spite of the freezing weather, ice puddles (something I think are unique to Utah), and my numb fingers, I did not buy every fleece jacket and warm sweater I saw in there. This is nothing short of a miracle.
Now my ADD brain must ask my next odd question. (There was a connection here in my brain from freezing and wanting warm clothes to being cold in my apartment and having to pay utilities.)
I have managed to live on my own for the better part of 15 years now and have never had to pay utilities. I have always lived in places where utilities were included. And now here it is, the dead of winter, in a state where the snow won't stop coming down, and I have to pay utilities. And I'm paranoid about the bill being outrageously high. If you know me, you know I HATE being cold. As I write this I am wearing fleece sweats, socks, under a furry blanket, sitting on a heating pad, with the heat set at 72, and I'm just barely warm. Actually, my feet are very cold and it is time for me to move the heating pad from my back to my feet.
So the question- how do you keep warm in a cold state in a very drafty apartment? How do you keep the utilities bill down? I have to pay electric, gas, and water. I'm not worried about the water. But I have a gas fireplace. And my hot water heater runs off the gas too. Anyone have any suggestions for staying warm without paying an outrageous utilities bill? (And no, we don't do that averaged out payment thing here.)
Ooh, but on the subject of saving money, can I just say how cool it is that I have lived here 8 days now, and have only used up half a tank of gas? I'm loving my 4 mile commute to work. My car insurance went up thanks to the new location and the car accident, but my gas bill has gone down big time!!