Breaking Up With The Boyfriend.... Good or Bad For The Budget... Part One

As I recently went through a breakup, I am trying to find ways to distract myself from my thoughts. I decided I would think about how this situation would effect my personal finances. I realized there are two topics to discuss. Immediate post break up activity... spend more or less? and Long term post break up activity... do I spend more or less as a "couple" rather than a "single".

Part One: Immediate post break up activity

Do I want to run to the mall and buy new shoes and clothes to make me feel better? Yes. Do I want to go grocery shopping and load up on extras like chocolate and ice cream for those lonely nights on the couch? Yes. Yes. Do I want to make myself feel special by making an appointment at the spa for a mani, pedi, and massage? Yes. Yes. Yes.

Will I? No.

Luckily I have picked up this second job that keeps me occupied a couple extra evenings a week. Not only am I not spending, I am earning.

What am I doing to keep myself from spending on clothes, shoes, voodoo dolls and chocolate covered sundaes? I made myself a list of all of the things that I did not make time for when I was in my relationship. I have been neglecting my crafting, the apartment needs a mega clean job.

I spent one evening devoted to cleaning. I did every single load of laundry I had. I scrubbed the tub so it sparkles. I cleaned the kitchen head to toe. I organized my linen closet. I vacuumed behind the couches. I dusted every surface I could find. I cleaned the windows. I cleaned under my bed (gasp).

I am being productive, busy, and emotionally I feel like I am scrubbing his memory from my apartment.

Next in line, clean the second bedroom. I am a pack rat. I have already been having the urge to reduce my clutter. I will go through every single box of shoes and clothes and crafts and old miscellaneous things. I will pretend I am on that one show, and make piles... to sell, to donate, to keep. I will put the things that are sellable on eBay or craigslist. I will put the things to donate on freecycle or to Goodwill. I will nicely organize the (hopefully small pile) of things to keep.

After that I think I will rearrange the furniture. This is always fun, and when the memory of someone is everywhere you look, rearranging is a good way to make things feel fresh and different.

And once my second bedroom is organized, I will know where all the supplies are to all the projects I have put off. I will enjoy completing each and every one.

I have also been neglecting the gym. I am already paying for it, so I am going every evening that I do not have to work at my second job.

I will take an evening to call all of those people I call periodically to catch up, my friends and family that do not live in the area.

And all of these things cost no money.

I think that when someone goes through a break up, they can easily revert to previous bad habits. For me, this is spending money. By consciously making a plan, I can come out of this situation a cleaner, better person... who is still in control of her finances.

Expect Part Two Soon... Long term post break up activity... do I spend more as a "couple" or a "single"?

Alternative Income: Picking up a Second Job

So I scored a second job! I have been thinking about getting one for a long time, and I have kept a steady lookout for one that is juuuust right.

My ideal job would be working one or two evenings during the week, and some reasonable weekend hours every couple of weekends. I have season football tickets to my Alma mater, and a pretty active social life, so I didn't want to be working a ton of weekend hours. The pay was not really important to me, flexibility was my priority. I would also like to work somewhere that interests me, with an employee discount that I would use.

So I am now a cashier at a local craft store! The store is halfway between my work and my apartment. This is perfect because during the week I will be coming straight from work, and on the weekends I will be coming from my apartment.

The hours of business are:

M-F 8am - 9pm
Sat 9:30am - 5:30pm
Sun 11:00am - 5:00pm

This means that I can still have a reasonable bed time during the week. Also, no matter what, I will not be working past 9 on a Friday night (still time to go out afterwards). I wont have to wake up too early if I work on Saturday mornings, I will be able to do things on Saturday evenings (only work til 5:30!), and I will be able to wake up late AND still have time to relax after work on Sundays.

They do expect some weekend hours, but they said as long as I give them my schedule, they will work around it!

They also are working around my ongoing Thursday night plans with my old roommate (Happy Hour!!). All I said was if they were just picking days of the week to work, I would prefer not to work Thursdays, but no big deal. Well another girl that works there prefers Thursdays so it works out just perfect!

The pay is only 7 dollars an hour, but I get a 25% discount! And I can definitely use that discount on crafts. Spending money at craft stores is one of my major weaknesses.

I'm going to allow my first paycheck to go towards my crafting wish list (which is rapidly growing in my head), and try to save the rest of my checks.

This is PERFECT timing, too. I am going to Europe for work in late September, and after that comes the holidays... both of which require some extra money.

Making 7 dollars an hour, this is how much I can expect to make each month (before taxes) if I work 10-15 hours a week. This equals out to $3,636 to $5,460 a year (if I can handle a second job for that long)

When considering a second job, spend some time thinking about your ideal job and what is important to you.

Is it important to spend the least amount of time making the most amount of money? Consider giving up your weekend nights and bar tend. If you find the right place bartenders can make hundreds of dollars in a 4-6 hour shift.

Are you a morning person? Consider working at a bakery early mornings before you go to work. If you picked up a 5:00-7:30 am shift on weekdays you could squeeze in 12.5 hours a week

Don't want your second job to interfere with your working out schedule? Become an aerobics/yoga/spin instructor and get paid to work out!

Do you have a store that you regularly spend money at? I know my weaknesses are Target, Old Navy, and Craft stores. Get a job at one of your favorite and save yourself extra money by using the employee discount. My sister work in a department store throughout college, and got a 25% discount. This came in VERY handy for buying wedding gifts.

Getting a second job is a big commitment, so I figure that it is okay to be picky. If you look hard enough or long enough, you will find a job that fits your needs and your schedule. And you will be a lot happier because of it.

Making a Budget... Not a One Time Deal!

Here is a nice article about making a budget. The parts I wanted to highlight are tips #8 & #9.

8. Assess your budget. At the end of each month, look over your expenditures to see if they are matching up to your budget. If they aren’t, determine if you need to work harder to stick to your spending plan; or if you need to rework your budget to reflect your actual spending.

9. Assess and assess again. A frugal budget is never finished. Continue to look over your budget every month to catch areas of overspending. Then, crunch the numbers again until you’ve made it right.

This shows that a budget is an ongoing thing, not a one time deal. If you make a budget then go living life as normal, you are not budgeting. You should continually assess your budget to check your progress and make improvements.

For example, when your contract period is over for bills such as insurance, cell phones, cable TV, Internet, and home phone, take the time to get new quotes to improve your rates. If you are happy with your service and feel apprehensive about changing carriers, take the quotes from competitors and show them to your current carrier. They will usually match (or even beat!) the competitors rates.