So it's the end of January and payday.

I pretty much paid as many things as I could this pay date. I'm hoping that tomorrow is a no spend day and that everything paid today can clear so that I can see where my money went. I can say this, I'm pretty sure the bulk of my spending went to eating out 😩
For February I'm hoping that I can stick to my meal plan.

In other news, my boss signs me up, so she says, for a management training course that she's attending as well. Then complains to everyone else that subordinates and managers shouldn't be in the same training. I'm thinking why did you sign me up? Personally I think she was mad because the trainer asked me three times if I was a manager. He seemed perplexed that I wasn't. The woman is crazy.

I'll be posting my end of month spendings tomorrow.

As you all know my boss is a little crazy, but she did tell me she thought I was smart and should start taking the lead on things so that others do not get credit for my work and suggestions. The problem is when you do some times she is mad and sometimes she's not, you never know which way the wind is blowing with her.

A few days ago a colleague and I was working, well we still are, on a benefit implementation project. I notice that she completed the test without me. Long story short, she calculated the life insurance wrong. I did a little research and realize that the company has been calculating the life insurance wrong now for sometime, smh. She was out for a few days so I brought to my boss' attention. Mind you I'd ask both of them to supply me their spread sheet used for calculation and the plan documents before the testing. I was told that I would get it and never did. In another meeting following, I asked for the spread sheet and the documents. My boss says to me, somewhat sarcastically, "I've already checked the calculations when I started but if you don't trust me or need me to walk through with you, we can do it later." I say to her well if you're comfortable then we're good. Needless to say the calculation were wrong.

So in our meeting I mention that is unethical to not adjust the rates and move forward, my boss gives me an entire spill on why it's not that it's unethical but it's best to start with the next open enrollment vs now. Keep in mind it's a new plan Year and payroll hasn't processed so this is best time to make the adjustments/corrections. So I say to her, I get it and smile but in the meantime I'm thinking A, you never audited the records when you started a year ago. B, if it had been someone else who made the mistake heads would be rolling. C, your direct report with less experience brought it to your attention. D, it's a huge mistake because life insurance is post tax and taxes are now involved as well as wages and E, you'll never admit your mistake.

All I can do is shake my head.

So I usually pack my lunch because one, I can't afford to eat out every day, two I like my quiet time to read up on a few HR things and Bible study, three it's expensive to eat out.

So my boss comes and says the team is going out to lunch and she'd like to take me out for my birthday. I declined respectfully and explained that I had already plugged in my crockpot lunchbox. She insists and so does other teammates, so I say okay. We get there order, and the waitress comes and ask if the checks are separate. My boss who was taking me out to lunch says yes.

😡 Now I'm annoyed. First you said you wanted to take me out, second I had already packed my lunch and two we spent our lunch wolfing down our food because you're in a hurry, not to mention she didn't eat any of her food and complained the entire time. Ugh
Lunch was $14 but I added $5 for a tip costing me $19. And because I had not budgeted and any time I do this I pay the same amount on my CC. Ugh. $40 I really didn't want to spend and it was rude.
Twice this week I've been bamboolzed and it won't happen again.
Next time I pack my lunch, I'll be eating my lunch.

So I started the new job, and live it. Everyone was so nice, and helpful.

Not sure if you all know, but I'm in HR and on boarding is very important to me. Well let's just say my new company did an amazing job, flowers, lunch etc. it was really nice.

My old boss didn't speak to me the last two weeks I was there, even when she took me to lunch, that only validated my decision to leave.

On the financial front I've slacked a little but nothing over board. Now back on track

So I go in for my third interview, and guess what? I got the job, $10k more than what I'm making. The goal is to sick at least 5k away for the year. I'll start on the 24th and give my resignation on Monday. The funny thing is my boss as been extremely nice.

On a different note the BF younger sister passed away the same day I received the offer. He's torn, holding it in but I've been in tears pretty much all day.

That's it so far

Okie dokie we are back from PA. We had my BF family reunion and of course I ended up spending money I should not have.

I asked the BF to move out. Prior to us going on this trip he still owed $120.00 for the airfare, now he owes me $200+ for cable, $75 for luggage and $281 for the rental car. I told him prior to going that I did not want to be responsible for anything concerning this trip. I foot the bill for the Derby because that was something that I always wanted to do, this was his trip. He wants to talk things out, but I'm done, financially, we are not on the same page, and I am tired.

On a different note I am tackling CC4, I caught the devil trying to set up automatic payments of $10 per week but I was able to do it.

I've managed to bump my IRA to $396.71, and still able to add $15 a week to that. Not to mention I signed up for the company's 401(k) at 3% that averages about $33 per pay period.

I was also able to bump my $20/52 Week challenge to $2211.30; I would love to hit the 5k mark by December, but it doesn't look like it unless I get a job paying more.

Lastly, I have been on two interviews with the same company and will be going in for my third on Wednesday. I am pretty confident that I have the job, but I won't post anything until I receive my offer letter.

That's in in a nutshell

I'm broke but all my bills are paid. I have about $200 to last until the next pay day that is the 22nd.

I'm proud of myself, any and every bill that was due from the 7th until the 22nd was paid. This last pay period I started my 401(k) contribution. I could only contribute 2%, wish I could do more but something is better than nothing. The funds chosen were two target funds 80% to the 2040 (my target date) and 20% to the 2035. I appreciate everyone's help with this as well, thank you. I'm still depositing (auto) $15 a week to my IRA account, I figured why stop. Once CC4 is paid off I can up it to $20.

On a different note, I had a phone interview yesterday. I'm super excited, please keep your fingers crossed and candles lit. The hiring manager wants to bring me in to meet with the team next week. What's great about this is, my boss is on vacation so I can leave early or come in late.

Side bar- Yesterday we had an incident at the office. A office manager did not show up to work. Her staff was nervous about it but too afraid to notify anyone because "they did not want to get her in trouble." Apparently her sister hadn't heard from her and called the cops who found her car at a bar. Long story short, she was missing for over 24 hours, found but things do not look good. I say to my boss who is the HR director, that this is a serious problem Andy That the company should be looking at its culture and speaking with staff to reassure them that if there is a concern, it's okay to speak with regionals, HR, exec team etc. Her response, " you are correct, apparently the staff is afraid of the regional, I'm not going to deal with this, let X deal with it he's the VP of Ops, this is a operations issue." All I could do was say, oh and think to myself, I have got to get out of here before the crap hits the fan and she tries to blame someone else for a mistake/stupidity she made.

Once before she held an employee's check, I informed her it was against the law to do so, a clear FLSA violation and she did it anyway. Another time she wanted staff to work a company picnic and not pay them. Unbelievable.

Well I was headed up to see my brother, dad gave me $20 for the ride, so once again I paid $10 on CC3 (balance $350 and change) and added $10 towards my 52 Week/$20 Challenge, as well as $2 for heading to the gym and my new balance is $1750.01😀 if only I could have hit $2,000 by the end of the month.

On a different note I applied for a job about two weeks ago. On Thursday I received an email from a recruiter who stated she was sending me the predictive test (hate those). Took the test and scored 97%. Now in an educational setting this is an "A" however, I'm not sure of the score the company is looking for (fingers crossed). Oops this was their "Customer Service Mindset Test"

Next, I took the "Human Resources Basic" test and scored 95% again I'm freaking out because my score isn't a 100%. Hopefully, I'll hear something, fingers crossed. The position is starting in the low 50s about 12k more than I'm currently making, and the company has a very rich benefits packet, not to mention they believe in professional development. That means that I can attend HR events without worrying about dirty looks, while earning my recertification credits. The position is also a mixture of HR, that I love. I'm not just stuck in a benefits role, but an employee relations, benefits, wellness, risk management etc are areas that I would be covering, and because of this I would be up on industry trends.

I love my job, but can't stand my boss. She is very selfish, not to mention incompetent. On Thursday, she made a very sarcastic remark in reference to my knowledge when it comes to HR. It was like she was saying, yes I recognized you're knowledgeable in this area and yet I don't respect you for it. On thing about me is that I love the field of HR, particularly compliance/law. So I attend ever conference, lecture, webinar, and read every trade magazine I can, and for that I'm looked down for it. It really bothered me so I decided to begin a 21 day fast and prayer. Praying for a break through. Though I would hate to leave but I think it's time to move on. I think what keeps me there is that staff loves me, and I mean that literally 😍 that what's make me feel good. She's the HR director, but yet staff respects me more. Ironic


On a different note. Friday was pay day so I paid all bills due until the next pay period with the exception of rent. Dad always says, "the best time for a man to pay his bills, is when he has the money." 😀

Also, I've open up an IRA and automatically have $10 deposited each week and so far the total is now at $281. Not nearly as much as what I should have but I figured it's a start and the funny thing is I don't miss the $10. Once CC3 is paid off I'll add an extra $5.

I've also added $42 to my 52 Week/$20 Challenge brining my total to $1697.51, way more than my original goal of $1300. I've since boosted the goal to $5,000 by the end of the year. Fingers are crossed.

I think I might just add the $3 to make it an even $1700.

Next week is payday and looks like will be able to save over half my check. I'm excited because paying down the two CC was the best thing I could have done.

On a different I have two interviews lined up and I'm super excited about those. Not to mention my boss is on vacation.

Over the weekend we had our company picnic and because an employee wasn't on the RSVP list, the woman denied her a meal ticket. I thought this was disgusting, and realized it's okay for me to leave an organization that supports this sort of behavior

I was so focused on paying off CC1 that I forgot to pay CC3 yesterday and now I'll be hit with a late fee. Just one day can turn your entire world upside down 😡

On a different note I added week 44 to my 52 Week Challenge, brining my total to $1507.55.

I also had my interview, don't think I wowed them. My nerves got the best of me. But we will see.

Tomorrow my tax refund is suppose to hit the bank, I will pay off two CCs first thing in the morning. Then I'll pay all bills that are due on or around the first of the month. I'm so excited about paying off the two CCs. That will free up at least $50 a month.

On a different note I have an interview for a HR manager role. My fingers are crossed, I hope I feel good about the place and it's paying more. I like where I work, but I need to make at least 10k more a year. I have a masters degree, years experience and I am HR certified. The company I work for is so cheap and mistreat its staff that it's company knowledge that they are "cheap". It's the company theme song.

It's funny because when ever anyone resigns they miraculously come up with the money that wasn't budgeted before to offer a raise and promise to hire that second person to help you do the job you were doing, that was technically a job for three people. It's become a joke amongst staff that the HR manager and executive team aren't aware of. Sad but true.

Anyway my fingers are crossed and we will see what happens

As you all know I was unemployed for quite some time, but I'm back to work and am extremely happy. I have vowed, not to take work home(e.g emails, voicemails), always smile no matter what, stay positive, and to do the best I can.

I think if I stick with this frame of thought, work will be fun, and I won't become anxious or consumed with things that only brings me anxiety.

I've decorated my workspace so that it is fun and positive. I hung some amazing qoutes, purchased a daily devotional/stay positive calendar, a pink lamp and scissors, and I made polka dot letter trays. I think, if my work environment appears to be fun, then work should be fun. In the past I never decorated my workspace because I always went in with the thought of, if I got fired. But for some reason, I feel at home in my new job, and I feel like I will be there for awhile, so why not make it my own.

Now for the 52 week challenge. Since I was out of work for awhile, I was unable to contribute to my challenges, so I'm trying hard to catch up. And to do this I started backwards with the 52 week challenge.
This week I'm on week 51 so I deposited $51 to my saving. I'm also going to work this thing starting from week 1. Therefore I added $2 since I'm on week two

Total deposited for week 2/51: $53

YTD $106

Not too bad

I have been unemployed for the last 8 months and now I can't believe that I have been offered employment by at least three companies in the last week. I have already accepted a position with a dental practice and for some reason I really like it there and thing that that is where I belong, so I am staying. Even though there is a possibility to make a lot more elsewhere, I just feel like this company is where I need to be so I am staying.

On a different note, my brother gave me an extra $20.00 so I added this to my challenge bring my YTD to $80.00 just in the last week, since I have started things back up. I am super excited to be saving finally again.

That's it in a nutshell

Well so much has happened.
I've officially launched/opened Kelly's HR Services. I had my first client and I made $200 but I had to put everything back into the business. Which by the way is fine.
I also had to fire my trainer due to her lack of professionalism with my first client and now I believe I have lost referrals due to it.

Running a business is not easy and it takes a lot of determination. I find myself at times somewhat overwhelmed but I just need to slow down. The official website is www.KellyHRServices.com, I actually designed it myself. Didn't have any funds to pay someone. Check it out and let me know what you all think.

In financial news, I just paid off CC # 5 and have three left to go. I'm super excited because I believe by the time February rolls around I would have them all paid off.

Things are trucking along slowly.

I gave my resignation letter to the CEO yesterday, and he wasted no time accepting it. It was almost like he was saying thank you.

There is a history behind our relationship, lets just say I hired an attorney, questioned his decision and he has been bitter for three years. Unfortunately for him all project managers liked me, not mention I did my job and did it the most efficiently when compared to other coordinators. The funny thing is, is he often asked project managers that I worked with, if I took instructions from them well, all replied yes and he would say to them he just couldn't believe it.

The funny thing is, even as new directors came on board who I had no relationship often asked me what the deal was because he would constantly ask them how I was doing, even though they replied great, but he would never ask about other coordinators. Of course I'd explain the incident, then they would have their " Ah ha moment" and often backed me up on almost 99% of things that arose. Further more, when I would be called to his office fir things that was just out right ridiculous, my project directors would advise me in advance, coach me on my response (teaching me what words to choose).

I laugh to myself because he has allowed his ego to take over his decision making and has lost one of his best coordinators. Facts, I've recruited 75% more volunteers than my colleagues combined, my audits 100%, built a great relationship with community partners and the list goes on.

As my current director has told me, I hate to see you go but it is time for you to move on. That made me feel really good.

Went in for an interview for an HR assistant position and ended up with the director position

I was very nervous (scared of change) but everyone I spoke to thought this was a great opportunity for me to learn.

Yes I'm in grad school seeking a masters in human resource but I have no experience in HR what so ever but I do believe my education will help.

I also have a great HR mentor.

I'm looking at it as a paid internship, make some mistakes, learn as I go, and apply what I've learned in grad school.

I must admit I'm excited but scared as well. The facility is new, about a year old.

That's it in a nutshell

Saw my older brother today and he gave me $40. I was debating if I should pay this on CC 3 and then I thought, why not?

If he hadn't given me the money, I would not have had it to pay but since he gave it to me and I wasn't hurting for the money, I paid the extra cash on the CC.

It feels really good to see the CC get knocked down by so much, I can't wait until its paid off.

Called the accountant today to try and set up an appointment on Tuesday.

On a different note I am itching to tell someone but I have an interview on Tuesday for a HR assistant. As you know I'm in grad school and is set to graduate with a masters in HR management, this will be a great opportunity to get my foot wet. Keep your fingers crossed.

Well I have decided that after graduation, I'll be moving. The BF has way too many other obligations that I simply can not handle.

First of the month rolls around and he is short again. In the year that we have been living together he has only pulled his fair share twice. Don't get me wrong, he is super sweet but being financially responsible is not his forte.

For example, we decided early on for my birthday we were heading to Arkansas, I asked him what did he want to pay for? Either the hotel or car, he chose the car. The rental totaled $287 and of course I was stuck paying for the car and the hotel. Yes I wanted to go away and would have planned something else if he couldn't afford it, and I asked several times.

The cable bill is due and of course he does not have his half, but I paid mine and that's it. I can do with tv, the cable is in his name.

I've said to him time and time again that he needed to set a budget, keep track of his spending for one month that way he could see where his money is going. His money is going to the kids because he can't say no.

I know it's hard, I recognize that. I too am working on some financial mishaps but at least I'm trying and making progress mind you.

Oh well it's too bad. On a different note I have been keeping up with the 52 week challenge I'm actually ahead of the game.
I've also been paying down CC 4, I got it down from 1500 to 1385 by simply paying $2 here and there for the month of January.

I'm still waiting to hear from my employer regarding the $800 tuition reimbursement that I submitted in December. It's either yes or no, why its taking so long? It's a long story I'll have to share later, but lets just say a little over a year ago I had to hire an attorney and I personally do not think the CEO has moved on. That sucks

Right now I have an extra $300 just sitting in my ING account and I'm debating on if I should use the money to pay down cc4. A part of me says yes another says wait and sock away a little more but in the meantime I'm earning little interest while paying a lot more on the CC

Whew, super busy. First day back to work and we lost a coworker who was terminated last week. Honestly, she wasn't great for the job but I also think she was set up only because she was handed a mess and wasn't properly trained, the Agency failed her.

After work I hit Wall*Mart; not one of my favorite places, but I needed some items. Keep in mind I end up in a line with a problem and a manager was called. Next I went to another line to be skipped and the woman ahead of me held the line up checking price after price after price, only to tell the cashier she did not want the 15 or so items.

Next I made it home, updated my MS Money, made dinner, hula whooped for 20 minutes, completed the required professional development quizzes for grad school, read a chapter in my Bible, showered and now finally in bed. I am super tired, it seems as though there aren't enough hours in a day.

All in all I was able to add $18 to my challenge, giving me a grand total
of $26 since the start of the new year.
-$2 breakfast
- $2 lunch
-$ dinner
-$ 1 Bible read
$-1 work out
-$10 weekly $10 deposit to challenge.

Wow my boss was fired, I personally do not think it was right but who am I.

The job is very demanding, we are all working beyond what we should for hardly any pay or benefits for that matter but I am thankful for a job.

I'm a little sad about it though.

I wish there was an app for SA. Please forgive me, I'm using my phone and will probably have a ton of grammatical errors

Long story short, I love my job but I need to make more money. Spoke with my boss who stated that our grant has money that is slated for salary increases; however, she really has no control over her budget, which by the way is the reason the other supervisor quit. Actually, we have enough money to start every one off between 40k-45k and still be able to provide raises. But the Agency starts us off between 30-33k. Last year I had to hire an attorney in order to receive my salary increase. That is a long story that I will have to explain another time, just know that my former boss provided me some info, she probably could have lost her job but i received my salary increase.
Further more, I explained to my new boss that we are taking on additional responsibilities with no salary increase, another reason why one of the coordinators left. So basically with in 1 year we lost one coordinator and one project director.

In the end, I just sent my resume off for two positions. One similar to what I'm doing and the other is a little different.

Basically I can say this, it's not really the raise I'm concerned about, it's the misuse of federal dollars that I'm more concerned about.

Looked at my W2 and it's matched up with my pay stub, I'm short about $1000 for the year. Now I'm going to the account department but was wondering how can I calculate to make sure the correct amount is being received and deducted?

Thank goodness, I am off the rest of the week plus Monday. I am so happy, and to top it off my dentist office called to cancel my appointment. Yay! I really didn't have the funds anyway.

Today I had homemade breakfast, I skipped lunch because I was so busy, but I did have my lunch for dinner. Therefore $6 was added to my challenge/EF.

In addition, I received my mileage check from November, finally, so I added this to my checking account. This is a plus because being home for the rest of the week means I won't spend a thing and will have a nice amount to add to my challenge/ EF by the end of the pay period.

Since I won't be working I also calculated my mileage for November which totaled about $366 , I'll use this for the BF Christmas gift, not all of it of course. I really need a job where I am not doing too much traveling

I am so happy this is a short week as well as next week. I know I am going to pay for it when I return but, I'm exhausted. Don't get me wrong, I love my job but I am extremely tired. When conducting site visits I must drive an hour each way ( 2 hours on the road not fun) and those two hours really cost me a lot of missed work. But I am not complaining, thank you God for my job, there are many who do not have one

On a more positive note, I may have about $90 extra to add to my challenge/EF by the end of this pay period. In addition, as of this past week ending on Saturday, I have deposited over 100 dollars to my challenge/EF, imagine if I had started earlier. I am really happy about this, my goal is to save $1000 for the challenge by December 31st, and given that I started mid November and I am more than likely will be a little over half way to my goal by the end of December, I am really proud of myself.

For me, blogging keeps me accountable, and I am glad to be back

First no spend occurrd yesterday, so $4 paid towards the CC, $2 towards the house fund, and $2 towards my personal saving. All in all $8 towards the challenge yesterday. Today a different story, I hit the grocery store and spent $50 but some of the stuff I could have done without. To end the day on a good note, I washed my own hair and styled it. By doing so I was able to save $25 so $15 was paid on the CC and $5 went towards the house fund. The other five went to my personal account. I'm so glad I'm back blogging, it keeps me on track.
On a different note, tomorrow is a staff retreat because we did very well on the audit. We are heading to Miami for the day and I'm having second thoughts because I do not want to spend money I do not have. My plan is to spend only $40 out of my personal account ( money saved for things I want, i.e shopping, pedicures etc) I do not want to spend money on day with my co-workers in Miami. Hopefully, I will not be pressured to buy anything, it's always hard for me to say NO.

First I would like to thank God for pulling me through this last year, I had no idea how my bills were going to be paid but I did it.
After losing my job it became really hard, I used up my entire savings 6 months worth but at least I had that then I started to use my CCs but I was able to keep them afloat unlike so many others and I am truly thankful for that.
Yesterday I was offered a full time position at the agency in which I did some volunteer work for in the past and am currenlty working as a temp. Mind you this is the same place I interviewed for a different position four times already. Its about $2.40 more than what I am currently making with them and about $2.10 less than my previous salary but it is a heck of a lot more than unemployment so I am very happy.
My goal is to use this as a stepping stool to jump start my career with the elderly. It is a non profit agency which is great and will give me the experience I need with working with such an organization. It feels like the entire world has been lifted off my shoulders--- thank you God for this wonderful blessing and thank everyone here who has said a prayer and lifted my spirits

Well I did the third interview yesterday, I think it went well. I was also work asked to work next week so its looking good

ok i had the third interview, i think it went well. I am still temping for the conmpany so I hope that gives me a little bit of an edge. I think I will be temping next week. Please keep the prayers coming it seems to working

ok i was asked to temp again next week plus i have a third interview with the hiring manager and CEO. Lord I am praying for this job and I will be practicing my interview questions all weekend