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Archive for August, 2017

New Job! Attn: Laura (Frugal Texan)

August 30th, 2017 at 11:42 pm

I added another job to my repertoire. So far, they are moving slow on subbing. I am playing a waiting game. I found a tutoring job on Craiglist. The job is legit. I will be subbing South Korean students five evenings a week for 3 hours. It was on my local Craigslist because they are based out of Michigan (but tutors are all over).

Here is the link (and they need help asap) for those who have teaching experience and/or a bachelor's who might be interested. I figured Laura (Frugal Texan) in particular may want to check it out:

https://lansing.craigslist.org/edu/d/english-tutor/6282352916.html

@Laura there is a little flexibility with the hours so it may be worth it even if those shifts listed won't work (they may let you do two hours instead of three)

I contacted them Monday. I got trained today and start tomorrow!

More Major Changes

August 25th, 2017 at 12:50 pm

My youngest is frustrated and has pretty much decided not to attend MSU this semester. I am extremely upset on one hand and fully supportive on the other. We have been working all summer on in-state tuition and are getting the run around. It isn't even about the length of time we have lived here. It is about me not having permanent employment in Michigan. They say subbing is not permanent and working from home for my other job isn't considered employed in Michigan either. What upsets me is they knew this all along and only in recent weeks has it become a big issue. I really don't understand where I work is an issue if I live here full-time!

To shorten this long saga, my son says he is seriously considering signing up for the Air Force and letting them pay for school (He had talked about ROTC but never full time) I fear he is going in for the wrong reasons. However, he is an adult, and all I can offer is my opinion. I told him I would like to see him go ahead and just work this semester and go to the community college next semester (We are one month short of in-state tuition with them, hence the suggestion for the semester off). I said at that point he can decide whether he really wants to go the military route or re-enroll with MSU for next year. With AP credits and a semester at community college he would not be behind. He said he would consider my suggestion.

All of this has had me do some serious soul searching. I am going to get my teaching license in MI. Unfortunately, my NH and FL licenses have expired. I won't need to go back to school. However, I do need to take two state tests and get certified in first aid and CPR. I will spend this school year doing all of that while I sub. Depending on cash flow, I may even have it all done in one semester. I figure between the study guides, tests and certification, it will be around $500.

My ultimate goal is to work as an educational/site coordinator (basically advising at the community college level). If I can't land a position in that capacity, I will return to the classroom full time. I have seen openings in both fields, so I know going through the licensing process is worth it.

I love my editing job, but it is too unpredictable to carry on long-term. Due to the logistics of it, I rarely get a full day off. This was another big reason for my decision. Obviously, I will be sticking with it for now.

Trip and Windfall

August 20th, 2017 at 02:26 pm

I made yet another trip to the Detroit area this weekend. I went to pick up the Chinese college student who my son was going to room with before he decided to commute. He is such a nice young man! I enjoyed the ride with him. I took him on a few errands on the way back too. He was hungry so we went to Wendy's. It was interesting explaining the menu to him. We also went to the TMobile store so he could get a sim card and to Target for supplies. I got him to the dorm at 10pm last night.

I left on Friday morning because I was off from editing. I managed to pick up a few mystery shops with no out-of-pocket expenses and made $60. A friend went with me because she had a few errands, so it was fun. I had a $10 Starbucks card so we used that for free coffee.

I am happy to say the only money I spent was $3 for my dad's newspapers. I have been doing quite a bit of laundry at my parent's house this summer, so I refused his money when he tried to pay me for them.

Now that things are settled as far as celebrations and trips, I am not going back down until October. My grandma is turning 90!

I came home last night and went through my mail. I was elated to see a check from my apartment management company. I knew I was getting a referral check because of my older son moving in. I expected $25 or $50. The check is for $300! It came at the perfect time. August is so tight with child support ending last month and subbing not beginning until next month. It is all going to bills with one exception. I am going to buy a pizza for my son's family. After all, I would not have had this money if it weren't for them.

Spending 7/30-8/9 and son's "new" car

August 9th, 2017 at 10:55 pm

I spent money on gas, groceries, a duplicate key and two drinks at the mall in the past 11 days. My total spending was $57.79.

I don't anticipate any money being spent in the next several days. I am taking my grandson to the movies tomorrow for an early bday present. It is a mystery shop and includes snacks, so it is free in the end!

I have his party on Saturday, but I bought his gift a couple of weeks ago. I also have a mystery shop for groceries on Sunday.

I think I previously mentioned my son is going to commute to school after all. He got a car today. He put money down and got a three year loan. His payment is $105 a month. I am sure he will pay it off sooner. It is a low mileage 2006 VW Jetta. It is in great shape. The dealer checked it out thoroughly, and we also had a mechanic check it out.

He also got a new job (he starts later this month). He is going to work at CVS right across from campus. He will have a permit for the garage, so he won't have any costs for parking on campus. He will ride his bike around, as his classes are pretty far from where he will be parking.

I went to my substitute teaching orientation this morning. I am all set and just waiting on log in info. I should start working regularly after Labor Day. I can't wait to build back up my savings!