Saturday, December 20, 2008

I am so Frightend

The economy sucks (Well Duh!) but I always took some comfort in having a steady job with the State of California. Yesterday I found out, my job is not that secure anymore.

The Three Great Political Parties of California, The Democrats, The Republicans, and The Governator are all playing a game of chicken over the state budget. The dems don't want to cut spending, the reps don't want to raise taxes, and Herr Schwarzenegger won't sign anything that doesn't include his very own economic stimulus plan. All this means the state will be out of the money to cover it's obligations by March. For me personally it means, at best, two unpaid days off per month, or at worst no job at all.

So, I've been going through my expenses seeing where I can economize. Some of my austerity measures aren't going to be so bad, and I'm looking forward to implementing them, others won't make some people very happy (they don't make me happy), but if I'm going to get through these tough economic times sacrifices must be made (a direct quote from the mass e-mail I received from Herr Arnold).

Some of the money saving measures I will be taking are;

  • Get a room mate to share the cost of the apartment, utilities, and food. Sort of like having a boyfriend but without the "Fringe Benefits".
  • Discontinue using Nutrisystem. It's been great, and I've lost some good weight, but it's $277.00/month I may not be able to afford.
  • Not drive my car any more than absolutely necessary and do more walking. Gas may have come down a lot, but it's still expensive, and the walking will help with my weight loss anyway.
  • When I do drive, I need to remember 55 MPH equals 33 MPG.
  • When I go to the grocery store, ALWAYS take my reusable cloth bag, that saves $0.05 each time I go to the store.
  • Clip coupons whenever possible not only for the products I use, but to trade with others at an old fashioned, 1970s style "Coupon Party".

These are all that I can think of for now, but I'll be sure to post others when they occur to me.

As always, I'll do my best to keep you informed.

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