Another cyclone came through this morning, and it wasn't as bad as the first, but the soil and trees were already weakened from the first 'storm of the decade' cyclone that came through over the weekend, so the Northland of NZ is in chaos right now.
Needless to say, I decided NOT to venture out in the winter wonderland and so, spent nada today.
Nothing new to report...waiting on my interview results. I also signed up for a service that may allow me to make US money for my Roth IRA next year...I'm just waiting to see if I passed their online test right now. If it works out, I'll share some details.
Later gator!
Wednesday, July 30, 2008
Spending 7/28-29/08: Interview!
Spending yesterday: $21 for grocery stockup.
Buying for two people really makes it harder to be frugal. BF's paying the rent and a few other things (like my health insurance--$38/mo!), I pay the electricity and internet bills til I get a job. His idea is, I'll pay the rent for a few months once that happens. Fine with me. He pays when we go out to eat, I pay for groceries. Seems to work. It's SO different from how we did things in SoCal, though--this feels more like a marriage than a BF-GF relationship...as well it should, since we're 'partners' in the eyes of the NZ government. I wonder how much more/less I'd be spending if we didn't have this arrangement? I'm curious about it, but I don't think that I'd change things if I were paying more. He gets really annoyed when I bring up these who-owes-who topics, so I wonder if he'd even care if it ended up that he was paying more? Probably not.
spending today: $0
Yesterday I had my interview. ughlugh. They got a bunch of applicants to the ad, but are only interviewing 3 people, me included. I went in all breezy, thinking it would be a piece of cake, since i know half of the office (including the Director of the entire company) already...it was a massacre. When I went in, the lady that would be my boss pulled me aside to say that while SHE wants to hire me, I had to convince the Director and the office manager that I was suited for the second half of the job description. The boss lady is really nice, but i'd only be working for her 3 days out of the week, doing things that i really want to do (research). the other two days, the job ad said i'd be supporting the admin team doing receptionist type work. Not my cup of tea, but i really like the first half of the job.
So that was the challenge--convince the director and the office manager that I could be the 'face of the company,' and greet people at the door and take phone calls, as far as I could tell. I thought that the second half of the job would just be receptionist type work--no biggie, but apparently they want someone with, maybe, PR experience...someone that could be on TV to rep the company. Someone mentioned media coverage and giving soundbites. Oh Lord.
That is my BIGGEST failing. I'm smart, and I can put words down on paper that sound good, but to actually think on my feet and sound intelligent...well, i'm a fumbler, and 'um'-er, a very awkward public speaker. hell, I get nervous if there's more than 3 people around me that I don't know that I have to talk to. And if those people are important, and are judging me, or are recording what I'm saying? Oh, man...I am most certainly NOT cut out for that particular task. And I'm sure that they could tell from my interview.
There were alot of other hard questions asked about my background, my experience, my life. It was hard to tell when they were asking a personal question, and when they were actually interviewing me (for example, when they asked 'What do you like to do? Any hobbies?,' i answered running, photography--, and they cut me off to ask if i could use a video camera, as they were looking for someone with videography experience.).
So, I sent out thank-you emails to all three interviewers, and hopefully i'll hear something soon. I should hear something by august 8.
Buying for two people really makes it harder to be frugal. BF's paying the rent and a few other things (like my health insurance--$38/mo!), I pay the electricity and internet bills til I get a job. His idea is, I'll pay the rent for a few months once that happens. Fine with me. He pays when we go out to eat, I pay for groceries. Seems to work. It's SO different from how we did things in SoCal, though--this feels more like a marriage than a BF-GF relationship...as well it should, since we're 'partners' in the eyes of the NZ government. I wonder how much more/less I'd be spending if we didn't have this arrangement? I'm curious about it, but I don't think that I'd change things if I were paying more. He gets really annoyed when I bring up these who-owes-who topics, so I wonder if he'd even care if it ended up that he was paying more? Probably not.
spending today: $0
Yesterday I had my interview. ughlugh. They got a bunch of applicants to the ad, but are only interviewing 3 people, me included. I went in all breezy, thinking it would be a piece of cake, since i know half of the office (including the Director of the entire company) already...it was a massacre. When I went in, the lady that would be my boss pulled me aside to say that while SHE wants to hire me, I had to convince the Director and the office manager that I was suited for the second half of the job description. The boss lady is really nice, but i'd only be working for her 3 days out of the week, doing things that i really want to do (research). the other two days, the job ad said i'd be supporting the admin team doing receptionist type work. Not my cup of tea, but i really like the first half of the job.
So that was the challenge--convince the director and the office manager that I could be the 'face of the company,' and greet people at the door and take phone calls, as far as I could tell. I thought that the second half of the job would just be receptionist type work--no biggie, but apparently they want someone with, maybe, PR experience...someone that could be on TV to rep the company. Someone mentioned media coverage and giving soundbites. Oh Lord.
That is my BIGGEST failing. I'm smart, and I can put words down on paper that sound good, but to actually think on my feet and sound intelligent...well, i'm a fumbler, and 'um'-er, a very awkward public speaker. hell, I get nervous if there's more than 3 people around me that I don't know that I have to talk to. And if those people are important, and are judging me, or are recording what I'm saying? Oh, man...I am most certainly NOT cut out for that particular task. And I'm sure that they could tell from my interview.
There were alot of other hard questions asked about my background, my experience, my life. It was hard to tell when they were asking a personal question, and when they were actually interviewing me (for example, when they asked 'What do you like to do? Any hobbies?,' i answered running, photography--, and they cut me off to ask if i could use a video camera, as they were looking for someone with videography experience.).
So, I sent out thank-you emails to all three interviewers, and hopefully i'll hear something soon. I should hear something by august 8.
Sunday, July 27, 2008
Spending 7/27/08: Interview Prep!
I've designated it 'Interview Preparation Day.' Today, I got a few copies of my resume and references made, and planned a smart outfit for tomorrow's lunch meeting and interview. The plan is to meet my potential boss and the office manager for lunch for an informal chat, and then be interviewed by my potential boss's boss (who happens to also be my boyfriend's boss). I've already met the big boss and know he wants to work with me, so I don't think this interview is a big deal--more of an informality--but given my misgivings about the first meeting I had, I'm going to treat it like it IS a huge deal.
DUDE it's cold inside today. There must be multiple leaks in the 7 windows we have in our tiny apartment. My feet, for one, are FREEZING. time to invest in wool socks.
Sorry for that aside...
Spending: $6 to send a fax (to set up my international call-return service)
$9 for laundry (so far...i may need to iron some of my interview outfit)
DUDE it's cold inside today. There must be multiple leaks in the 7 windows we have in our tiny apartment. My feet, for one, are FREEZING. time to invest in wool socks.
Sorry for that aside...
Spending: $6 to send a fax (to set up my international call-return service)
$9 for laundry (so far...i may need to iron some of my interview outfit)
NZ Bank Accounts
I am contemplating what I'll do with AALLL (muhahaha) my money when I get that job i'm interviewing for Monday (positive thinking NEVER hurts). I signed up for an account at Westpac, but I'm unsure if I want to stay there. Initially, I wanted to bank with them because of their agreement with the Bank of America--I don't have to pay fees for money taken out of the ATM from my BoA checking account. However, the agreement doesn't really help me when getting an account with them.
Tasha did a GREAT overview of the banks in NZ the other day, and it came just in time. I think I'm going to go with Kiwibank, and sign up for their 'FreeUp' account (no fees), and then start a savings account with them (an 'on call' account here). Their interest rates are 8.3%, with a 0.5% 'bonus' tacked onto the rate if you don't make a withdrawal. Now that's what I'm talking about--encouraging and motivating people to NOT spend money, instead of in the US, where they seem to love making it easier to spend.
I was also wondering about NZ banks and if they have something similar to the FDIC insurance like in the US. Turns out, they DO NOT, but the government is supposed to bail them out if something happens. I will keep most of my savings in US currency for now as a cushion in case I need to go back, or in case NZ banks fail somehow.
Tasha did a GREAT overview of the banks in NZ the other day, and it came just in time. I think I'm going to go with Kiwibank, and sign up for their 'FreeUp' account (no fees), and then start a savings account with them (an 'on call' account here). Their interest rates are 8.3%, with a 0.5% 'bonus' tacked onto the rate if you don't make a withdrawal. Now that's what I'm talking about--encouraging and motivating people to NOT spend money, instead of in the US, where they seem to love making it easier to spend.
I was also wondering about NZ banks and if they have something similar to the FDIC insurance like in the US. Turns out, they DO NOT, but the government is supposed to bail them out if something happens. I will keep most of my savings in US currency for now as a cushion in case I need to go back, or in case NZ banks fail somehow.
spending 7/26/08: Cyclone!
I slept late today because it was so rainy, blustery, and crazy outside. BF and I ran through the terrible weather to catch the Dark Knight on IMAX at 10:50 am (the only show that wasn't sold out last night around 5:30 pm!). When I say this movie was good, i mean it was goooooodddd. like, BF is going to go again tomorrow and watch it again goooooooodddd. and seeing it on IMAX was pretty fantastic.
I don't go to the movies often (which is good, seeing as two IMAX tickets were $36 and normal tix are about $15 per person here!), but this one was WORTH IT. I paid for tix last night, and he paid for popcorn today.
We then ran over to Denny's and had a good ol' american grand slam breakfast. yummm. although, i still haven't found a place that makes bacon properly here. BF paid for the meal.
we then went to the video store to sign our lives away for membership. seriously, they are more strict than immigration here--to get in the country, i only had to show my passport. for a video membership, i had to show:
2 forms of ID (copy of passport, my CA driver's license)
proof of address (luckily i got my bank statement recently)
contact details of someone that doesn't live with you
a credit card
holy crap. why don't they just do what blockbuster does, and take a valid credit card and charge me if i don't return the movie?? that makes more sense to me.
we ended up renting season 2 of battlestar galactica (no more downloading all night for a 44 minute episode!), and i got my fave harry potter movie, number 4. I had a rent one get one free card for signing up, so I got both for $10. (yes, it's $10 to rent ONE movie. just another way NZ is TWICE as expensive as the US). I may try to sign up for one of the Netflix-like programs they have here.
$10 movies
and tonight the 'cyclone' (hurricane to North American residents) is scheduled to peak right about now. they are calling it the 'worst storm in a decade' for NZ. It's crazy outside, but luckily we haven't lost power ...yet. Hopefully our windows will stay intact tonight.
I don't go to the movies often (which is good, seeing as two IMAX tickets were $36 and normal tix are about $15 per person here!), but this one was WORTH IT. I paid for tix last night, and he paid for popcorn today.
We then ran over to Denny's and had a good ol' american grand slam breakfast. yummm. although, i still haven't found a place that makes bacon properly here. BF paid for the meal.
we then went to the video store to sign our lives away for membership. seriously, they are more strict than immigration here--to get in the country, i only had to show my passport. for a video membership, i had to show:
2 forms of ID (copy of passport, my CA driver's license)
proof of address (luckily i got my bank statement recently)
contact details of someone that doesn't live with you
a credit card
holy crap. why don't they just do what blockbuster does, and take a valid credit card and charge me if i don't return the movie?? that makes more sense to me.
we ended up renting season 2 of battlestar galactica (no more downloading all night for a 44 minute episode!), and i got my fave harry potter movie, number 4. I had a rent one get one free card for signing up, so I got both for $10. (yes, it's $10 to rent ONE movie. just another way NZ is TWICE as expensive as the US). I may try to sign up for one of the Netflix-like programs they have here.
$10 movies
and tonight the 'cyclone' (hurricane to North American residents) is scheduled to peak right about now. they are calling it the 'worst storm in a decade' for NZ. It's crazy outside, but luckily we haven't lost power ...yet. Hopefully our windows will stay intact tonight.
Friday, July 25, 2008
Spending 7/25/08: Dark Knight
Set myself up with a 3-month Skype subscription (will renew to a year once i get my work permit/job): $16.95
The Dark Knight Tix for saturday (IMAX!!): $36 for two
Snacks for movie: $6
Immigration North Palmerston (??) texted me and said they had my work permit app. Since I applied in person in Auckland, I'm not sure why or how my app got sent to the southern part of the North island (8 hours away by car!). Huh?? In any case, they said they'd review my app in the next 60 days.
The Dark Knight Tix for saturday (IMAX!!): $36 for two
Snacks for movie: $6
Immigration North Palmerston (??) texted me and said they had my work permit app. Since I applied in person in Auckland, I'm not sure why or how my app got sent to the southern part of the North island (8 hours away by car!). Huh?? In any case, they said they'd review my app in the next 60 days.
Thursday, July 24, 2008
Spending 7/24/08
Ugh...I spent most of the day in bed 'cause i'm homesick, and/or maybe getting a cold and/or suffering from SADD--it's only daylight here 10 hours a day 'cause it's winter.
it could also be because i worked out last night pretty hard-core...due to my whatever illness i have (it could be after-effects of the really bad mono i had 5 years ago, mono-related chronic fatigue, mitral valve prolapse syndrome, my hypothyroidism kicking in OR any combination of the above.) Instead of feeling good and endorphin-y about myself after working out, i get kind of a workout 'hangover.' i get very, very tired, and it feels like i'm getting a cold. it can start as soon as 5 minutes after i start working out. i also start feeling this way with any stress whatsoever. this has been going on since i got mono at 25 years old. not fun. i've had doctors test me out, do multiple blood tests, but they say there's absolutely NO REASON for me to feel bad after working out or doing anything exerting. all i know is, it's not in my head--i physically feel bad, and it started with the mono. I can't get any clear answers to this problem.
and my bloodwork came back negative for hypothyroidism as recently as last year, so the workout hangover is probably not related to that recent diagnosis.
i just don't know. I guess i have to keep living like this...i don't see another choice. I could NOT work out, but then i'd probably get all sorts of illnesses and cause even more harm to my body. so, i guess i have to work out and feel crappy instead--it's such a paradox. BF wants me to research alternative medicines, but i think i'm too scientific to mess with my body like that--you just never know what the side-effects will be if a drug hasn't been tested by the medical community (remember phen-phen?). i think most of the pain relief alternative medicine provides is placebo effect, anyway, so it wouldn't work on me since I need PROOF of why and how a medicine works. i question the diagnoses of doctors this way, by the way, but they can usually give me a good explanation of why something is necessary and why it works.
sorry for the rant. it's never fun to hear about someone's aches and pains. i wish i could have saved that ranting for my golden years.
but i did manage to get out of bed long enough to spend money at the grocery store.
$54.35
I also heard from the lady who I want to work with--I guess that they got a huge response from the job ad, because i need to come in for an interview next monday at noon. i'm nervous now--this job that i'm totally overqualified for and fell into my lap has suddenly become something that i really really want, and now have to prove myself to get. as it should be, but i wish it were easier (of course).
off to go workout. again. it's terrible that something this good for me makes me feel so awful!
it could also be because i worked out last night pretty hard-core...due to my whatever illness i have (it could be after-effects of the really bad mono i had 5 years ago, mono-related chronic fatigue, mitral valve prolapse syndrome, my hypothyroidism kicking in OR any combination of the above.) Instead of feeling good and endorphin-y about myself after working out, i get kind of a workout 'hangover.' i get very, very tired, and it feels like i'm getting a cold. it can start as soon as 5 minutes after i start working out. i also start feeling this way with any stress whatsoever. this has been going on since i got mono at 25 years old. not fun. i've had doctors test me out, do multiple blood tests, but they say there's absolutely NO REASON for me to feel bad after working out or doing anything exerting. all i know is, it's not in my head--i physically feel bad, and it started with the mono. I can't get any clear answers to this problem.
and my bloodwork came back negative for hypothyroidism as recently as last year, so the workout hangover is probably not related to that recent diagnosis.
i just don't know. I guess i have to keep living like this...i don't see another choice. I could NOT work out, but then i'd probably get all sorts of illnesses and cause even more harm to my body. so, i guess i have to work out and feel crappy instead--it's such a paradox. BF wants me to research alternative medicines, but i think i'm too scientific to mess with my body like that--you just never know what the side-effects will be if a drug hasn't been tested by the medical community (remember phen-phen?). i think most of the pain relief alternative medicine provides is placebo effect, anyway, so it wouldn't work on me since I need PROOF of why and how a medicine works. i question the diagnoses of doctors this way, by the way, but they can usually give me a good explanation of why something is necessary and why it works.
sorry for the rant. it's never fun to hear about someone's aches and pains. i wish i could have saved that ranting for my golden years.
but i did manage to get out of bed long enough to spend money at the grocery store.
$54.35
I also heard from the lady who I want to work with--I guess that they got a huge response from the job ad, because i need to come in for an interview next monday at noon. i'm nervous now--this job that i'm totally overqualified for and fell into my lap has suddenly become something that i really really want, and now have to prove myself to get. as it should be, but i wish it were easier (of course).
off to go workout. again. it's terrible that something this good for me makes me feel so awful!
Wednesday, July 23, 2008
Spending 7/23/08
I got my work permit back from INZ today!! hurrah! They sent it back sans any of the envelopes I submitted it in, so i had to go to the warehouse and buy one. I also made more copies of it, just in case.
envelope: $2
stamps: $10
copy card: $5
I also bought a bagel with eggs, bacon, and cheese to celebrate. $4.90
My favorite soda is Dr Pepper, and they don't bottle it here anymore, but ever since i read that some convenience stores import it from australia, I've been on the lookout for it. I serendipitously found it in two stores today! I'll limit myself to one can a week. $2
and, I paid NZ $200 for the permit.
expensive day! but well worth it.
envelope: $2
stamps: $10
copy card: $5
I also bought a bagel with eggs, bacon, and cheese to celebrate. $4.90
My favorite soda is Dr Pepper, and they don't bottle it here anymore, but ever since i read that some convenience stores import it from australia, I've been on the lookout for it. I serendipitously found it in two stores today! I'll limit myself to one can a week. $2
and, I paid NZ $200 for the permit.
expensive day! but well worth it.
Birthday, Part II
Thanks for all the birthday wishes, everyone!! I appreciate it! Once BF got home from work, all I wanted to do was get thai takeout and cuddle on the couch (such as it is) to recover from a trying day. Since the water was out at all the nearby thai places, we ended up going out to dinner at a very nice thai place...it was sooo yummy. BF was extra nice to me all day, so that snapped me out of my funk pretty quickly. it's amazing how fast he can make me feel better about something crummy. or vice versa, for that matter.
today was a much better day, because it's my ACTUAL birthday back in the States, where all of my friends are. Everyone I love (well, almost), plus some, wrote to me to say happy birfday. it's nice to be remembered.
today was a much better day, because it's my ACTUAL birthday back in the States, where all of my friends are. Everyone I love (well, almost), plus some, wrote to me to say happy birfday. it's nice to be remembered.
Tuesday, July 22, 2008
30 is the New 20
Spending on my birthday: $10.68 for water and cheese.
I needed water because the taps were cut off early this morning for some construction they are doing outside of my dorm. It's been off ALL DAY and water is all I drink these days. I can't believe a tiny bottle of water is $3.
the courier never came with my application today. I'm bummed.
i talked to my dad and he revealed he was diagnosed, on top of all his other problems, with diabetes recently. He is starting to lose his eyesight.
Sigh. so far it's not been a very happy birthday. i hold hope for this evening!
I needed water because the taps were cut off early this morning for some construction they are doing outside of my dorm. It's been off ALL DAY and water is all I drink these days. I can't believe a tiny bottle of water is $3.
the courier never came with my application today. I'm bummed.
i talked to my dad and he revealed he was diagnosed, on top of all his other problems, with diabetes recently. He is starting to lose his eyesight.
Sigh. so far it's not been a very happy birthday. i hold hope for this evening!
Monday, July 21, 2008
Spending 7/21/08
Laundry, $3/load, two loads washed, dryer, $6
total: $12 to wash two loads of laundry! the washer loads are about...oh, 8 pieces of clothing each, otherwise the washer spin cycle doesn't work and the clothes come out sopping wet. luckily, the dryers are much higher capacity, so I've been combining two washer loads into 1 dryer load. Not that it matters, financially speaking...it comes out as a wash.
I've been doing about 4 loads of laundry each week...i think my new place best have a washer/dryer to offset these crazy costs. At $24/week, that's about $100/month...just in laundry! I think getting a place with w/d that's $100 more in rent a month, and only the added electricity costs of a washer/dryer, will be more than worth it in time and cost and schlepping up and down the stairs with the laundry basket. Add it to the list!
(so far, folks, my new apartment needs:
1) full sized (or just larger sized, they don't have American sized fridges here) fridge/freezer.
2) washer/dryer
3) about $700-$750/mo for each of us in rent
4) 2 bedrooms
5) furnished)
Other costs:
$20 to top up my mobile pre-paid account. I've spent AT LEAST $60 this month in prepaid fees. I need to get off of my duff and sign up for that telestial call-back service. I just need to fax in a form...I think these fees will decrease drastically once i get my calls for 4 to 5 cents a minute.
$14 groceries (snacks, cream cheese, batteries)
total: $12 to wash two loads of laundry! the washer loads are about...oh, 8 pieces of clothing each, otherwise the washer spin cycle doesn't work and the clothes come out sopping wet. luckily, the dryers are much higher capacity, so I've been combining two washer loads into 1 dryer load. Not that it matters, financially speaking...it comes out as a wash.
I've been doing about 4 loads of laundry each week...i think my new place best have a washer/dryer to offset these crazy costs. At $24/week, that's about $100/month...just in laundry! I think getting a place with w/d that's $100 more in rent a month, and only the added electricity costs of a washer/dryer, will be more than worth it in time and cost and schlepping up and down the stairs with the laundry basket. Add it to the list!
(so far, folks, my new apartment needs:
1) full sized (or just larger sized, they don't have American sized fridges here) fridge/freezer.
2) washer/dryer
3) about $700-$750/mo for each of us in rent
4) 2 bedrooms
5) furnished)
Other costs:
$20 to top up my mobile pre-paid account. I've spent AT LEAST $60 this month in prepaid fees. I need to get off of my duff and sign up for that telestial call-back service. I just need to fax in a form...I think these fees will decrease drastically once i get my calls for 4 to 5 cents a minute.
$14 groceries (snacks, cream cheese, batteries)
Immigration Status Updated
...but not the way that I want.
I got an email about my updated status, and excitedly went to the immigration webpage. My mood quickly deflated when I saw that they had completely removed any trace of my work permit application. The only thing left on the page was my visitor's visa, expiring October 7. What did this mean?? Was I rejected?
I called the INZ, and they put me on hold for $7, i mean, about 7 minutes (mobile phone calls are 89 cents a minute!!). Of course, the hold up is financial--when I checked the fees to apply, I only checked the visa fees--these are free for US citizens. However, work PERMITS applied for FROM NZ ONLY are $280 NZD. Blah. I neglected to pay the fees with my application...because I stupidly thought that visas and permits were roughly the same thing. Why would one cost $$ and not the other?
Since i'm applying for both a permit and a visa (one lets me work in the country, one lets me stay in the country to work, and leave and come back if I want), I have to pay the fee. They are sending my app back by courier to my little apartment tomorrow. Of course, INZ closes early on Tuesdays, so I will have to bust my butt to put my application in on time, with fees paid. I'm hoping to do it by credit card, but if not, i need to find a money order place. or get cash.
This means I'm applying for my permit/visa on my birthday. tomorrow. and I'll be 30. I hope it's a good day...
I got an email about my updated status, and excitedly went to the immigration webpage. My mood quickly deflated when I saw that they had completely removed any trace of my work permit application. The only thing left on the page was my visitor's visa, expiring October 7. What did this mean?? Was I rejected?
I called the INZ, and they put me on hold for $7, i mean, about 7 minutes (mobile phone calls are 89 cents a minute!!). Of course, the hold up is financial--when I checked the fees to apply, I only checked the visa fees--these are free for US citizens. However, work PERMITS applied for FROM NZ ONLY are $280 NZD. Blah. I neglected to pay the fees with my application...because I stupidly thought that visas and permits were roughly the same thing. Why would one cost $$ and not the other?
Since i'm applying for both a permit and a visa (one lets me work in the country, one lets me stay in the country to work, and leave and come back if I want), I have to pay the fee. They are sending my app back by courier to my little apartment tomorrow. Of course, INZ closes early on Tuesdays, so I will have to bust my butt to put my application in on time, with fees paid. I'm hoping to do it by credit card, but if not, i need to find a money order place. or get cash.
This means I'm applying for my permit/visa on my birthday. tomorrow. and I'll be 30. I hope it's a good day...
Sunday Spending
After deciding to track my spending, I put myself on a budget and told BF about it. It's not a good thing 'cause now I'm restricted in the events that I can take part in...mainly, little to no eating out or doing touristy things until I get a job. It's sad, really, because once i get a job, when will i have the time to DO all the touristy things? Life is a Catch-22. time, money, money, time. one of 'em is always the limiting factor. for just about everything.
so, grand total of spending for today is $0. BF and I took a walk to the grocery store and he bought the groceries (it was kind of his turn since i've been buying them the past two weeks). i appreciated the gesture.
speaking of BF, we had kind of a...confrontation today. It was not fun. I DO NOT like being at the mercy of someone else's whims--I can't stay in the country without him, and so this puts undue pressure on our relationship. so any irritable words from him hit 100x as hard as they normally do.
As soon as I can, i'm applying for permanent residency that is NOT contingent upon our relationship. I'd feel safer that way.
so, grand total of spending for today is $0. BF and I took a walk to the grocery store and he bought the groceries (it was kind of his turn since i've been buying them the past two weeks). i appreciated the gesture.
speaking of BF, we had kind of a...confrontation today. It was not fun. I DO NOT like being at the mercy of someone else's whims--I can't stay in the country without him, and so this puts undue pressure on our relationship. so any irritable words from him hit 100x as hard as they normally do.
As soon as I can, i'm applying for permanent residency that is NOT contingent upon our relationship. I'd feel safer that way.
Saturday, July 19, 2008
Just Out of Control
I don't follow a budget anymore. When i want, i buy. Well, that's not true...but I'm not tracking my spending, and I KNOW I'm spending more than I should on things like groceries and household items like toasters. I'm a little scared about what I'm going to realize about my spending when I start tenaciously tracking every penny again.
Last night BF and I went to the Warehouse (the nz wanna be walmart--it's pretty shoddy if you ask me) in Auckland to get some shelves that were on sale. 2 for $25 isn't bad...but when you buy FOUR of them, it gets a little pricey. Since we were planning on taking a cab back to the apartment (those shelves, even though made of particleboard, were pretty heavy to walk with 20 min back to the apt), we also stocked up on some larger items like toasters and a hair clipper kit and a few lamps. The cab back was $10 'cause of rush hour traffic. Then, we ordered pizza because BF just doesn't believe we can make edible meals from our two stove burners and dorm fridge. I think we absolutely can, and will be fine living this way for a few months...but he has some mental block against cooking here and wants to eat out every night. I usually have leftovers from the previous few nights of eating out, so he gets a little annoyed with me when I say I have leftovers and don't want to eat out anymore for the week. (we can't share leftovers, because i'm a meat-eater, and usually have beef or chicken incorporated in my dinners and he's a vegetarian).
Today I visited the local farmer's market, and was not impressed with the selection (although i WAS impressed with the quality of the produce--mostly pesticide spray free produce, lots of organic, and eggs from free range chickens ["chucks"] and meat.) maybe because it's winter...hopefully summer will bring lots more farmers in with their produce. I think there were only about 10 vendors when I visited at noon (they are open 8:30 til 12:30), so also maybe some of the vendors went home early.
I'm reading a book called animal, vegetable, miracle, about this family who only ate what their farm and local neighbors produced for a year. it's pretty interesting...even the WHOLE chapter on asparagus. :)
BF is inexplicably into eating beets recently, so I asked when they were in season--not til January (summer here).
Then BF and I went to a record store to pick up tickets for a band I really love. the tix are $47 each! but the tix are my birthday present from BF. i turn 30 next week...yuckiness.
We have been getting into battlestar galactica recently--downloading it from the internet. We looked at the 3 season dvd's, but they were $125 NZD.
So, anyway, the point of the story is, I have to start getting my budget under control. I guess I just feel like I don't know the point of tracking my pennies when I don't have any income...it's all stuff I can't afford right now, so why bother? But that is a horrible way to think of it. I can still have caps or goals for my spending even though i'm unemployed...in fact, i SHOULD. So I guess, starting today, i'm taking an inventory of my spending.
Last night BF and I went to the Warehouse (the nz wanna be walmart--it's pretty shoddy if you ask me) in Auckland to get some shelves that were on sale. 2 for $25 isn't bad...but when you buy FOUR of them, it gets a little pricey. Since we were planning on taking a cab back to the apartment (those shelves, even though made of particleboard, were pretty heavy to walk with 20 min back to the apt), we also stocked up on some larger items like toasters and a hair clipper kit and a few lamps. The cab back was $10 'cause of rush hour traffic. Then, we ordered pizza because BF just doesn't believe we can make edible meals from our two stove burners and dorm fridge. I think we absolutely can, and will be fine living this way for a few months...but he has some mental block against cooking here and wants to eat out every night. I usually have leftovers from the previous few nights of eating out, so he gets a little annoyed with me when I say I have leftovers and don't want to eat out anymore for the week. (we can't share leftovers, because i'm a meat-eater, and usually have beef or chicken incorporated in my dinners and he's a vegetarian).
Today I visited the local farmer's market, and was not impressed with the selection (although i WAS impressed with the quality of the produce--mostly pesticide spray free produce, lots of organic, and eggs from free range chickens ["chucks"] and meat.) maybe because it's winter...hopefully summer will bring lots more farmers in with their produce. I think there were only about 10 vendors when I visited at noon (they are open 8:30 til 12:30), so also maybe some of the vendors went home early.
I'm reading a book called animal, vegetable, miracle, about this family who only ate what their farm and local neighbors produced for a year. it's pretty interesting...even the WHOLE chapter on asparagus. :)
BF is inexplicably into eating beets recently, so I asked when they were in season--not til January (summer here).
Then BF and I went to a record store to pick up tickets for a band I really love. the tix are $47 each! but the tix are my birthday present from BF. i turn 30 next week...yuckiness.
We have been getting into battlestar galactica recently--downloading it from the internet. We looked at the 3 season dvd's, but they were $125 NZD.
So, anyway, the point of the story is, I have to start getting my budget under control. I guess I just feel like I don't know the point of tracking my pennies when I don't have any income...it's all stuff I can't afford right now, so why bother? But that is a horrible way to think of it. I can still have caps or goals for my spending even though i'm unemployed...in fact, i SHOULD. So I guess, starting today, i'm taking an inventory of my spending.
Thursday, July 17, 2008
Retirement Funds on Hold
Kiwisaver: the 401(K) of the NZ world. I looked at the Kiwisaver website last night, and dangit, I'm not eligible for it since I'm not a NZ resident or citizen. It makes sense, since the government kicks in $1K and waives some management fees JUST for signing up. I understand why they wouldn't want to be giving that kind of money away to non-residents.
Even after I get my work permit, I won't be eligible for any of the awesome NZ benefits--their free healthcare system is only for people with work permits 24 months or longer. My work permit will be for 1 year, since it is based on BF's visa/permit, and his is only valid for one year.
This only further strengthens my motivation to get permanent residency here...I plan to apply as soon as I get a job and my work permit. (it can take a while, so I didn't want to chance it and apply for PR on a 3 month tourist visa. Better to have a year's worth of time to play with.)
So, that's where I'm at. For as long as I'm here and I'm not a resident, I won't be able to participate in a 401K. I can max out my Roth IRA or a Traditional IRA, but that's only $5K/year. And actually, I don't even know if I can contribute to any US IRAs if I'm not making U.S. money...does anyone know the answer to that?
For 2008, I have made over $5K, so I can contribute the max. But what about next year, when I'll only be earning NZ dollars? How does that work?
There are so many issues that I didn't even think of in my intensive research before moving here!
Tentatively, if I can contribute to an IRA next year, I think I'll go with maxing out the Traditional IRA, since I can save post-tax dollars myself and earn interest. I guess I will be skipping over my goal to max out my 401K and just save up for my house downpayment fund instead.
Goals for 2008:
1) Keep $9K as EF (SAVED and Done)
2) Replenish Mom Payback Fund to $5K ($2.5K to go)
3) Max out Roth IRA for 2008--in budget ($4,300 left)
4) Establish Travel Fund to travel back and forth from US twice--in budget ($5K/yr)
5) Other Savings Goals (Long-term):
House Downpayment Fund Goal for 2008: $4K
Ultimate Goal: $30K
Max out IRA each year: $5K+/yr
Wedding/Europe Fund Goal: $10K
Even after I get my work permit, I won't be eligible for any of the awesome NZ benefits--their free healthcare system is only for people with work permits 24 months or longer. My work permit will be for 1 year, since it is based on BF's visa/permit, and his is only valid for one year.
This only further strengthens my motivation to get permanent residency here...I plan to apply as soon as I get a job and my work permit. (it can take a while, so I didn't want to chance it and apply for PR on a 3 month tourist visa. Better to have a year's worth of time to play with.)
So, that's where I'm at. For as long as I'm here and I'm not a resident, I won't be able to participate in a 401K. I can max out my Roth IRA or a Traditional IRA, but that's only $5K/year. And actually, I don't even know if I can contribute to any US IRAs if I'm not making U.S. money...does anyone know the answer to that?
For 2008, I have made over $5K, so I can contribute the max. But what about next year, when I'll only be earning NZ dollars? How does that work?
There are so many issues that I didn't even think of in my intensive research before moving here!
Tentatively, if I can contribute to an IRA next year, I think I'll go with maxing out the Traditional IRA, since I can save post-tax dollars myself and earn interest. I guess I will be skipping over my goal to max out my 401K and just save up for my house downpayment fund instead.
Goals for 2008:
1) Keep $9K as EF (SAVED and Done)
2) Replenish Mom Payback Fund to $5K ($2.5K to go)
3) Max out Roth IRA for 2008--in budget ($4,300 left)
4) Establish Travel Fund to travel back and forth from US twice--in budget ($5K/yr)
5) Other Savings Goals (Long-term):
House Downpayment Fund Goal for 2008: $4K
Ultimate Goal: $30K
Max out IRA each year: $5K+/yr
Wedding/Europe Fund Goal: $10K
Note To Self
Taxes are due to NZ in October.
it hadn't even occurred to me that NZ would be on a different yearly schedule as the U.S. That is soooo American-centric of me, expecting every other country to be on the same program.
[EDITED TO ADD: no, they are NOT due in october. their tax year runs from april 1 to march 31. taxes are due by july. Where the H did i get this erroneous info?! ah, well, i guess it's good that the october data made me check...]
it hadn't even occurred to me that NZ would be on a different yearly schedule as the U.S. That is soooo American-centric of me, expecting every other country to be on the same program.
[EDITED TO ADD: no, they are NOT due in october. their tax year runs from april 1 to march 31. taxes are due by july. Where the H did i get this erroneous info?! ah, well, i guess it's good that the october data made me check...]
Wednesday, July 16, 2008
The Personal Finance Treadmill
Most PF advice-givers talk about reducing costs and waste by buying items that will last a long time--the cheapest cost-per-wear, if you will. They say to get a budget, stick to it, pay off your mortgage early (or not), max out your retirement, and adjust your budget when the little ones come along. They say to start saving when you're young. The younger the better! While time is still on your side! Make good financial habits. Don't get in debt. Save up for a house. Save up for this, and that. But if you are young (like me, ha ha...oh God, I feel an early mid-life crisis coming on), you are going to move around a bit. You are going to quit your hated job and find another. Your salary is going to increase or decrease as your passions wax and wane. You may go back to school. You're going to change roommates, dump boy/girlfriends, learn some hard lessons. You're going to do this many times. That is what life IS in your twenties and early thirties.
How do we young folk get ahead when we're still figuring things out? For example, I've established lives in four different places in the past decade--at college, in grad school, in SoCal, and now in New Zealand. I've had to buy all new things each time; that's not good for saving money in any business. So, then, are we not to move around like that? Not explore our passions, not follow where life may lead us?
My greatest adversary in my financial life is CHANGE. If I had kept on my life treadmill in SoCal--that is, working the same exact job for years on end, increasing my vacation time and salary, moving up in the company, my financial life would have been spectacular! In the next year, I would have gotten a huge raise and promotion after taking my professional licensing exam. I would have hit my 'target salary' shortly after that, I'm sure of it. (My 'target salary' right now is about $75K...it would allow me to max out my roth and 401K, and save at least $1K/mo while keeping the same lifestyle I was living when I calculated it.)
As a finance-obsessed, Type A, introverted person, it would have been so easy to just keep on that treadmill. It is very tempting to have those major goals fulfilled! But in the end, I couldn't. And I shouldn't have. That's no way to live.
So I have no solutions for this dilemma. Dave Ramsey doesn't even consider the younger folk in his plan--he assumes that his followers have already figured out stable, fulfilling careers, have saved up for a down payment for a house, have had a couple of kids, and are mature and ready to focus on their financial lives. Maybe we aren't meant to focus so finely on our financial lives when we are young, moving around, and not ready for the responsibility of a house or kids.
What do you think? How do the younger people reading this balance the need for financial stability with 'finding' themselves? Do you not take certain chances or risks in your life because you want to save money or avoid debt? How did the older, more established of you deal with it when you were younger?
How do we young folk get ahead when we're still figuring things out? For example, I've established lives in four different places in the past decade--at college, in grad school, in SoCal, and now in New Zealand. I've had to buy all new things each time; that's not good for saving money in any business. So, then, are we not to move around like that? Not explore our passions, not follow where life may lead us?
My greatest adversary in my financial life is CHANGE. If I had kept on my life treadmill in SoCal--that is, working the same exact job for years on end, increasing my vacation time and salary, moving up in the company, my financial life would have been spectacular! In the next year, I would have gotten a huge raise and promotion after taking my professional licensing exam. I would have hit my 'target salary' shortly after that, I'm sure of it. (My 'target salary' right now is about $75K...it would allow me to max out my roth and 401K, and save at least $1K/mo while keeping the same lifestyle I was living when I calculated it.)
As a finance-obsessed, Type A, introverted person, it would have been so easy to just keep on that treadmill. It is very tempting to have those major goals fulfilled! But in the end, I couldn't. And I shouldn't have. That's no way to live.
So I have no solutions for this dilemma. Dave Ramsey doesn't even consider the younger folk in his plan--he assumes that his followers have already figured out stable, fulfilling careers, have saved up for a down payment for a house, have had a couple of kids, and are mature and ready to focus on their financial lives. Maybe we aren't meant to focus so finely on our financial lives when we are young, moving around, and not ready for the responsibility of a house or kids.
What do you think? How do the younger people reading this balance the need for financial stability with 'finding' themselves? Do you not take certain chances or risks in your life because you want to save money or avoid debt? How did the older, more established of you deal with it when you were younger?
How I Plan to Recover from my Job Embarrassment
So, I've established that I'm embarrassed about my showing last week at my pseudo-interview. I was just too casual, too lax about it. I NEED a job. This isn't a joke, and it's nothing to take lightly. Income = a way to stay in the country and eat food and have shelter. That's as simple and as basic as it gets.
The interviewer said in her email that she was going to advertise the research position for a short time--one week--and the ad went out yesterday. So, I should know by next Wed. or not if I have the job.
To hedge my risk, I need to take action today. I've applied for one job at GNS this week, and today I'll apply for another. Then, I will apply and submit my resume to all the consulting jobs I can find, whether I think I'm qualified or not, on the local online job board, Seek. My goal is to apply for 15 jobs this week. I've applied to 2 so far.
The rule of thumb has always been, if you don't have a job, your job is getting a job. Meaning, you 'work' 9-5 applying, calling, and shaping up your CV for employment. I need to start using that rule. My plan for today was to run around the harbor, find a NZ surge protector (do they make those, even??), post here, and buy milk. That's all I had on my docket, besides watching 10 second snippets of the finale of A Shot at Love 2, which I missed while traveling, and which I now watch for hours due to the slow downloading feature of my new internet connection. Unfortunately, I'm not going to get paid to watch Tila Tequila give people keys for hours on end.
The interviewer said in her email that she was going to advertise the research position for a short time--one week--and the ad went out yesterday. So, I should know by next Wed. or not if I have the job.
To hedge my risk, I need to take action today. I've applied for one job at GNS this week, and today I'll apply for another. Then, I will apply and submit my resume to all the consulting jobs I can find, whether I think I'm qualified or not, on the local online job board, Seek. My goal is to apply for 15 jobs this week. I've applied to 2 so far.
The rule of thumb has always been, if you don't have a job, your job is getting a job. Meaning, you 'work' 9-5 applying, calling, and shaping up your CV for employment. I need to start using that rule. My plan for today was to run around the harbor, find a NZ surge protector (do they make those, even??), post here, and buy milk. That's all I had on my docket, besides watching 10 second snippets of the finale of A Shot at Love 2, which I missed while traveling, and which I now watch for hours due to the slow downloading feature of my new internet connection. Unfortunately, I'm not going to get paid to watch Tila Tequila give people keys for hours on end.
Potential Salary Update
OMG, I'm so embarrassed. I now want the research-receptionist job pretty badly. The salary range is 45-50K, and I'd get to see some cool stuff and work with a nice boss. Money really does change everything for me.
I treated the pseudo-interview last Friday more like a meet and greet with the lady--since BF's boss wanted me to meet with her and I wanted to meet her because she knows so many of the same people that I do. It just was a very casual, let's talk about whatever comes up meeting--I didn't think it was an actual interview! The position didn't even get advertised until today. I didn't dress as sharply as I could have, and I was pretty relaxed about the whole thing. Oh, man, I wore my sneakers. What was I thinking??
I'm kicking myself for throwing out my boring, black loafer 'work' shoes. The only other shoes I had were uncomfortable 'going out' shoes--for fancy dinners and the like.
I've already worked out a budget on that salary, and I would be very, very happy with that amount. I could max out my Roth IRA AND save lots o moolah (well, I'd have to figure out a way to convert NZ $$ to US $$ cheaply, or just use my US savings accounts and save up NZ dollars til the exchange rate became more favorable...as a plus, interest rates in NZ are around 8.3% (one 12-month CD is at 12%!!!!). I guess in US dollars, the salary isn't very impressive, but I can live on that, and save money--that would make me happy. I've been in non-saving mode for so long--while I was taking classes--that I feel just bloated and spendy and terrible about my recent financial habits. It's time to get back on the wagon.
I treated the pseudo-interview last Friday more like a meet and greet with the lady--since BF's boss wanted me to meet with her and I wanted to meet her because she knows so many of the same people that I do. It just was a very casual, let's talk about whatever comes up meeting--I didn't think it was an actual interview! The position didn't even get advertised until today. I didn't dress as sharply as I could have, and I was pretty relaxed about the whole thing. Oh, man, I wore my sneakers. What was I thinking??
I'm kicking myself for throwing out my boring, black loafer 'work' shoes. The only other shoes I had were uncomfortable 'going out' shoes--for fancy dinners and the like.
I've already worked out a budget on that salary, and I would be very, very happy with that amount. I could max out my Roth IRA AND save lots o moolah (well, I'd have to figure out a way to convert NZ $$ to US $$ cheaply, or just use my US savings accounts and save up NZ dollars til the exchange rate became more favorable...as a plus, interest rates in NZ are around 8.3% (one 12-month CD is at 12%!!!!). I guess in US dollars, the salary isn't very impressive, but I can live on that, and save money--that would make me happy. I've been in non-saving mode for so long--while I was taking classes--that I feel just bloated and spendy and terrible about my recent financial habits. It's time to get back on the wagon.
Tuesday, July 15, 2008
It's a mobile, mobile world
Well, I've been in NZ more than a week now. I haven't ventured very far or talked to many people, other than other Americans. Whereever I go, I'm acutely aware of accents, and naturally seek out American ones as a comfort to my ear. I actually followed a group of 3 Americans the other day, because it was so nice to hear "my native tongue." Sigh--I am very excited about this move, but change doesn't sit well on me, and I take a long time to adjust to new surroundings.
BF and I had dinner with an American brother and sister the other night--they were fabulous to talk to and to get to know. They are my BF's boss's son and daughter, and they are about 7 and 10 years younger than me, respectively. Fortunately they are mature enough to talk politics and other wonderful American topics. I couldn't imagine being 18-19 yrs old and able to speak so eloquently at a table full of near-strangers that were much older than me, but apparently, people like that do exist. ...Shoot, at almost 30 (i have a week to go, I'm milking it for all it's worth!), I can barely carry a conversation like she does. Maybe I should take a cue from Revanche and check out Toastmasters.
Skype is working out quite well so far--free PC-to-PC calls! I may upgrade to get a local US number so my family can call me on the computer from their cell phones and landlines...and I also may get a plan so I can call them on their landlines and cell phones. The only constant there is that I have to be on my computer and have an internet connection to talk to them, and it's 8 hours to the East Coast of the US right now--not exactly convenient. So, when I get a 9-5 job, I won't be able to be available before people go to bed on the EC. That's a bummer. I'll wait on the subscription buying til I see how much I'd actually use it.
Speaking of phones and spending, I originally signed up for $20 worth of credit with vodafone. They gave me $5 for free, and then I got another $10 when I registered with their website. I only had $3 left when I checked it yesterday...that means I used $35 worth of credit in one week!! How did that happen? This is mostly a wait-and-see game, this New Zealand thing, so far. How much do I spend on ___, and is it worth it to change it to something else? Well, I think $35 in one week was definitely worth some changes. I signed up for a bunch of add-ons, such as a feature where if I use $5 in one week, I get free texts on the weekend, and if I spend $10 during the week, I get free weekend calls and texts. That, luckily, was free. However, I also signed up my BF to be my 'Best Mate'--unlimited texts and calls--for $6 a month. With my family calling from the US on Skype, and BF covered for $6/mo, I don't see much need to sign up for a contract plan. I effing HATE contracts! It's definitely a last resort here in NZ--I'm trying to hold off.
Here's a good "did you know?": Receiving texts in NZ are free...and so are incoming calls on mobile phones.
I just found this website about callback service for international phone calls. Since incoming calls are free, you call a computer in the US, hang up, and the computer calls you back and you enter in the number you want to dial. They charge you a rate based on your usage, in my case, about 4 cents a minute from NZ to the US. This will reduce my talk rate from my mobile to my family's phone to about 4 cents a minute, compared to 89 cents a minute currently. Hurrah! Also this website may help (thanks Mike Thompson!).
I feel like I'm finally figuring things out...
Thanks to Tasha, I signed up at HooHaa, where they pay you 10 cents to receive an advertising text message. The money you accrue can be used toward prepaid SIM cards (like I have), and I've already received one today! You can receive up to 4 messages a day. I signed up as interested in everything they had to offer--so let it rain free incoming text messages, is all I have to say!
BF and I had dinner with an American brother and sister the other night--they were fabulous to talk to and to get to know. They are my BF's boss's son and daughter, and they are about 7 and 10 years younger than me, respectively. Fortunately they are mature enough to talk politics and other wonderful American topics. I couldn't imagine being 18-19 yrs old and able to speak so eloquently at a table full of near-strangers that were much older than me, but apparently, people like that do exist. ...Shoot, at almost 30 (i have a week to go, I'm milking it for all it's worth!), I can barely carry a conversation like she does. Maybe I should take a cue from Revanche and check out Toastmasters.
Skype is working out quite well so far--free PC-to-PC calls! I may upgrade to get a local US number so my family can call me on the computer from their cell phones and landlines...and I also may get a plan so I can call them on their landlines and cell phones. The only constant there is that I have to be on my computer and have an internet connection to talk to them, and it's 8 hours to the East Coast of the US right now--not exactly convenient. So, when I get a 9-5 job, I won't be able to be available before people go to bed on the EC. That's a bummer. I'll wait on the subscription buying til I see how much I'd actually use it.
Speaking of phones and spending, I originally signed up for $20 worth of credit with vodafone. They gave me $5 for free, and then I got another $10 when I registered with their website. I only had $3 left when I checked it yesterday...that means I used $35 worth of credit in one week!! How did that happen? This is mostly a wait-and-see game, this New Zealand thing, so far. How much do I spend on ___, and is it worth it to change it to something else? Well, I think $35 in one week was definitely worth some changes. I signed up for a bunch of add-ons, such as a feature where if I use $5 in one week, I get free texts on the weekend, and if I spend $10 during the week, I get free weekend calls and texts. That, luckily, was free. However, I also signed up my BF to be my 'Best Mate'--unlimited texts and calls--for $6 a month. With my family calling from the US on Skype, and BF covered for $6/mo, I don't see much need to sign up for a contract plan. I effing HATE contracts! It's definitely a last resort here in NZ--I'm trying to hold off.
Here's a good "did you know?": Receiving texts in NZ are free...and so are incoming calls on mobile phones.
I just found this website about callback service for international phone calls. Since incoming calls are free, you call a computer in the US, hang up, and the computer calls you back and you enter in the number you want to dial. They charge you a rate based on your usage, in my case, about 4 cents a minute from NZ to the US. This will reduce my talk rate from my mobile to my family's phone to about 4 cents a minute, compared to 89 cents a minute currently. Hurrah! Also this website may help (thanks Mike Thompson!).
I feel like I'm finally figuring things out...
Thanks to Tasha, I signed up at HooHaa, where they pay you 10 cents to receive an advertising text message. The money you accrue can be used toward prepaid SIM cards (like I have), and I've already received one today! You can receive up to 4 messages a day. I signed up as interested in everything they had to offer--so let it rain free incoming text messages, is all I have to say!
Monday, July 14, 2008
Application Mania!!
It's Monday here (still sunday for all you U.S. folks, I know), so I'm getting good start on my job applications. Now that my work permit is in the hands of Immigration New Zealand, a job is my next focus.
I sort-of interviewed Friday for a position, and heard back from the interviewer, asking for my transcripts. I'm not sure how my grades are relevant to being a receptionist, but oh well, it's an academic position. In that transcript email I sent on Saturday, I also asked about the salary and benefits of the position. I was hoping that she would have emailed me back today, but I haven't heard anything from her. I guess I've decided that if I get the position, and I can live on the salary, I'll take the job. I'm really nervous that it's not going to be alot. $30K is just barely scraping by, eating NZ ramen every night. Boyfriend is making $25K/yr, but that's tax-free since he's a Ph.D. student. Taxes for me would be about 21%. So I would be making LESS than him if my salary was $30K! Luckily, I would not have to pay U.S. taxes on any of it (from the IRS website):
"If you are a U.S. citizen or a resident alien of the United States and you live abroad, you are taxed on your worldwide income. However, you may qualify to exclude from income up to $85,700 of your foreign earnings. In addition, you can exclude or deduct certain foreign housing amounts."
I guess I'd still have to pay taxes on my savings accounts interest. However, that will most likely be extremely minimal.
I sort-of interviewed Friday for a position, and heard back from the interviewer, asking for my transcripts. I'm not sure how my grades are relevant to being a receptionist, but oh well, it's an academic position. In that transcript email I sent on Saturday, I also asked about the salary and benefits of the position. I was hoping that she would have emailed me back today, but I haven't heard anything from her. I guess I've decided that if I get the position, and I can live on the salary, I'll take the job. I'm really nervous that it's not going to be alot. $30K is just barely scraping by, eating NZ ramen every night. Boyfriend is making $25K/yr, but that's tax-free since he's a Ph.D. student. Taxes for me would be about 21%. So I would be making LESS than him if my salary was $30K! Luckily, I would not have to pay U.S. taxes on any of it (from the IRS website):
"If you are a U.S. citizen or a resident alien of the United States and you live abroad, you are taxed on your worldwide income. However, you may qualify to exclude from income up to $85,700 of your foreign earnings. In addition, you can exclude or deduct certain foreign housing amounts."
I guess I'd still have to pay taxes on my savings accounts interest. However, that will most likely be extremely minimal.
Saturday, July 12, 2008
New Budget
Rent $600 or so ($150/wk)
Electricity $150 (guess)
Internet $49.95
Food/Groceries $250 (guess)
Misc $250 (guess)
Cell phone $52 (guess)
Roth $100
Travel $200 (guess)
Charity $25
Eating Out $75 (guess)
Health Ins $200 (guess)
Income: $0!!
Deficit: -$1952/mo!!
Electricity $150 (guess)
Internet $49.95
Food/Groceries $250 (guess)
Misc $250 (guess)
Cell phone $52 (guess)
Roth $100
Travel $200 (guess)
Charity $25
Eating Out $75 (guess)
Health Ins $200 (guess)
Income: $0!!
Deficit: -$1952/mo!!
My Life In NZ So Far...
...left Hawaii Sunday at 8:45 am, after a 4:30 am wake up (due to the 3 hour recommended checkin time for HI-NZ flights) only to find that the airport workers don't report to work until 6 am. I was first in line, but that didn't mean much since I forgot to grab my credit card back from the checkin counter lady after paying the over-weight fee I desperately tried to avoid by shipping a 14 lb. box to NZ.
...flight was fine, if long and boring. Must look like a NZ local since everyone kept asking if I was 'going home.' Was serenaded by ukeleles and bursts of song by a Hawaiian troupe on their way to a conference in Australia. One of my Hawaii acquaintances was on my flight--a happy coincidence.
...even though I left 8:45 am on Sunday, arrived in NZ at 4 pm on Monday. My flight was 9 hours. Freaking international date line stole a day of my twenties away from me...I turn 30 in a week and a half. ick.
...immediately after arriving, converted $200 to NZ dollars ($241 NZ). Cash has lasted me thus far, since I keep using my capital one card (no fees!). I'm keeping it easy for the first month, til I can make sure that there are no fees, indeed.
...grabbed a SIM card from vodafone and put it in my eBay GSM SIM quad-band phone. woo hoo! paid $60 or so for the SIM card and $25 of credit. Took a shuttle to my apartment for about $35 with tip (still not sure about tipping here).
...Went to the Warehouse and bought $225 worth of STUFF for the apartment. bought $85 worth of groceries. Hooks--little 3M hooks (the only kind our apartment complex allows)--are about $6 EACH.
...I walk everywhere, it's cold! But it isn't bad, not for the winters I knew on the East Coast.
So far, my main expenditures have been on food and random household items. The main culture shock has been prices. T-shirts are $50, jeans are $100. A tube of Chapstick, for Chris'sake, is $4. Even with the favorable exchange rate, it's insane.
I had a meeting with a lady who was in charge of hiring someone for a research-secretarial position on Friday morning (they don't have the budget to pay for a full 5 days a week position, so two of the days I'd be paid to answer phones and be a receptionist). She's doing work that I would be interested in doing for a Ph.D., so she was great for me to talk to. She actually knows a lot of the same people that I have worked with, so it was very easy to talk to her, and we had a lot in common. the position would allow me to see what her work entails, plus I'd go along for conferences in other countries and do small research projects of my own, so that would be very exciting. They'd work with me since I wouldn't have my work permit before I started, most likely (I turned in my application yesterday!!).
I'm overqualified for the job, for sure (at least the receptionist part), but the other jobs i'm looking at take me 4 and 8 hours away, respectively, from Auckland. BF and I would have to do a weekend commute to see one another. Ick.
Don't know what the first job pays--I didn't ask, stupid me--but I hope it's somewhere above $30K. If not, I just don't know how I can survive here.
Until I get a job, I just feel like I'm hemorrhaging money. $3K for my flight, plus my little stint in Hawaii--my cc bill this month is over $5K! I'm starting to feel the pinch of two months of no income...
...flight was fine, if long and boring. Must look like a NZ local since everyone kept asking if I was 'going home.' Was serenaded by ukeleles and bursts of song by a Hawaiian troupe on their way to a conference in Australia. One of my Hawaii acquaintances was on my flight--a happy coincidence.
...even though I left 8:45 am on Sunday, arrived in NZ at 4 pm on Monday. My flight was 9 hours. Freaking international date line stole a day of my twenties away from me...I turn 30 in a week and a half. ick.
...immediately after arriving, converted $200 to NZ dollars ($241 NZ). Cash has lasted me thus far, since I keep using my capital one card (no fees!). I'm keeping it easy for the first month, til I can make sure that there are no fees, indeed.
...grabbed a SIM card from vodafone and put it in my eBay GSM SIM quad-band phone. woo hoo! paid $60 or so for the SIM card and $25 of credit. Took a shuttle to my apartment for about $35 with tip (still not sure about tipping here).
...Went to the Warehouse and bought $225 worth of STUFF for the apartment. bought $85 worth of groceries. Hooks--little 3M hooks (the only kind our apartment complex allows)--are about $6 EACH.
...I walk everywhere, it's cold! But it isn't bad, not for the winters I knew on the East Coast.
So far, my main expenditures have been on food and random household items. The main culture shock has been prices. T-shirts are $50, jeans are $100. A tube of Chapstick, for Chris'sake, is $4. Even with the favorable exchange rate, it's insane.
I had a meeting with a lady who was in charge of hiring someone for a research-secretarial position on Friday morning (they don't have the budget to pay for a full 5 days a week position, so two of the days I'd be paid to answer phones and be a receptionist). She's doing work that I would be interested in doing for a Ph.D., so she was great for me to talk to. She actually knows a lot of the same people that I have worked with, so it was very easy to talk to her, and we had a lot in common. the position would allow me to see what her work entails, plus I'd go along for conferences in other countries and do small research projects of my own, so that would be very exciting. They'd work with me since I wouldn't have my work permit before I started, most likely (I turned in my application yesterday!!).
I'm overqualified for the job, for sure (at least the receptionist part), but the other jobs i'm looking at take me 4 and 8 hours away, respectively, from Auckland. BF and I would have to do a weekend commute to see one another. Ick.
Don't know what the first job pays--I didn't ask, stupid me--but I hope it's somewhere above $30K. If not, I just don't know how I can survive here.
Until I get a job, I just feel like I'm hemorrhaging money. $3K for my flight, plus my little stint in Hawaii--my cc bill this month is over $5K! I'm starting to feel the pinch of two months of no income...
Friday, July 11, 2008
Quickly, quickly...
I'm alive! and kicking. well, mostly. I've been in New Zealand for 4 days now, and the only way to get anywhere is to walk. miles and miles of walking. in 40 degree weather with rain.
I'm freezing and my feet hurt so far. However, I will get used to this. I don't mind the rain or weather--it's pretty welcome after the monotony of perfect SoCal weather for 4 years, actually! (we'll see how long that lasts...).
I had a psuedo-job interview this morning. She works with my boyfriend a bit, so that would be interesting. It's just a secretarial position, mainly, so I wouldn't get paid much, but some of the work would allow me to gain insight to the career I'd want, so maybe...
oops, gotta go meet BF for lunch.
More later.
I'm freezing and my feet hurt so far. However, I will get used to this. I don't mind the rain or weather--it's pretty welcome after the monotony of perfect SoCal weather for 4 years, actually! (we'll see how long that lasts...).
I had a psuedo-job interview this morning. She works with my boyfriend a bit, so that would be interesting. It's just a secretarial position, mainly, so I wouldn't get paid much, but some of the work would allow me to gain insight to the career I'd want, so maybe...
oops, gotta go meet BF for lunch.
More later.
Monday, July 07, 2008
About to Board...
Are you ready to hear some crazy NZ stories? I know I am ready to make them...
This week in HI has been, simply put, amazing. I got to surf, go in the warm, tropical ocean every day, get *tan lines*, and spend most of my time with some of the nearest and dearest to me. This place--Honolulu--is magical, it gets in your bones, and it feels like home again all too fast. If my boyfriend weren't in NZ now, I think I'd try to stay...
But that's over. it's time to move on. Bigger and Better! New and Exciting!
I hope my adventures are as wonderful as they were here.
p.s. my budget is blown out of the water. argh.
This week in HI has been, simply put, amazing. I got to surf, go in the warm, tropical ocean every day, get *tan lines*, and spend most of my time with some of the nearest and dearest to me. This place--Honolulu--is magical, it gets in your bones, and it feels like home again all too fast. If my boyfriend weren't in NZ now, I think I'd try to stay...
But that's over. it's time to move on. Bigger and Better! New and Exciting!
I hope my adventures are as wonderful as they were here.
p.s. my budget is blown out of the water. argh.
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