Budget...If you can call it that

So this first official month of living in New Zealand...for real. I officially arrived on July 7, but those first few weeks were a total haze. I have a job now (and income, starting Thursday--I hope), I have an apartment, I know where the grocery store is, and what NZ foods I like. I (kindof) know where to find things. I am starting to get it.

So, without further ado, here is my spending last month, and the state of affairs now that the dust has started settling (and boy has it ever! the kitchen floor was so filthy when I cleaned it today!):

Savings:
Kiwibank Account: $40
Bank of America Checking account: $2,070
ING account: $100
HSBC account: $11,442
T.Rowe Price Roth IRA: $1,970
Vanguard Traditional IRA: $6,038

total: $21,660

CC's:
Capital One balance: $1,589
Chase balance: $117

total owed: $1706

Net Worth: $19,954

(OUCH! that hurts. Between this move and the economy, I've dipped below $20K)

Spending this August 5-31:

Rent: $600
Groceries: $473.83
Internet: $50
Roth IRA: $100 US Dollars
Electricity: $58
Eating out: $50.70
Charity: $75
cell phone: $97.95
Medical: $115
Misc: $188.77
Allowance: $0
Saving: $0
Total: $1809.25 (pretending USD for Roth are NZD)

Most people would say that that isn't bad for a month...but I feel differently. I don't own a car, so my expenses should be lower, much lower.

A few notes:
1) I'm over in the following categories: Groceries (by WAY too much), Charity (by $25), Cell phone (by $50), medical (by $65).

2) My medical expenses are higher because I'm still paying for my physical back in May--the one that let me into this country.

3) I will never feel bad for going over my charity budget.

4) My cell phone and grocery expenses HAVE GOT TO DECREASE. These are OUT OF CONTROL. I like WRITING IN ALL CAPS for things like this. THEY ARE EMERGENCIES.

Grocery strategy: I need to brainstorm some ideas on this. Whatever I'm doing, it isn't working. coupons? sales? cook at home? oh wait...I already do those things. I can't freeze food because I have no freezer. I can't stockpile because there is NO SPACE. any more ideas for me, besides ramen and PB&J every day?

as for the cell phone bill--I have taken the following steps:
--bought a V8 card to allow me to make 0.05 c/min phone calls from my cell to the US
--have a Skype subscription for about $8/mo for phone calls from my computer to the US (I'm not always around my computer, though)
--added my BF as a best mate--unlimited calls and texts: $6/mo
--paid for Skype credit to foward skype calls from my computer to my mobile when I'm away

Here's my goal: keep my cell phone bill close to what it was in the US, but with no contract.

$20 top up on my mobile per month,
best mate, $6,
Skype credit, $10
Skype, $8
V8 card, $8
= $52 USD

More Groceries

$25 groceries (mostly salad items)
$20 pizza for dinner friday

had pizza and salad for dinner last night, while watching Lara Croft: Cradle of Life we borrowed from a work friend.

We were invited to hang out this weekend but BF has a talk to prepare for a conference next week, and I have a slight cold I'm getting over. So, still no real weekend plans.

Yesterday was another instance of 'no one in NZ knows what the F they are doing.' I don't want to explain it, but I was told to go to a place by the Inland Revenue Service of NZ to speed up or 'urgently process' my IRD number so I can get paid next Thursday. When I went to the place to do this, NO ONE knew what the F I was talking about, and I spent an hour waiting while they figured out what I already knew--but since it's NZ, they were super-nice about it (that's something, at least!). In the end, they just wrote 'Urgent process' on the top of my application form and charged me $10 for it. so yeah, I PAID someone $10 so I can get paid sooner rather than later. WOW.


Once I get paid, I will feel more comfortable hanging out, anyway. I feel like I should keep the spending down on non-necessary items for now. Food seems to be the biggest expenditure. Just a warning, it's almost as much as my rent! ...a breakdown of my expenses will be forthcoming after the end of the month.

how is your weekend going? Most of you have Monday off, right? (oh, how I miss No-Labour Day!)

Spending

I went to subway today. It's the first time I've eaten out in a little while. It wasn't very good...their version of italian herbs and cheese bread is not very herby or cheesy, and instead of mustard they have honey mustard. I guess that's what I get for not frugally making my own sandwich at my office! However, it was the 'sub of the day' so my 6 inch was 'only' $3.90 (or 'three-dollars-ninety,' as they say here).

I keep discovering things I love about NZ, and then things I don't. Luckily, so far, most of the things I don't love about NZ are minimal and things I'll get used to (except for the PRICES here!).

I also had to buy lightbulbs because for some reason all the bulbs in our apartment blew (you can say that again) at the same time. I got the wrong kind, though, so I have to return them to the warehouse soon and get the screwy kind...but I only saw the one kind of light bulb in there.

$10 lightbulbs

BF and I celebrated my permit/visa accomplishment by getting yummy thai food. I got a doggie bag, but they only put my leftover curry sauce in my bag, not also what was on my plate. My plate contained all of the rice. I discovered the lack of rice when I, starving, opened up my takeout container this evening for dinner. I ended up having to buy rice from the (gross) thai place next door.

$1.50

My grocery spending for this month is going to be well over $500. I don't even know what to say about that...

I got my library card today! I heart libraries...

The Need for Speed

I wanna get paaaaaaiiiiidddd! I just looked over my goals, and boy are they going to take a LONG, LONG time to accomplish...esp. if I don't get paid soon! I need my IRD number before I can get paid, and the deadline for that is next Thursday...if I don't get my IRD number before then, I don't get paid for another, whole MONTH.

My goal here is to live off of half of my monthly income. This should be roughly $1580. I'll sock away the other half in one of those fancy, nifty 8.3% per annum savings accounts they have here!

I am promised a raise next february if I do well, up to $52K. This will increase my half-income to $1635/mo, however, I plan to save half of the raise and increase my standard of living by half. So, really, it only increases it to $1607/mo...but hey, that's better than nothing!

I had to remove all traces of the 2009 and 2010 Roth IRA savings goals, since I won't be legally able to contribute with NZD. With the exchange rate and any commissions on transferring my money to US dollars, at a savings rate of ~$1500 NZD, it will take me much longer to get to my USD goals. Here is a snapshot of how I want it to go:

Goals:

Priority
Goal
Progress
How?
Projected Completion

Priority: 1
Goal: 9K in EF
Progress: done--maintain
How to Accomplish: maintain
Projected Completion: Now

Priority: 2
Goal: max out roth for 2008
Progress: at $700, $4300 to go
How to Accomplish: savings in budget--4 months
Projected Completion: Nov-08

3
replenish mom payback fund to 5K
at $2K, $3K to go
savings in budget--3 months
Feb-09

4
establish travel fund ($6K/yr)
$6K to go
savings in budget--5 months
Jul-09

5
wedding/europe fund of 10K
0, $10K to go
savings in budget--10 months
May-10

6
house downpayment fund of $30K
0, $30K to go
savings in budget--25 months
Never

7
Retirement
3.1 million to go
??
I'll die in a gutter homeless

Accomplishments!

After waiting...and waiting...and WAITING for my passport back, it feels so good that I can finally relax and embrace life in New Zealand. I can make plans beyond October 7, and actually settle in here a bit more.

I think a part of me has been holding back from actually getting too attached to anyone or anything here.

Today, I applied for my IRD number, the tax number the NZ government assigns you. it's like the Social Security number in the US, but I don't think it has the same level of 'identity theft' issues.

Since you apply for your tax number in the Post office, and since the post office doubles as a Kiwibank branch in some instances (yeah--think of the line in either of those places (post office and bank branches) in the US, and then double it...people were VERY pissed off), I was also able to open my Kiwibank account at the same time.

The only real thing I need to do now to get paid is receive my IRD number, which should arrive in 8-10 business days!

I may just go ahead and submit all of my paperwork sans IRD number, so I can get my staff card, etc.

Still to do:

--go to the library, get my library card, and borrow books! I am going to take my backpack tomorrow so I can fill er up!

--get my UoA staff card

--change my flight out of NZ and postpone to about December 1.

List of places with my address:
--Kiwibank
--Westpac
--Ezy Video
--NZ immigration
--work
--SmileCity
--HooHaa
--all of my family and friends

WOW! my endless to-do list is almost all crossed off!

(and...now it's time to start over, in the form of applying for permanent residency! OY)

GREAT news!

I received my work permit and visa!! Hurrah!

There was a brief freakout on my part at the conditions of my permit (it said that it expired when I left NZ...um, excuse me, but I plan on going home for Christmas!). All was resolved when I noticed the Entries: Multiple text on my visa. ;)

Yesterday, New Zealand Immigration actually CALLED ME ON THE PHONE, apologized for holding onto my application for so long (a month), and told me that I could expect my passport back in two days. I received it in one. Have I told you how much I love New Zealand Immigration? When was the last time someone got an apology from US Immigration?? Oh, I know how lucky I am...

Not only do I NOT have to worry about whether I can stay in the country or not, but this sets forth the elimination of a whole slew of worries:

I am totally legit to stay in NZ until next August, AND to come and go as I please! I can get a library card! I can get a staff card for U Auckland, get the discounts they provide, AND do my job! I can open a savings account and get a tax number! Most importantly, I CAN GET PAID!

Oh, hell yeah...

MobWars--Lessons For Real Life

If you are on Facebook, you have probably gotten an invitation to join the application 'MobWars.' In it, you choose your Mob name, and you get points and money for fighting other mobsters or doing 'jobs' (rob a bank, mug someone, etc.). You use the money to buy guns, property, cars, etc.--whatever you need to do more 'jobs.' You move up levels according to your points total.

I joined just to give my BF another mob member (some jobs specify a certain number of gang members you need to do a job). I resisted for a long time, but now I find it enjoyable--of course, mostly for the money! My FAVORITE part is that you can use your money to buy property, which will then net you a certain amount of money per hour. Undeveloped lots, for example, cost $5000 to buy, but add $100 to your hourly income. The first casino, on the other hand, costs $40 million dollars (plus the land to develop it on costs $1 mill), but adds $300K to your hourly income.

At this point, I've quit being a mobster and started being a mogul--a property mogul. The higher level you are, the more options there are (doing more jobs, buying more properties, kinds of cars, etc.). Mostly, you get points for doing jobs and winning fights. I've stopped instigating fights and doing the jobs. I wanted to build up my income so that when I moved up a level, I wouldn't get attacked and creamed by rival mobsters like I was on the first 13 levels!

Some of the things you buy (cars, guns) have carrying costs associated with them, and these decrease your hourly income by that amount. So, much like my strategy in REAL LIFE, I wanted to keep these costs down while building up my passive income--property! Now, property in Mob land doesn't have any carrying costs, so that is not like real life. I've spent the past couple of weeks buying and buying more and more property, while ignoring items like cars and some guns that have carrying costs. I told myself that once I got above $1 million an hour, I could buy a few cars and mini-guns. And I have! My hourly income right now is about $1.5 million dollars! I'm saving up for that casino...

Anyway, when I was devising this strategy, I realized that it was very similar to building wealth in real life--keep carrying costs (expenses such as car payments, high rent, eating out) DOWN while building passive income such as property and other investments. In summary:

1) Build active income through your job. (or, robbing banks in MobWars)

2) Once you have enough, buy things to protect yourself and your income--health and disability insurance. (or, a minimum amount of guns and cars with high defense points in MW, to fend off attacks by rival mobs.) Never allow your expenses to exceed your income.

3) Once you have protected yourself/income, start making money in passive ways--investment portfolios, property. (property in MW)

4) Finally, when you have a certain amount as a cushion in passive income, you can stop actively working and still make enough money to live. And then you can really enjoy life and buy whatever you want.

Wow

The work weeks go by SO FAST! There was one day where I was just dragging, but still, things go so much quicker when you actually LIKE your job. Some of the actual elements of it are somewhat tedious, but the fact that I get to pick and choose what I want to do in any given day or hour helps alot.

For example, right now, my tasks are to unpack a million boxes of books and scientific journals and organize them in the library, design a flyer for a short course in Illustrator, enter in hundreds of publications in an Endnote library, verify radiometric ages of varying lava flows, organize venues, invitations, food, and anything else we need for the 'official launch' of the project I'm working on. I'm supposed to be a receptionist, too, but we don't get many visitors. My main boss is away for a month, so right now I get to just do whatever I want to do as I see fit. As long as I get it done, it doesn't matter. I like the creativity, I like the flexibility, and I like that I don't have to charge my time, fifteen minutes at a time, to whatever project I happen to be working on, like I did at my last job (UGH).

Work bought us lunch Friday at a nearby yum cha place--traditionally, it's where chinese businessmen to go broker deals while drinking tea and snacking, as I understand it. It was ok--I liked the new experience but the food wasn't to my taste (plus, I am allergic to shellfish, and my boss wouldn't tell us what was in the food--so I had to be really picky). But at least it was free!

I still haven't heard from Immigration. I'm getting really antsy--I've heard that if it takes longer than 2 weeks, they are going to deny the application. Plus, I'm hearing more and more stories from colleagues that got denied their partner applications. What a bummer that would be...

So, spending:

$8 groceries
$20 eating out (pizza!)
$20 cell phone (top up) UGH--REALLY HAVE TO REGULATE THIS SPENDING!!

I need to go grocery shopping later today, but my throat hurts. I think I'm coming down with something. I may go later...

HOW WAS YOUR WEEK?

Spending

Misc: $10 to go to the Auckland Museum (finally convinced BF to take a couple hours off!). they suggest a $5 donation per adult.

8/18/08: nada

8/19/08:
Groceries: $3 for snacks (darn you, tasty cheese corn chips!)
Misc: $10 for a whiteboard (or is it wipeboard?) for work--this may get reimbursed...

On a lighter note, I'm now making well over a million bucks an hour on my MobWars on Facebook...yup. You read that right.

Spending

Another boring weekend. Today BF had to head to school (as usual) to grade papers, and I was left to fill my time. I don't mind being alone alot, but I want to PLAY! I have a huge list of things I want to do, most of them within walking distance, but BF wants to do them too, and I don't particularly want to go alone, so I have to wait til he's free to do them. Which will never happen. Ugh. Welcome to grad school...

Luckily, today was rainy and gross, so it wasn't too hard to sit inside. I think I would've broken my promise to him and taken a ferry ride without him if it hadn't been.

Also, BF and I both noticed today that the apartment was a Royal Mess. Since I'm employed now and don't have 7 days a week to do nothing, the housekeeping just doesn't get done. I thought that when I got a job that we would start sharing the work, but it hasn't happened so far...he's just SO freaking busy. In the end, I don't mind doing most of the cleaning, grocery shopping, cooking, etc. I know he just doesn't have the time or energy after 14 hours of intense reading, teaching, thinking (I actually sent him to bed early last night because the bags under his eyes were torturing me). I'd hope he'd do the same for me. It'd be (and was) a different story if we were both working the same job and same hours. As it stands, it turns out I don't mind managing the household...who knew?? I see it as a way to support BF.

So yeah, my tasks for today were to put the Olympics on as background, do 3 loads of laundry, clean the bathroom and living areas, and get some food and household items. We finally got a drying rack (!) which is lucky since the dryer didn't dry my clothes all the way before the stupid annoying other residents moved my stuff out of the dryer (I HATE when people move my clothes! It's SO RUDE. I got there 5 minutes after it finished drying, for Chrissakes!). I actually saw a girl take a stranger's clothes OUT OF THE WASHER last week when there weren't any other washers available. She didn't put them in a dryer either, she just laid them in a wet, gross pile on a counter so she could selfishly do her laundry. She was American, much to my chagrin. I bet that stranger was MAD when they got there. I certainly would have been. There are about 300 apartments in my building, and only 5-6 washers and 5 dryers, 2 or 3 of which are always Out of Order. I really want a washer/dryer combo in my next apartment.

Spending: I had three! no-spend days this week.

(yesterday) Misc: $10 on video rental (BF had NEVER seen The Terminator!)

groceries: $65.79 --weekly shop
Misc: The Warehouse ("where everyone gets a bargain"): $28 --a colander, finally; a drying rack; some more tupperwares; snacks for work
Eating Out: $5.30 got a salad at Burger King (yeah I know, but I was starving!)

They don't put their salads on the menu above the cashiers at BK here. I wonder why??

Misc: Laundry: $13

Sigh. Is it awful that I'm perusing the Target website and salivating for my Christmas vacation in the States??

A Boy Named Sue

I recently attended a Site Safety class for building construction sites as part of my work training. We won't be building anything, but we will be drilling a borehole nearby.

In my class, we covered that ACC (Accident Compensation Corporation) will pay for any medical costs incurred from an accident you have, while at work, or whereever. In return, you can't sue if you trip over someone's dog's leash, or if McDonald's gives you (gasp!) hot coffee and you spill it on yourself. The ACC will pay for your medical costs...a flat 1.4% levy is placed on all earned NZ income to cover these costs.

I think this is a great system! I mean, alot of it comes down to personal responsibility. LOOK where you are going, PAY attention, and don't take stupid risks, and you'll most likely be fine. Instead of placing the blame on the government (or McDonalds) to tell you to pay attention to something, or warn you about what MAY happen, look after yourself! Use common sense!

In my class, the instructor mentioned that not all NZ citizens like the ACC system. One guy taking his class commented that he'd rather 'do what the Americans do' and be able to sue if something goes wrong.

I was shocked at this proclamation. As an American, I think we've become a sue-happy culture. People are so afraid of being sued these days...we even have to buy rental or home insurance to cover it (what if someone trips in our house! God forbid!). Every thing has barricades on it, everyone is so busy protecting other people or themselves for imagined risks, we don't get to DO anything anymore. There are signs everywhere, for every little thing that could go wrong, ever. It's very much true that America is now a Land of Fear instead of the Land of the Free.

In retrospect, though, I do see the point of the guy who commented that he'd rather have the American system--for those truly wronged, there should be some recourse, so that perpetrators of dangerous situations would have incentive to not do so.

Some hybrid between the two countries' systems would be great--so that people and businesses don't take unnecessary risks and rely on the government to clean up their mistakes, and so people aren't willy-nilly suing each other over the dumbest of issues (Judge Judy, anyone?).

What do you think?

Quickie

The bus was a bust, kind of. I'll explain later, but for now, spending:

$8.60 bus fare (Tuesday)
$32 video rental due (because they rent the ENTIRE season 3 of Battlestar Galactica for THREE days at $10!)
$3.50 snacks (because I was STARVING due to the bus not coming on schedule)

poor me. spending away...at least i have some income now (permit pending).

A Little More Green...

Ever since moving to NZ over a month ago, I haven't driven a car. I've been in a vehicle (taxis) a total of 4 times: once to get from the airport to my lodging, twice after buying large, heavy items for the household (shelves, etc.), and once to get to a far-off concert when it was raining cats and dogs. Not too bad.

Not owning a car is something I couldn't have fathomed a few months ago, living in SoCal. Not having a car there is nearly impossible. I know people do it...but I've never met anyone that has. Even if I had bought a bike and biked the 5 miles to work, I would have experienced extreme trepidation crossing the four(!) interstate cloverleaves there were between my house and my workplace. There were no bike lanes, and no way to go around them--I would have had to jump a canyon.

So, now that I live 15 minutes (safe!) walking distance max from my work, grocery store, major shopping center, and library, there's just no reason to get a car. Just none. Add to that the cost of parking here ($50/mo or more!), gas ($8-9/gal!), maintenance costs, driving and parking hassles, insurance and registration/inspection costs, and the initial startup costs, and I am even more convinced that it's a bad idea to get a car here.

The only problem is, I want to explore the country! And at some point, I knew I was going to have to leave the 45 minute walking radius I feel comfortable crossing on foot. In fact, tomorrow I have to go somewhere for work that would take me 3 hours to walk to according to Google Maps. The solution? The bus system! The trip tomorrow will take 45 minutes and cost $4.30 one way. It would be easier to just jump in my car, but I'm also loving the idea of cutting down on fossil fuel usage and reducing my carbon footprint.

So, until I absolutely canNOT stand it any longer, I'm opting to go the bus route (ha ha).

Day of the Dead

I'm currently reading 'Animal, Vegetable, Miracle' by Barbara Kingsolver and her family. It's a great read, esp. for anyone looking to decrease their impact on the Earth and get healthier in the process. The book describes her family's adventures during a year of local eating--growing much of the food they eat themselves.

I'm really enjoying it--who knew there was so much to know about asparagus?

Anyway, in this book, Kingsolver describes the holidays that have traditional edible fare associated with it in various cultures. The Day of the Dead in Mexico in particular caught my attention...not for the food, persay, but the idea of setting aside a day to celebrate those loved ones that have departed. They have such a healthy attitude towards death, it seems--they view it like the dying go on a fantastic fun journey, and the only reason to be sad is that the living won't see them again down here on Earth. So, they created a day specifically to remember all of their loved ones, and have picnics on graves, talk about memories concerning those that have gone physically from Earth. It seems odd to us as Americans to do that--celebrate happily about death--but I think it's a better way to think.

Yesterday was pretty awful, and this morning is only slightly better. There were alot of memories and crying all day, and I talked to my family alot and reassured the others that we were there for one another and loved each other. My family has been through the ringer for the past 2 years: my dad's illness has gotten worse, my sister continues to be ill (but is doing better at the moment), we lost my mom's mom, then my dad's mom, my mom's dad, and now my dad's youngest brother and aunt have passed away in the same week. (Yup, I found out on the phone that my beloved great-aunt passed away a few days ago, too.) All of this death and illness is just so...depressing. It makes me hopeless--like things just keep getting worse and worse, and there's no end in sight.

So I need to try to think of death as a not-so-horrible thing. I am going to try to use today as a start of my own personal Day of the Dead--remembering my uncle and all those other wonderful people of which I have so many treasured memories. I am trying to see the good in all of this--where is that silver lining? Is all of this heartache for a reason? I really hope so.

And kind of PF related: I didn't have the energy to return the two videos that were due yesterday, and BF was out all day catching up on his reading, so I called the store and renewed them for another week. We probably have spent $50 renting the third season of Battlestar Galactica so far! However, this is why i'm so careful with money usually--so that when disaster strikes, I just don't worry about a few extra bucks wasted. It sucks, but money is the least of my concerns right now!

Another Family Tragedy

This isn't PF related, so skip this post if you want investment advice, etc. My blog has taken on a more personal 'journal' type of role in my life...

I received an email this morning from my sister stating that my uncle had died last week in a bad car wreck. Add this to the list of beloved family members that have died in the past few years, and I'm heart-broken all over again. Grandmother, Grandmother, Grandfather, Great-Aunt, and now Uncle. They are dropping like flies, the people that I love, and who loved me for my entire life. It feels like the circle of people that I love is getting smaller and smaller, and one day, there will be no one left. It's horrifying.

I feel horrible that he died the way he did, and that I acted pretty selfishly in not contacting him more when he was alive. I grew up playing with him; he was only 18 years older than me and so we had alot of fun. He had some problems--he lived with his mom until she died in december 06, and never got over her death. I don't think he ever had a girlfriend or a relationship; he was too shy to talk to random people. He was schizophrenic and took medicine which helped, but still couldn't hold down a job, and so was on disability. He kind of retreated into himself when my grandma died--he moved about an hour away from us but wouldn't tell any of us the address. He started drinking heavily, and wouuld call my parent's house to talk for hours and hours if you answered the phone.

So, when I was home for 3 weeks in June this year, he would call and ask to talk to me. I would refuse and my dad would make an excuse for me, not wanting to deal with a 4 hours long drunken conversation, but I did promise him I'd call later. That later never came. The night before I left for Hawaii/NZ, he called and my mom handed the phone to me when I was on my way out of the door to grab some food for the plane, and I did talk to him for about 2 minutes. In that conversation, he told me how proud of me he was, and that he loved me, and then I had to go before the stores closed. Looking back, I feel so incredibly selfish--my whole family told me that he had wanted to talk to me and that it made him happy to hear from me...and still I didn't call.

Once I got Skype here in NZ a few weeks ago and could call for free, I had his name and phone number on a list of people to call. I never did, and if I'm honest with myself, I don't think I ever would have gotten around to it.

I did love him, and I hoped that he'd get better one day and be able to hang out with the family again. I am definitely going to miss him, and his death is going to take a very long while to accept. I say this time and again here lately, but if there's anyone like my uncle in your life that you keep meaning to contact but don't--just do it. It only takes a few minutes of your life to tell someone that you love them.

Friday spending

Heifer donation: $10
2 flocks of chicks: $40

No other spending. We did get our electricity bill today. For a tiny, miniscule little apartment, the bill is roughly $60. Crazy!

I did use alot of heat the first few weeks, but I've since cut it off. I hope that decreases the bill a bit. We also need to get CFL's.

I have to go into work tomorrow for a seminar (how annoying! on a Saturday!), but I'm going to count it towards my 40 hours for next week. ;)

On a lighter note, I am making approximately $160K an hour on my MobWars on Facebook.

Thursday

Did NOT want to get up this morning...I was just dragging all day. It was my boss's last day in the office for a month, though, so I had to be 'on' to make sure I got all the details I needed.

spending: $17 for random snacks for work (i was starving on my walk home and there was a ...oh how convenient! convenience store).

hee hee, i keep catching myself using kiwi words, like 'heaps.' today, i even nearly thought the word 'tomato' as 'toe-mah-toe.' Yeah, I'm a quick acclimate-r (not a word, i know).

Spending 8/6/08

$7.50 for 5 international postcard stamps

...and that's it. Work had a catered lunch to welcome everyone to the new building. I was introduced to everyone, and lunch was really yummy--sandwiches with tomato, avacado, mayo, and chicken.

I got my contract and benefits info today--I can sign it, and if I get my work permit in the next 2 weeks, I'll get paid in 2 weeks! Otherwise, I get a lump sum of backpay when I 'officially' start. Awesome news...

So far, work is a breeze, my coworkers are fun, and my boss is, well, I don't have enough words to praise her. I am not bored (yet)--there are things that I have to figure out how to do without any help or insanely detailed instructions from higher ups. This is VERY different from my previous company. Also, they are super-lax on things like schedules (although we have seen that I cannot stay in the office past 6 pm, haven't we?). Also, I mentioned to my boss that I was having trouble just rotely entering the references into Endnote because I kept wanting to READ the articles, and she thought that was a GOOD thing. I don't think that would have happened in the other office...

And, this isn't interesting at all, but i fixed the problem I was having in Endnote. In a flash of inspiration, i changed my default browser from Firefox to IE, and voila...it worked. How annoying!

X-hausted

Today was uber-long. I had a meeting at 9, and I learned how to make a website in about 5 minutes. I spent most of the day, including working through lunch, preparing a presentation for my new boss outlining my plan of attack for a certain task she gave me. Everything was going smoothly until about 4 pm--I hit a major snag. Since she's out on Tuesdays and Thursdays, and is leaving until Sept. 4 for vacation/conference, I only have tomorrow (Wednesday) to show her my plan.

Unfortunately, I hit a roadblock in my capabilities--I can't get a ftp site URL in EndNote to open up a webbrowser, to be specific. I tried EVERYthing I could think of, scoured the internet for solutions, but no one else seems to have this problem. I finally gave up for the day at 6:15 pm, after emailing tech support. The whole plan rides on this link-opening system, so it would suck if there were no solution.

And so I go downstairs, planning on stopping by a shop to buy international postcard stamps for my friends' postcards, and I pull the door ---wait, not open. I keep trying the doors, they don't open! I GOT STUCK IN THE BUILDING. Apparently, for safety's sake, they lock all the doors FROM THE INSIDE as well as outside, at 6 pm. WHAT???

No, no one told me this. And because I'm not on a work permit yet, they can't give me a swipey card to get in and out of the building. Yikes!

Guess I will be cutting my work hours short, then.

Luckily, the security guard's phone number was posted on the window (this must have happened before). I was on the verge of panic, and it took everything I had to stay calm and not pull the fire alarm. It was SO embarrassing to have the security guard come and open the door for me!!

Also luckily, my phone was dying but had JUST enough juice in it to make the outgoing call to the security office. whew. If I had worked just a few minutes longer...

'Cause I packed my lunch...OBVIOUSLY there's no spending today. :)

Negotiation Disambiguation

Revanche asked for a transcript of my negotiation with my new job last week.

[Some background: they offered me $45K. I was disappointed and KNEW I'd need to negotiate as soon as I saw the number. My goal here was to make AT LEAST $50K AND get 6 weeks of vacation time.]

Here it is (paraphrased, I was not as self-assured or well-spoken as all this, but the bones are the same as actual events):

Me: "Hi __, I've looked over the job offer, and I think I intend to accept, but I had a few questions."

Boss: "Oh great! Good news. What were your questions?"

Me: "I was wondering...what are the benefits associated with this position?"

Boss: "You'll have to talk to X at ___, they handle all hiring and will have more details."

Me: "Oh. OK. Well, do you know if the salary and vacation time are negotiable?"

Boss: "Most certainly, salary and vacation time are negotiable! The vacation time in particular is flexible. I can't finalize the details, you'll have to talk to X at ____."

Me: "Thanks, [Boss]! I'll talk to X at ____."

______A few moments later______

Me: "Hi, X, I'm calling about the position that was offered to me with [Boss]. I had a few questions before I accepted."

X: "Sure."

Me: "I was wondering if the salary was negotiable as [Boss] said it would be."

X: "Well, we are prepared to offer you up to $50K."

Me: "Ok, that sounds ok...I was hoping for a little more, could I get more vacation time instead of the difference between the salary I was hoping for and the $50K?"

X: "We offer 4 weeks vacation time. And, no...sorry, even the CEO of the company here can't negotiate for more."

Me [digesting this and realizing that I could probably work something out with Boss, and bypass X, since Boss said vacation time was 'certainly' negotiable and flexible]: "Ok....[thinking, thinking]....well, what are the other benefits of the position?"

(I was truly curious, but this question was mostly a way to buy more time)

X: "We offer discounts on health insurance premiums, free optical care and a $280 allowance per year for frames and lenses, sick leave, bereavement leave,...(etc., I wrote this all down for future reference)

Me: "I see." (i said something about the health premiums here, 'cause i'm not eligible for the discount since i'm not a citizen/resident and can't buy additional health insurance, and don't even have my work permit yet. Basically, i was telling her that the benefits were actually NOT going to benefit me. We then started talking about my elusive work permit.)

X: "So if you accept, we will draft up a job offer letter for INZ to help speed along the permit process. Is there anything else I can do?"

Me: "Well, since I was hoping for a higher salary and vacation time isn't an option, can I get a performance review in a few months to discuss an increase, pending good performance?"

X: "What were you hoping for, in terms of salary?"

Me (thinking I was pushing it, as I already got my $50K offered): "I was hoping for more like $55K."

X: "We can go up to an automatic $52K in January, and give you a performance review then to discuss a higher increase."

Me: "Ok, That sounds fine to me."

X: "I just need to run all this by [Boss], I will get back to you."


END-----------------

Today the boss said that I could take 6 weeks off like I wanted (I emailed her about what X said about vacation time after X and I talked, and my wishes for vacation time). If I want more than 6 weeks, I can take it, but it will either be unpaid or I can forgo the $2K increase in January. I just have to make sure that the company isn't in a crunch time at that point.

So, how did I do?

So Far, So Good

Today was my first day back at 'work.' (I can't really call it work because I'm 'volunteering' until I get my work permit; they will reimburse me in a lump sum once that happens.)

My boss went over my various tasks, and they all seem pretty easy and interesting. At least, the point of it all is interesting, I don't have a particularly strong opinion on entering in references into Endnote, persay. There's aLOT to do, just on her end of the job, but I think I have a handle on it.

And can I just say that my boss is AWESOME? She told me that she sees herself as my 'colleague,' not my boss, so I should feel free to tell her when I think she's wrong. We chatted about our lives a little today, and I feel a real kinship with her. Her job is pretty much what I think I want to do with my life. It's like this job fell from the heavens into my lap...logistically and career-wise, it just makes SO much sense.

I don't have to move 3 hours away from the boy, I get to work with the SAME people that I would if I worked for the NZ version of the US company I want to work for (my original goal--I would have had to move 3 or 8 hours away from BF to do this), AND I get to get my foot in the door for stuff. Not only that, I had wanted to do academic-type research, but NOT as a grad student, due to financial reasons--and there this job was, like it was tailor made for me.

My corporate background is coming in handy, as well. The experience of working in an office really helps, even in an academic environment, even though my previous job has NOTHING to do with my current one.

The company is sort of a hybrid between a business, academia, and a research engine. The people are cool, too--very relaxed. It's so very coincidental, but I had already met at least 4 people that I'll be working with in grad school, and there are 5 or 6 more at the company that are friends or acquaintances with my best friends from grad school--because of this, they didn't even ask for references. It's just so oddly great, and I am counting my blessings.

My office has huge windows...I've never had a window in my office before! AND it has a view of the Sky Tower. How great is that?

So, I think things are good. Let's see how fast I can mess this one up...

(oh, and spending is at $0 for the day)

Spending 8/3/08: Nada!

$0

I'm loving all the no-spend days I've been having recently...but I guess I more than make up for it on the days I DO spend. :(

Today is my first day of work at the new job. I love that I've been here for only 4 weeks exactly, and already am starting a job! It makes me feel like I can do ANYTHING.

I packed my lunch, but I get REALLY hungry sitting at a desk all day, so that may be gone before noon. I am bringing a bunch of snacks, but I still may have to buy lunch...we'll see. I don't even know if i'm allowed to leave my desk for lunch yet.

Oh boy, I'm a little nervous. A new career! Let's hope this starts off well.

Spending August 1-2 2008

$10 Battlestar Galactica rental
$135 groceries (i know, i KNOW)
$8 postcards

...not doing much this weekend. We're doing ALOT of chilling indoors while the 'cyclone' number 3 rolls through. Guess it's good to relax before my first week back in the working world!

I Got the Job! AND I Negotiated!

Yes...I got the job I wanted. I found out late two nights ago (Wed. for me). I didn't like the initial salary they offered ($45K) and spent most of yesterday talking with their HR and my boss to negotiate it up to $50K--not much, but it was the minimum I'd accept, so I'm happy. I also requested a salary review in January, and the option to talk with my boss about extra vacation time, on top of the 4 weeks they automatically give you here (previously the vacation time was 'unnegotiable'). It was actually very easy--I asked my boss if there was any room for negotiating the salary, and she referred me to the HR people. It really was as easy as asking. I am unnaturally proud of myself for not just taking the initial offer.

I start Monday! It's going to be hard to transition after not working for two months, but if this is the correct career path for me, I'll get the opportunity to find out soon. If not, I can always go back to my old career, and make lots more money.

Spending 7/30-31/08, Concert, and I Look 16

Spending 7/30/08: $0

Spending 7/31/08: $20 for a cab ride to a concert.

We could have walked the half hour to the concert venue, but it was POURING rain outside when we walked outside. Nuh-uh. The rain here doesn't fall down, it falls sideways. There was no way we could have made it to the concert and NOT have been dripping wet. The concert was my birthday present, and I really wanted to enjoy it (ie, be dry), so I decided on the cab.

The concert, by the way, was AMAZING, even though we got there when the doors opened at 8 and the bands didn't start playing til 9:30. Band of Horses puts on a really good live show. Renee something-or-other opened, and she was also very good. They played at the King's Arms, which is a great venue--very intimate, even though there were 500 people in the audience. They played broken social scene and neutral milk hotel while we waited for the bands to show up--those are two of my favorites, but hardly anyone plays them.

We met another American there and hung out with him the whole night. Luckily, we were right up front, and Kiwis are insanely polite. I'm only 5'4 (and a HALF!), and at least 3 people around me said that I could get in front of them if I couldn't see. They were very sweet to take care of a short, small person like that. I adore the people here so far! (that's not to say there weren't rude people at the concert--there DEFINITELY were--but I've never had anyone in the States be careful about blocking my view, or telling their friend to move out of the way so I could see!) Part of that kindness was probably due to the show being 18 and up (yahoo!).

As an aside...I just turned thirty last week and I GOT CARDED at a 18+ show. No one else we asked got carded. How crazy is that??