April 2012 Recap and Spending

OK, I feel like I only did one of these last week. Where is the time going? I know that time goes faster as you get older, but this is ridiculous. I didn't get nearly enough done last month!

To make myself feel better, I will recap April in list form:

1. I obtained a new job contract! It is exactly what I am interested in and I like my supervisors.
2. I gained an intern to mentor. It is challenging but interesting and rewarding.
3. I nearly turned in a supervisor for investigation, but stopped when my gut told me to.
4. I booked my flights home for $60, using 80K airmiles that I got for free from credit cards. 
5. I discovered that I didn't get my dream job, but I did discover how my unique skills prepare me for that dream job. 
6. I went to my dentist for a checkup--perfectly healthy teeth! He actually suggested that I could go to the dentist and floss less. Jigga-wha? 
7. I investigated my ancestors over Easter weekend and consequently added a few more stops to my eventual Europe trip (~$10K more to go!).
8. I received a raise and will also net a little more from a slightly lowered tax rate, totaling an extra ~$150 a month.
9. My sister gained and lost and gained and lost the same boyfriend over the past two weeks. 
10. A friend came back from a work trip and life became normal again. 
11. I went on a work trip to Taupo to show off something I worked on for over a year. It was very gratifying.
12. I decided to do two things to increase my productivity and balance my life a little more: stop checking facebook at work and stop checking work email at home during non-business hours. It's helping. 
13. I'm also tracking my weekly internet usage and attempting to decrease it each week (the amount is so embarrassing I can't even contemplate sharing it with anyone).
14. I tracked my Net Worth over the past 5-6 years. International moves are a b*tch on the bottom line, y'all.
15. Finally, I bought a smartphone off of ebay! It is from 2008, but I just keep telling myself that I don't know the difference between the old smartphone software and the new. No need to have the latest and greatest when you don't even have experience with the old. I will just be happy to have GPS on my phone...no more getting lost, please.

Category	Spent	Budgeted Amount
Rent	$840.00	$840.00
Groceries	$457.01	$450.00
Internet	$45.69	$45.00
Electricity	$76.99	$70.00
Eating Out	$141.20	$150.00
Charity	$25.00	$50.00
Cell phone	$53.00	$40.00
Medical	$0.00	$75.00
Misc	$318.04	$600.00
Savings	$500.00	$500.00
Total	$2,456.93	$2,820.00

I spent 59% of my net salary this month (excluding long-term savings of $500 a month). I'm inching ever closer to my goal of 50%...

Income: $3,342.30
Spending: $2,456.93 (includes $500 to long-term savings)

Rent: $840 as usual. I get $15 a week from my roommate for her exclusive use of our garage; this is included in my Income.
Groceries: $457.01. Second month in a row that I overspend here. Are grocery prices rising or is this just me being careless?
Eating Out: $141.20. A few expensive meals, but mostly takeaways with friends at home.
Internet: $45.69. My half of the bill that is shared with my roommate.
Electricity: $76.99. My half of the bill that is shared with my roommate. This is HIGH, I haven't even cranked the heat yet!
Charity: $25. Gotta do better next month...
Cell phone: $53. Two vodafone topups and a skype topup.
Medical: $0
Misc: $318.04. Alcohol: $24.50; Gifts: $33.98; Goods and Wants: $195.76 (a work shirt, conditioner, MY SMARTPHONE!, a snack, and a broom); Transportation: $101.40 ($64.10 on taxis (buses weren't running at that time), $1.80 on the bus, $35.50 on parking the work truck adjacent to my apartment for 3 days); Travel: $6 (entrance to a park to show a work colleague around).

Without counting savings, I spent $1,945.93 in April. This is slightly lower than usual as I half-a$sedly started to cut back on spending due to the impending lay off which I was sure wasn't going to end badly for me (for the most part).

I have $885.27 left over to save. $610.06 will go to my 2013 US trip fund, making it 100% complete! I already have the air miles to fly home in 2013, but I may need to fly home twice, as my cousin is getting married close to the 2013 Christmas. In that case, this fund can be used for the second trip, unless I somehow get enough points and availability to use them.

The remaining $275.31 will go to an as-yet unnamed goal. I've met even my stretch goals for 2012 already. Time to put my thinking cap on and start kicking some more goals' butts!

Europe Trip

I'm getting a major case of the jealousies!! My officemate and several of you bloggers are going on epic trips to Europe very soon. Speaking with my officemate, who is only going for 3 weeks and is staying only in hostels,  I found out that she has already spent $6,000 NZD on flights, Eurail pass, and accommodation--food and attractions and souvenirs and incidentals not included. My trip will be at least twice as long as that! I've only budgeted $13K NZD for it.

Is 13K NZD (about $10K USD; $8K Euro) enough for six to eight weeks traveling around Europe?? We're talking Italy, England, Spain, Germany, France, Czech Republic, Sweden, Austria...and as many more countries as I can fit in. (I have friends in Germany, Spain, Austria, Italy, France, and Germany, so part of my housing costs will be covered.)

New Contract and New Salary = New Work Life?

Just a quick note: got a new contract in the mail today. It's a move, no, a leap! to my preferred research field. In fact, it will now be my job to learn the things that I want to learn about 1 day a week. Unfortunately I will be doing most of the organization and admin type of work for two projects now, instead of one, for the other 4 days. It's a move from 50% admin (and a little research in my preferred field) and 50% research in a fun but not preferred field, to 80% admin (and a little research) and 20% lab work, all in my preferred field. Not perfect, but I'll take it. Plus, I won't have to deal much with the horrible guy in my current company, and will move offices and get away from him. I also get rid of my Crazy Boss and get to work with my Fantastic Boss full-time; she is much more relaxed about work hours and life in general, so my crazy work hours shouldn't be a problem any more. I can go back to working as much as I want and getting lots of time off in big chunks for major trips again!

My new office is further away from home, so my commute will go from 10 minutes to 20 minutes each way, but that's OK, I need the exercise. Another plus is that I got a raise! Up to $55K, which is ~$140 or so a month more, starting May 1. I am finally back to the salary I was making before I moved to NZ, although that was in USD ($55K USD) and not NZD, and no bonuses. I'm still a long way off from making it back to the salary I made before I left the US in 2008--the equivalent NZD salary would be about $70K. I'll never make that here.

On the other hand, I've started doing free consulting jobs to help friends out here or there. One was programming a computer game and needed scientific advice about what to include in the code. He wanted to make sure that the scenario that was grounded in science and actually plausible. It was so much fun! I think being a scientific consultant on a TV show or movie would be amazing...maybe I can start looking for gigs like that to supplement my income?

I have a feeling I'm just trading one set of problems for another, but career-wise, it seems to be a move in the right direction, with less threat of getting fired/laid off/cut salary. Who knew that that horrible guy in my company was actually doing me a favor by laying me off?!

Still looking for equivalent jobs in the US, though...I miss my family.

(OK, that wasn't that quick...I got carried away!

Happy ANZAC Day, everybody!!)

Net Worth, Part 4

A more recent Net Worth chart, blown up from the last one. Several things are quite noticeable, and I think I've correlated the highs and lows to various events in my life. Because I pay cash for every trip I take, and that cash is counted in my Net Worth, my NW takes a dip after each of my major trips. My South Island trip, my trips home, my Australia trip, and the trip with my Mom all made my NW stagnate for a month or two afterward. Not by much, but in effect spending the cash canceled out the next month or two of savings. Also, I think the highs in the chart correlate to three paycheck months.

Just a note about how I calculated these numbers: I added my NZD and USD savings together each month to get my monthly NW. This is highly misleading, as when I transfer my NZD to USD, my NW takes a dip because suddenly I have less NZD. The USD doesn't go up as much as the NZD loss, even though I didn't actually lose any money, because of the conversion rate. This probably accounts for any decreases you see--I don't think my NW actually decreases by much, except after I take a trip or spend a lot of money at once (usually on a trip).

I desperately want to break the $50K USD mark (I'm only there when counting NZD the same as USD, which is cheating. My overarching goal is to break $100K USD by the time I am 40.

Time to Spare

During the lay offs last month, I decided to stop checking my email from home during non-work hours (this works about 60% of the time). Why give the company more of me when they clearly don't appreciate it? I've been accused of being disloyal and lying to the company, and if they don't respect me, why should I respect them or give up my spare time (as I've always done in the past)? No. From now on, I owe them 40 hours a week, unless I have a major project going on that requires more. No more working for fun, even though I love everything I do.

My work has suffered a little bit. I usually am very prepared for meetings, but I wasn't for one of them this week. It didn't end up being a big deal; I just need to prioritize a little bit better with the time I do have so that it doesn't happen again. Even with that hiccup, and pushing off my personal work/career deadlines a smidge, I still think this is a good idea. Balance is very important to me, but I don't make it a priority. I clearly have a problem if I am not putting my health as #1, preferring to work instead. It makes me wonder if I am avoiding something?

I also decided to refrain from volunteering to work over 40 hours a week so that I could have more of a life and be able to talk about something other than my favorite thing in the world constantly. I want to be a multi-dimensional person, not just 100% about work 100% of the time. My blog captures my money obsession, but I don't think I should spend even more time on here than I already do--if anything, I spend too much time keeping up with this and other PF blogs.

And anyway, blogging and working are pretty much 100% computer based. I do get to get outside for work once a month or so, but then it's back to the computer screen. I need something to do that is active for a body part other than my eyes!

So, ever since I swore to stop working for fun, I suddenly have my weekends and weeknights free! I fill one or two (or even three) evenings up every week with social activities, but I have my limits for how much people-time I can take. Errands take up another half of a weekend day, max. That leaves hours and hours of time that I have no idea what to do with. Mothers will hate to read this, but I'm bored with all the free time I have. I want to use it productively!!

The other problem is that when I get home from work, I'm spent. I don't want to do anything except eat dinner, take a bath, and watch my favorite sitcom over the internet. If I have any bit of energy, I try to go for a walk, if it isn't raining or too cold. I put every ounce of myself into my job, not even checking facebook or taking more than a 10 minute break to wolf down a sandwich during my 8 hours. I am, simply put, obsessed with my job, with getting things done perfectly, and moving on to the next exciting task on my to-do list. It's unhealthy but the alternative is unthinkable. Once again, balance needs to be prioritized.

Once I can get some balance in my work day, some balance during my off-hours may be possible. Do you have strategies to remind yourself to stretch, walk, eat, etc. during the work day? If so, I'd love to hear about  them!

Also, what do you do with your spare time? I know I need to find my own hobbies and projects, but I am curious to hear what other people do.

Net Worth, Part 3

As promised, graphs (or...graph, to be accurate)!

Debt payoff began in earnest in 2004-2005, after reading Save Karyn. I was done in October 2006, and by that time had a little bit of an emergency fund. In August 2007, I went part-time at work to take classes to study for a test which would have launched my career in the industry I was in (work paid for each class, plus books). My mom let me borrow $5K from her because I was afraid I didn't have enough in my EF. I never took the test. Instead, I quit my job in May 2008 and moved to NZ in July. Even though I found a job right away and started in August 2008, the graph clearly shows that it took me over a year to start accumulating funds again.

Moral of the story: international moves, going part-time at work, and quitting your job is detrimental to your financial health.

A more detailed, recent history to follow.

Net Worth, Part 2

Here is a breakdown of what my various funds in my net worth are saved towards:


US (HSBC):
Future Roth IRA fund: $5,000 USD
Move back to US fund: $4,064.37 USD (interest on this account gets added to this total every month)

NZ (Raboplus):
Emergency Fund: $10,000 NZD
2012 Insurances Fund: $2,000 NZD
Travel Slush Fund: $2,000 NZD
Life Upgrade Fund: $1,500 NZD
2012 US Trip Fund: $3,000 NZD
2013 US Trip Fund: $2,389.94 NZD
Non Retirement Vanguard ($250 Monthly) Fund: $994.62
House Down Payment ($150 Monthly) Fund: $2,580 NZD
Europe Trip ($150 Monthly) Fund: $2,580 NZD

Anyone interested in my retirement funds? I need to look at them more closely, anyhow.

Next post: graphs!!

Tracking the Net Worth

It's been a long, long time since I did a Net Worth post, mostly because it kind of depresses me to see how little progress I've made despite my very best efforts. I keep track of it on my own, to make it easier to know how much I have in each fund, but I don't bother looking at the total very often--I can't change it!

But I suppose it is time for another update:

US Net Worth

HSBC savings: $9,064.37
Roth IRA: $6,412.38

Traditional IRA Fund 1: $2,605.20

Traditional IRA Fund 2: $2,102.59

Taxable Investment Account: $2,905.67

Total: $16,677.83 USD

NZ Net Worth

Raboplus Savings: $27,044.56

Bonus Bonds: $100

KiwiSaver: $7,877.73

Total: $35,022.29 NZD

(Together: $51,700.12. Hurrah! I've broken the $50K mark)

The Best Places to Shop in the US (for cheap)

Tracey over at Money Freedom Life is planning a shopping excursion in the US en route to Europe...color me jealous! I thought I'd put together a list of the places that I shop in the States to help her (and others) out. Please add to this list in the comments, particularly if you know of great places in San Francisco, where she'll be heading.

[ETA: I looked online and there is another blog post about this elsewhere. Luckily, we agree on many of the same stores! The comments have a lot more input; I won't repeat any of that here, but take a look.]

Without further ado, my go-to stores:

1) Target. Love LOVE LOVE Target (or 'Tar-zjay,' as some say). It's the best for make up, accessories, toiletries, electronics, and just about anything else you could ever want. Clothes are hit-and-miss, but I've found good workout pants and tops there. The stores are a lot nicer than Wal-Mart.
2) Wal-Mart. Of course. A lot of people think it sucks, but I've found some amazing deals there. Again, just about anything you want, including $3 t shirts of OK quality, can be bought. Same as the Warehouse in NZ, but cleaner (most of the time) and much, much bigger, more selection, and cheaper for higher-quality items. Even the cheapest stuff here will not crap out on you as quickly as it does in NZ...
3) Rugged Warehouse. I believe this store can't be found on the West Coast, but I could be wrong. Incredibly discounted brand-name clothes and shoes. This is the only store on the list where you can't return something if you don't like it. Other than that, it is my favorite!!
4) CVS drug store. Make up. Can I just say the words: guaranteed return? Try on make up, and if it doesn't suit or you just plain don't like the way it looks, get your money back. Yes, even if you have opened the package.
5) Marshall's, Ross Dress For Less, TJ Maxx: large stores with brand-name shoes, clothes, housewares, luggage, you name it, for discount prices. I buy heaps of clothes at these stores, as well as quality bras. It takes a lot of sifting through racks and trying things on, but it is worth. it.
6) Old Navy. I usually hit the sale racks. I love their pants and t-shirts and get most of my basics here--plain t-shirts, etc. They last forever.
7) DSW shoes. Brand name shoes for cheap. Don't go to Payless Shoes unless you like blisters on your feet. You may want to look at the sneakers section--WAY CHEAPER than NZ!
8) Another shoe place: Shoe Carnival. You spin a wheel to determine the extra discount you get...

Other stores I hit (but are expensive):
--REI. I buy all my camping gear here, including quality ski jackets, fleeces, boots, hiking pants, etc. It isn't cheap, but the quality is great. In NZ camping stores, everything is either twice the price, or twice the price and of poor quality. Not good.
--Banana Republic. Great for work suits and professional clothes. Pants are fantastic, shirts not so much. Hit the sale rack.
--Gap. Comfy, basic clothes usually of really good quality. They'll last forever.
--The Limited. Work clothes. Great accessories.
--Express. Like the Limited but a bit younger target audience. I shop here for fun, sophisticated going out clothes.
--New York and Co. (or NY&Co). Cheaper and a little less...classy? than BR. Work clothes, some trendy clothes.
--Ann Taylor LOFT. Fancy, expensive, shiny work clothes.

Other stores I don't have access to where I'm from, but may be great in SF for fun clothes:
--H&M. I've heard great things. Cheap, trendy clothes.
--Forever 21. Clubby, flashy, super trendy clothes for cheap. Quality sucks but you are only going to wear these out a few times before the trend is over, anyway. Bad return policy.
--Charlotte Russe. Same as above.
--Wet Seal. Ditto.
--Kohl's. I've heard they have a little of everything you'd want.
--There are probably some outlets in SF, or great, cheap vintage/thrift stores that someone could recommend.

Some of my friends hate spending hours in stores, so they buy a whole bunch of stuff, try it on at home that evening, and return whatever doesn't fit over the next week or month or so. The US in general has a 'the customer is always right' policy in their stores, so be prepared to be treated a lot nicer than you do in NZ.

Happy Shopping!!

Every Little Bit Helps

With April, a new tax year and fall comes to New Zealand. So far, both have been great! This year NZ cut taxes a little bit more, which means a tiny bump in take-home each month.

I now receive 1641.15 per paycheck instead of 1634.11, an increase of $7.04. That adds up to nearly $200 a year, though!

Yay, more for my savings!

Knowing Where You Came From Even Though You Hate History

Perhaps this is an obsession particularly unique to melting-pot cultured Americans, but I recently have gotten  into genealogy. It is very telling; I'm a bit shocked that I don't know all this about myself before, to be honest! At the very least, I want to know at what point my roots were transplanted into American soil in each branch of my family tree [mixed metaphor alert], and where they came from. I suspect that it will be difficult to go further back than that, digging into records in different countries, without a heavy monetary investment.

Recently, the 1940's US census became public domain, after 72 years in a secret closet somewhere. The 1930's census is also widely available, as are the ship manifests and records from Ellis Island. Can I just say how fascinating it is to read about relatives you never knew, and imagine their lives, and all they had to go through to get you where you are today? Charles Darwin would be so proud.

Some of this stuff, not even my parents knew.

Apparently, my paternal great grandfather and great-grandmother traveled to the US through Ellis Island in 1912 from Bohemia, a country that doesn't even exist today! My roots are in a little town several hours outside of what is now Prague. I had looked up my unusual last name before and suspected it was of Czech origin, but now I have confirmation. There is even a picture of the ship they traveled on. Apparently they settled in Illinois...I had no idea my grandfather ever even lived out there! So odd to think about. It's funny--my great-grandfather did something very related to my current line of work.

I'm busy figuring out what happened to the rest of that part of the family--my grandfather didn't talk to his 5 siblings after leaving his childhood home, so I could have heaps of family out there that I don't know.

My paternal grandmother emigrated in the 1940's from Germany, so I know where that part of my heritage is from. I have many second cousins-once-removed and great uncles in Germany today. Eastern Europe is where it's at!

On the other side, my maternal great-great-grandmother and father emigrated from Sweden. I still need to find out exactly where in Sweden.

And, finally, my uncle has traced my maternal grandfather's family back to before the Civil War before hitting a dead end. No telling where they came from, but it's probably also the Germany/Eastern Europe area, given the sparkly blue eyes and rumors that run in the family.

One of the coolest parts is seeing the change in their lives compared to mine. Whereas they paid $10 in rent a month, or owned a house worth $1000 USD, look at what I pay nowadays! Where they were poor emigrants who didn't speak English when they arrived, came over with a 2nd grade education, and were only qualified to do manual labor, I have a Master's degree and a fully white-collar job. When I move across the world, I basically have my pick of a job. Look how far I was able to get because they sacrificed everything they knew for a brand new world...in only two to three generations. I am so grateful.

All of this took me only a few days over my five-day Easter holiday weekend to figure out, thanks to the internet. It's all a mystery involving your own genes. I feel like I'd get this obsessed even if it weren't my own family, though--uncovering layer after layer, tenuous connections confirmed by a check mark or a name on a long-forgotten, hundred-year-old piece of paper that someone fortunately kept long enough for it to be scanned and accessed by me over a wireless, world-wide network. My ancestors wouldn't have ever imagined their great-granddaughter reading the answers to the census questions and finding out about their lives. What surely seemed like a boring, ten-minute interview by a stranger to them, allows me into their world for just a little bit, and consequently, learn about myself and feel connected to something that I previously didn't even know existed.

The research also provides a focal point for my Europe trip, which I save $150 a month for (up to $2,580 now, folks, only ~6 years of saving to go!!).

There have been a few dead ends, however. Every answer seems to uncover more questions. I may have to fork out a little bit $14.99 a month or whatever, for a few months, to go any further back or find out any more. I think it'll be worth it, judging from what I've gotten out of it so far.

'Point' Taken: Timing is Everything

Using airpoints is a tricky business! Making decisions is difficult for me, especially big ones like booking flights or otherwise committing myself 100%, no backsies. When I checked last week, I had plenty of options for using my miles--even a business class trip was possible! Now, when I look, I barely had any options whatsoever. I looked over a three month time period--my timing is incredibly flexible. I wanted to take at least a month off sometime between August and November, and could take up to 6 weeks. You'd think there'd be plenty of options, especially since there was a glut of them only 5 days ago, but it came down to only one, and it's straight Economy. BOO.

I had decided to try Business class at least half of the way NZ-->US-->NZ, since my trip this year was very straight-forward. I usually do a multi-jawed trip, stopping on the West Coast or Hawaii for some fun with friends along the way to/from NZ. Not this year. Sadly, no upgraded tickets were available this time. Obviously, I should have jumped on it last week when I saw it!

In any case, all is not lost. I still received a free round-trip flight for $58.50 (and 80,000 airmiles). Technically, not free, but $60 for a trip to the US and back, with flights 24 hours or less?? I'll take it!

The other benefit of flying strictly Economy is that I have 109K points left after I transfer my Chase Sapphire Preferred points over (they are worth more as airpoints than as cash). This is enough for a free 2013 US Trip (which I've nearly already saved up for). If I add 2,100 points in the next year, I can fly it totally Business class next year...if I book early enough, of course!

Now to confirm the dates with my boss...(oops).

Luck

Aaaannnd here we go. The stress of 1) losing my awesome great uncle (he passed away the same week as I got laid off), 2) losing (half of) my job, 3) deciding to file a complaint, and 4) finding out my ex married that girl just caught up to me. I was wondering when it would...I was being so even-keel practical and unemotional about it.

I saw Stephen Hawking on The Big Bang Theory, and I burst into tears immediately, which opened the floodgates for all of the stress from the past month to come pouring out. Life is so unfair (and obviously, hormonal) sometimes, even though he considers himself lucky (which made me cry even harder). Why do some people go through so many more hardships than others?? Why does someone who has contributed so much to the world have to suffer so much more than others who haven't done a fraction as much (e.g., me)? I have always been incredibly lucky, and I feel guilty I haven't done more to help others or always appreciated it. Even with the layoff situation, I never really had to worry. I had half of my job, amazing friends and family, and a big honking EF to support me.

This doesn't have much to do with money (except to prompt me to give more to charity this month). Just sharing some hard questions rattling around my brain--it's full of them these days.

On Discovering Your Secret Powers

Over the course of the past few weeks, the number of changes that I have been forced to endure/adapt to or have contemplated making have been too numerous to count. I've also learned a heck of a lot about what I really want. All of it is excellent stuff. (Doesn't mean that it has been easy, nor that it doesn't feel like my life has been lobbed a stress orb which has lodged directly in the pit of my stomach--I am barely sleeping and can't concentrate on anything.) The byproduct of change, sometimes, is learning. One may even say that all change produces learning, but I'm still not naive enough to say that that means that all change is good. 'Cause it's not.

In this case, though, it is good. In some ways, I've learned my limits. In others, my power. And in still others, mercy. After a(nother) long sleepless night, I spoke with my boss. I could still go forward with the formal complaint--and I still may--but not yet. I'm not ready, and at this point it would be incredibly detrimental to one of my projects. And to me. I'm not sure it feels right anymore. It took going through the process to realize it. I can't explain it...I was so gung-ho beforehand, and now it doesn't feel right. This isn't me wimping out, either--I know what that feels like all too well. I know I could still go through with it at any point...I just don't know that it is worth the stress to me, like maybe the cost of doing something like that, possibly having someone fired, would damage me more than it would empower or help me or my company. I am also now very wary of the company that owns my company (and their HR)--I know the rep lied to me when she said this was the first she has heard of this and that she was really surprised and had no idea this was going on, because I now know others have spoken to her multiple times about this guy. I kind of feel like they will use this information to their advantage, and the ripple effect would take down more than this guy. My gut has changed its tune. I know I was doing it to also help other people, but it comes at a very high cost. Maybe too high. This is a really odd feeling, but maybe just reporting it to HR was enough. For now...

In other news, my boss has assured me that I will have at least 80% of a job after April 30, with rumors that the other 20% is forthcoming. That's great, and getting to work with her that much more will be so fantastic. There is also a way to salvage my also-laid-off colleague's job. Instead of combining her remaining salary/job duties with my current ones to bring my salary higher and firing her completely, she will keep her job and I will learn several new skills--my boss is a genius! So now I don't have to feel guilty that saving my job will cost my little colleague her entire job. That is a relief.

I find it fascinating to mentor people. That colleague is about 10 years younger than me, and while it is frustrating to answer so many questions sometimes, it is nice to see my influence on her. After watching my reaction to the lay off, specifically the networking bit, she decided to follow suit in her own way. I know that this will take bravery and she will have to get over some pre-conceived notions about herself and others to approach them and sell herself, but I am proud of her for thinking this up and deciding to take action on her own. I strongly encouraged her to do so once she approached me with this plan. Her reaction to me is kind of like how I respond to my genius boss, and it is wonderful to watch and help someone grow like that.

Quite a few realizations came out of the dream job offer. One is that the location of the dream job wouldn't really suit where my life is right now. I like being in a big city, and that would force me to live in the country during my most marriage-able years. :) I do want to find someone, and that would severely limit my options.

Another is that I now recognize what my strengths really are, and how I've been working towards that dream job my entire life, without even knowing it. After finding it, and then finding out that it wasn't available, something clicked with me, late one night when I couldn't sleep. One of the most common comments I get after giving a scientific talk is that my talks are very easy to follow. I used to view this as a negative, as maybe I don't leave my audience with a deep understanding of the science I do, and maybe it was therefore quite boring, but that evening I suddenly understood that this actually means that I would be good at communicating science on a basic level, in very simple terms, to the general public. The thought felt like a puzzle piece of my life sliding into place. This naturally led me to the conclusion that public outreach activities and science education would be a good, rewarding vocation for me--and I am just starting to test that theory in my current job, as luck would have it.

Additionally, I love the question-and-answer section after the talks--it's when I am most comfortable in front of an audience. I've stumbled my way through my prescribed talk, and now I get to interact. It's a way of being the center of attention without any pressure, to me. I am somehow excellent at answering questions on-the-fly in a way I'm not great at when presenting. It's weird, I know. Most of my colleagues are terrified of the Q'n'A because there's no way to know what someone will ask. For me, that is the beauty of it--I can't prepare exactly what to say, so I can't mess up. I just bone up on the subject as much as possible, then let go. This skill would come in handy for press conferences and media handling, and already has.

Finally, I love helping people, and I love science research that has practical applications for the public. I am a perfect candidate for that dream job, as my natural skills and personal goals are directly in line with the job objectives. So I didn't get it this time; next time, I'll be ready with my secret powers: mentoring/teaching, communicating science to the public, on the fly question answering, and conducting scientific research that helps people, all in my field of study.

All that said, I am still worried about what comes next after my current job. I know that I could stay in NZ forever, with the contacts and support I currently have built up already in my short career here. I will keep looking for a good solution to the problem of wanting to move back to the US while keeping an interesting job...and deciding if getting a PhD is the missing link in the equation. Lots already figured out, but more to come.

On Filing a Formal Complaint

Well, today was the day: I talked to HR and discussed filing a formal complaint. I get to delay their investigation until I've officially been laid off from the company, but it's going forward after that; there's no turning back now. My HR rep has informed her boss of the intention, and it will go through the necessary channels until it's time to pull the trigger: whenever I'm ready.

I kind of feel sick about it. This guy is definitely toxic and definitely a bully, and we've definitely given him every opportunity to change his ways, but I still hate getting anyone in trouble. It will be my word against his, and my officemates and the CEO and my bosses are going to get dragged into the fray. Part of me just wants to walk away, forget about it all, and let other people deal with his antics from now on; I'm leaving the company so he can't really do anything to me now.

The only thing sustaining this is that every single person that I've talked to about this is adamant that I go forward with it. Every single person has given me more fuel for the fire. Better me than them, I guess, but also, it is for the good of the company, and many of the people in it. I think, though, coupled with the layoffs and shakeup going on now, this will make people even more shell-shocked. The timing is horrible, but when would it be good?

Two previous employees are filing with me. I'm allowed to share the stories that others have told me in my complaint; it will all be investigated. With all of this, I don't see how he won't be fired. He has a sick wife; maybe that is why he is so belligerent? I guess it doesn't matter what is going on in your life; you should never treat people the way he does, nor be so utterly incompetent at your job as he is. I'd bet that the company that owns us is really happy that they have an excuse to get rid of one more person in the layoffs--his salary is totally ridiculous for what he does (nothing).

If this were about revenge, I would be happy right now. But all I feel is a wish that all of this was unnecessary.

The Credit Card Game, Part II

I am now in the enviable position of having lots of credit card points and many decisions to make. So, if you can follow, let's play the 'What Would You Do?' game:

Fact: I have over 59,800 credit card points that may be directly converted to cash ($598 USD) or moved over to any airline carrier with a 1:1 conversion rate (ie, I get 59,800 airpoints). Do I go cash or airmiles??

Fact: I have ~130K airpoints at United, enough for a round-trip, Business-class flight to/from my parents' airport--this is a >24 hour trip (flights plus layovers). I've looked at the available flights for 2012, though, and I'd have to fly economy to the US. I can return in Business class, or return in economy to save airmiles.

Do I:
Use 120K points to half-fly business class on my 2012 US trip?, OR
Use 80K points to fly economy round trip in 2012?

That decision branches off in several ways, with implications for 2013:

If I fly Business class for half the trip in 2012 and use 120K points, and convert my 59,800 cc points to airmiles, I will have to make up a difference of ~11K points to fly home (Economy) for free in 2013. This won't be difficult--that is chump change, only one credit card sign up away (I usually only sign up for cards giving away 50K points or more). And I'd get to fly in style for once! I am dying to do this. I also have already saved up $3K for my 2012 US Trip and $2,300 NZD for my 2013 US trip*, in case I couldn't get enough airmiles. So cash isn't a problem, but I'd rather use miles than not.

However, if I go the cheap route and fly home Economy, only using up 80K points, I can transfer enough points from my cc to cover 2013 Economy completely, AND get $300 in USD to spend from cashing in the rest of my points. I think those points are worth more as airmiles, though--a trip to the US is $3,300 NZD/$2,700 USD; nearly 60,000 airmiles is 75% of the way to a free Economy round trip flight, the equivalent of ~$2,000 USD, and I'd only get $600 cash from those cc points. The decision just became clearer...those points are worth WAY more to me than cash.

(I have to cash in these points this year because I don't want to keep the cards and pay the annual fees.)

So what would you do?  Economy class for 24 hours/Business class 24 hours (no cash), or Economy for 48+ hours and $300? 

I should mention here that I have another cc supplying me with $500 in gift cards to retail stores like Wal-Mart, Banana Republic, Marshall's, and Old Navy that I am also cashing in this year...Yaaaay credit cards!

*I just found out my cousin is getting married in December 2013. I will need to make TWO trips home next year, then! Good thing I've already nearly saved up enough money and points for both trips. :)

March 2012 Post-Mortem

With all that went down in March, there is a blessing: it is a 3 paycheck month, which means I can save that much more for my potential lay off.

I spent 53% of my salary this month--I want to get to a point where I do that every month! What a happy, proud camper I'd be then--not even a partial lay off would get me worried.

Income: $4,962.33
Spending: $2,649.38 (includes $500 to long-term savings)

Rent: $840 as usual. I get $15 a week from my roommate for her exclusive use of our garage.
Groceries: $434.15. Yikes. With all my eating out that I do, I'm very surprised it is this high. Oh man.
Eating Out: $186.08. Gone, it seems, are the days where I spend a mere $10 a week on takeout. I seem to be buying my food out more and more often these days. With stress comes laziness. I also ate out more with friends in March--one is graduating ($41)--and I am getting to know new friends a little better ($30). I also didn't pack my lunch as much. At least I am buying very healthily--I mostly eat at Revive, the healthy vegetarian restaurant, and SaladWorks, which provide salad-based meals. I rarely went for junk food, just one rare donut when starving once.
Internet: $45. My half of the bill that is shared with my roommate.
Electricity: $53. My half of the bill that is shared with my roommate.
Charity: $90. Even after I was laid off, I decided to donate to a dear friend's cause. A beloved relative died and they wanted to install a plaque in his honor on a park bench in Central Park, his favorite place. How do you say no to that?
Cell phone: $54. Two vodafone top ups for work causes, and a skype topup.
Medical: $57. I bought a bunch of vitamins.
Misc: $391. Concert tix for a friends' birthday (before the lay off) were $115; it's her favorite live band and she is my best friend in NZ. Cityhop car for two days: $100. A new watch battery was $30. I also bought a full length mirror (3 years in the works), two necklaces, a new bedside lamp (old one broke; I use it each evening); chapstick, batteries, a new canvas picture for the bathroom, and stamps. I spent $15 on drinks this month. It doesn't seem like a lot but it adds up!

Without counting savings, I spent $2,150 in March. Not too bad, considering that if I only have half of my job, I will make ~$1,750 a month (including interest payments and roommate's garage rent) and will only have to cut out $400.

I have $2,312.95 to save to my 2013 US trip fund, making it 78% complete with a balance of $2,343.45. I expect ~$50 or so more to go into it from interest, posted in a few days. It really seems like this fund is unnecessary (see tomorrow's post)--time to think up more goals (assuming I have a job in a month)!