do_While(True)

So I've been back here in Monterey for three months now. And things have been alright. Finances are annoying. It doesn't help that we're paid every two weeks; we don't have a set time durring the month when we get paid. Sometimes I'll get paid on the 1st and 14th, or on the 14th and 28th, or just about any combination in between. It probably doesn't fluctuate quite that much, but it's significant, and I've found my paycheck to be several days late relative to my bills several times, and at least a couple times it's been as much as a week late. This period is one of those times: I'm effectively broke until next Friday.

I say effectively because I do have a significant amount of money in savings. My mom is quick to note that, at my age, dad had a wife, too kids, they were living in an apartment in San Diego and living paycheck-to-paycheck, without anything to speak of in savings. I'm single, no kids, living in a room in a house, with almost a month's pay in the bank. So I'm doing alright.

But I still don't like messing up my finances, and this month I really have. I've had to dig $700 into my savings this month because the money wasn't there when the bills came, and I can't quite recoup that and finish paying my bills even when my next paycheck comes. My first paycheck in April comes on the 7th, and if I watch myself I think I can right my accounts shortly thereafter, but I don't like it. It's frustrating. I can't stand feeling disappointed in myself.

My friend Laurel sat down with me this afternoon and we went over what I get paid, what I HAVE to pay out, and what I'm left with to do as I will. She used a preset Excel template and we covered all the bases; the 'money paid to myself' in lower than I'd like, but a few of the entertainment and luxury bits she put in are higher than I think I ever spend. I'm gonna go around with a notebook through April and keep track of where my money's going and adjust my budget respectively. I really think that, when I started in January with my very informal budget, I forgot significant bits; like, hundreds of dolors of bills I have to pay each month. Sloppiness on my part, but it would explain why my finances are broken right now. That it took three months to crop up just says how flexible my banking can be, I guess.

I hate finances.

You know? All things considered, I'm doing really nicely as far as finances go. I mean, I pay about 1/4 of my paycheck into rent every month, plus utilities and insurances. I feed myself, and not too badly if I say so myself (though, the nutritional value of my meals may be in question, but that's just because I don't know what I'm doing, and don't take the time to figure it out). I pay my credit bills aggressively, so that they're falling pretty swiftly and steadily. I live a lifestyle which admits to luxuries such eating out semi-regularly, entertainments like the movies and Friday Night Magic tournaments, and the ability to sate my impulse to buy books now and again. And even with all that, I've been able to bank a reasonably large savings, and haven't needed to dip into it for anything, yet.

So, yeah. Feeling alright about finances right now.

11/21/05
Mr. Portner, A check in the total amount of $362.50 will be reissued to you to replace outdated checks...It will be sent to [your home address].  This process will take at least 2 weeks due to the holidays for Thanksgiving. -Ms Helen Huntt, CUA accounting

01/22/06
Ms. Huntt,Back around the Thanksgiving Holidays, I called you about two unclaimed checks totaling $362.50, and it was determined that a new check would be issued and sent out to me here in Monterey. Because of the holidays, a delay was expected, though a period of "at least 2 weeks" was quoted.  It's not been significantly longer than a couple weeks ... -Andrew Portner

01/23/06
Dear Mr. Porter: Thank you for the email in regards to your refund check.  Due to the volume of checks that we had to reissue, along with the Holidays, this process has taken longer than expected.  I will make sure that your refund is completed and sent this week.  Thank you for your patience in this matter.  I will ask Accounts Payable to let me know when the check is mailed and I will inform you of that date via email. -Ms Helen Huntt, CUA accounting

02/06/06
Still waiting for both email and refund check.

Ok, we're talking two and a half months now since I first called them about this, and about two weeks since Ms. Huntt said she'd be sure it was cut "this week." I'm a patient man. I can understand that people have a lot of work to do. I can even understand that people don't always do their work, and this slows things down. But if I might so much as point out that that single check could easily pay all my bills for a month (aside from Rent)...!

Just a bit... irritated by this.

You know what I hate? I hate how when you write a check, or even if you use a debit card, the money isn't actually removed from you account until a week later -- and usually much longer for checks! I always get messed up by that, even when I try to account for it; there's no way I can guess when they process my transaction, and I'm still really bad about keeping a paper trail for myself.