Just when I think I’m getting ahead

Something comes along and knocks me back on my ass (good thing it’s padded so I bounce). :loser:

I’ve been slowing paying off my credit cards … sending $200 a month to each to bring down the balance. If my calculations are correct, one should be paid off in May if I keep doing that. Then I plan on taking $100 of the money for that one to add to the other one (I only have two … but that’s still bad enough) and then the other $100 into savings. With those paid off, I wouldn’t have to worry so much about money … I wouldn’t have to live paycheck to paycheck … I could actually keep adding to my savings.

And I’ve got money saved up for a laptop ($900 right now). My plan was to get one after I get my Christmas bonus next month. I was told it would be on my Dec. 15th paycheck. I was SOOOOOOO looking forward to that. Now, that might not happen.

I found out yesterday that my employer is dissolving the company I work for. But that the client that we’ve been working for (for longer than I’ve even worked there) is bringing the project in-house, and he is willing to hire us to keep working on the project. Justin has already agreed to it. I haven’t given them an answer yet. But I’ll probably say yes because otherwise I’d have to find a new job by Jan. 1st. And I don’t know how possible that would be. And I CAN’T be unemployed again … even for a short period of time.

At first, it sounded like a no-brainer. Working on the same stuff I’ve been working on for basically the past 3 years … being able to work from home … and making $35,000/year. That’s more than I make now.

But the more I think about the details, the more stressed I get. First off … my paychecks currently cover the pay period that is just ending … i.e. on Friday I get paid for working from Nov 15 through Nov 30. But moving to the new employer … they pay a pay period behind. So I wouldn’t get my first paycheck until the end of January. Well … I have bills due in the middle of the month. SHIT!!! There goes my laptop fund. I’m gonna have to use some of that to pay for those bills. Unless I really get a really nice bonus. I don’t expect to get one that would allow me to still get my laptop next month AND have money to pay for those bills in the middle of January. 😥 😥 😥

I had a list of questions that we sent to them today. I got some answers and their employee handbook. I looked through it briefly when I got it. I just raises more questions I need to send them. Most notably … employees are eligible for vacation time until they’ve worked for 12 months … 😯 So I’m going to lose all of the benefits that I’ve built up at the current employer when moving to the new one. That fuckin’ sucks. And I’m not eligible for insurance benefits for 60 days. Dammit. Maybe I SHOULD go to the eye doctor before the end of the year so I can take advantage of my current benefits.

I know that the same would be true if I got a new job. But this isn’t really a new job. I’m doing the same stuff … I’m just getting my paycheck from someone else.

I need to look over the handbook in more detail tonite and come up with some more questions for them. But in the end, I’m sure I’ll probably take the position. It just sucks that all the gains I’ve been making financially are going to be set back. Yeah … it’s only for a short period, and in the end I’ll come out better because of the higher pay rate. But still … I want my laptop NOW. I’ve frickin’ waiting long enough.

I just want to get to a point where I don’t have to worry about how I’m going to pay a bill. That I can actually spend some money on myself, enjoy it, and not have to worry that it will mean I’ll run out of money for food before I get my next paycheck.