i did not blog yesterday because i had orientation for the new job at 1pm-5pm. i work nights, so i got 2 hours sleep for work last night at the last night of my old job. i just cannot not go in when i promised i was gonna be there until my stop date. needless to say, i was dragging BIG time all night and today.
good news from the new job though....there is a plant i would be working at that is 24 miles round trip away...or a plant that is 2 miles round trip away.
i got the plant that is 2 miles away!!
22 miles driving a day saved, times 5 days is 110 miles, divided by 30 miles per gallon is 3.6 gallons times $3/gallon is $10.80 per week saved and $40.20 per month saved!
plus, of course, the amount of time saved in driving and everything like that.
also, through the orientation, i found out that the company i am going to be working for is VERY employee oriented, and does a lot for their employees. it seems like every job i have done is all about companies seeing what they can NOT give their employees, or give them the least amount possible by law.

ok, after bills are payed, i am left with $70 for the week. being a math major, i make that into $10/day(i am a MENSA member).
well, after it is all said and done, i have saved $25, maybe more depending on how i do tonight. this is also with me doig a lot of extra driving for this new job that i wouldn't normally be doing, and filling the tank up again. so i would have saved more $, but the gas will just go into next week.
i am usually sweating wether or not i am going to have push my car into the gas station after i get payed on fri morning, not having the $ to put gas in for 2 days or so.
glad those days are over. for now at least(knock on wood).lol.
i am going to go jump on the bed and wake my fiance up, hopefully not having her injure me in the process(i love it!!!)
hope everyone has a great day!!(jump on the bed of someone you love, entertaining yourself is the key to....something, i forgot)(the hell with it)LOL

i have had the best day in quite a while so far.
first, on my way over to my apartment to check the caller ID(waiting for a job to come through), i turned the corner and 2 electrical trucks were there working on the line!!! we have power again!!!!!
2nd thing that happened. i get inside, and the job i want called!! i called back, and the human resources woman was still there and I got offered a job!!!!
starting next week, i am going to be making 2 times the $ i have been making for almost 2 years now. i have REALLY been struggling financially, and put in a TON of job apps everywhere that i could think of that wasn't hiring, and every place that was hiring. nothing....for a long time.
now it looks like things are finally pulling together.
the next thing my fiance and i need to do is pay off her car($4000), and i need to get a credit report and see where it is that i owe $(little things here and there), and then we are debt free!!
the job is full time, benefits, 401k, the works.
the old job i had just put a cap on the salary at $9.50/hr 6 months before i got the job. there are guys there that have been there 15 years and make $18/hr. i will be starting WAY above the salary cap at the old place.
plus, for the first time in years, i will have SET days off!!! friday and saturday....wow...
don't get me wrong, i still need help from you all, fiance and i still want to get a house in a couple of years, new (to us) cars, and other things, so i still need help.

thanks to all for your well wishes about the power and all your help the last 2 weeks, you have been awesome!
until tomorrow.....

well, today i had to buy a gift for the to be in laws. they have been so great letting us stay here during this power outage(still out).
they are cardinal fans(i am a cub fan)(die hard), and i was at the store, and saw a picture taken from the 1964 world series when the cardinals won.
it cost me $15, it is framed, really nice, and the only thing i have bought that is not a necessity in a long long time.
what better way to spend $ than to say "thank you" to some generous people for letting us stay with them.
of course, i am with their daughter, and i know they would take her in any time, and i come with her, BUT i know we are cramping their style and i want to show appreciation.
by the way, that picture is hard to find, and it is cheap by framed picture standards(probably saved $20).
hope everyone is staying cool, i am gonna drive by the place and see if anything is getting done over there.

thanks for your support and help out someone else today any way you can and be grateful for what you have and show appreciation for it!!

rusty@saving

well, the power still has not been turned on. it could be worse. but the heat is starting to go back up now here in st louis.
luckily we are staying at the future in laws.
i am waiting for a call on a job that would double my income and give me benefits...really hoping that it comes through.
i didn't eat last night at work to save more $, and chowed down when i got home, so i saved at least $2 for the day.
hope everyone out there is doing good, stay cool

well...another huge storm came through st louis yesterday(2 in 2 days), and....we have power out for 2 days now.
it got dark as night, the cat ran behind the washer, and i knew we were in trouble.
we aren't the only ones, 1/2 a million plus out here have the power out. thank God the power went out when it is 80 degrees out right now instead of 100+ like the week before.
we are staying at my finace's parents, who live 2 blocks over and have power, and we are grateful for that!
my budget for gas and food is $10/day after bills, which is a little high, but so far i am saving around 2-5$ per day. and putting it into savings....but then insurance comes up, or brakes, or a higher electric bill or something, so it goes back down, but i am not losing faith!!!(getting frustrated, that is why i am here) i know i can save, i am just keeping at it.

the most important thing is that i am saving and paying for my own things and emergencies that come up now instead of running to other people to ask for $.
all for now, power SHOULD be up by tommorrow(wish us luck).

hey all,

yesterday we had some wicked storms coming through the area. it is 100 degrees outside, and my fiance and i decided that if the power was going to go out, we were going to try and be as comfortable as possible.(luckily it didn't)
i turned the air down from 78 to 73. it took about 1 hour of the air running to get it down to that in our apartment.
here is the thing...our air is on a thermostat(not programmable) and it kicks on about 3 times an hour and runs for about 10 minutes each time that the temp dips 1 degree below what we set it at. running 30-40 minutes an hour.
after the storm had passed, i put the thermo back to 78 and went back to studying.
the air did not turn back on for about 5 hours as the temp climbed BACK to 78!
so my question is this people....running the air for 1 hour to get the air down, then it not running for 5 hours, or letting the thing turn on and off 3-4 times an hour? i know that it uses a lot of juice to get started, so i am trying to cut down on startups.
if anyone knows what would be better, let me know.
also, check those filters every month.
2nd of all, energyhog.com has all of the energy info you will need about appliances. air uses 15% of bill, fridge 15%, freezer 5%, water heater 13%, lights 10%...it all adds up.

all for now, looking forward to some reponses

rusty

hello all,

new here, stumbled across this sight and liking it a lot!!

i have recently moved, and am finding it hard to find a job that pays enough to live comfortably...so, something has to go. i have moved in with my fiance(same rent i had, split in 2), i have replaced all the light bulbs(10) with compact florescent bulbs(800watts used to 124watts used)(why in the heck would no one do this???), replaced the furnace filter(not been changed in 2 years, and would run for 1/2 an hour..i swear!), turned down the fridge(ran all the time), turned down the water heater(just enough, but not too much).
i am shopping at dollar stores for items that are name brand but cheaper(prarie farms milk is in the dollar stores for way less than the regular grocery), replaced the gas cap on my car, it was ALWAYS loose(gas must have been evaporating out), oh yeah, put the hibernation setting on my comp, or shut it down when going to bed.
i am also taking faster showers, turning it off to get soaped up, then rinsing off.
is there anything else i can do?
i have just made all these changes, so we will see how the savings go from here on out!

wish me luck,

rusty