I’ve chosen a new work motto: You can only do so much.

Sometimes I have to talk to myself in my head. When I’m on the phone with someone who’s raising his voice, demanding to know why he got an e-mail about a problem that turned out not to be a problem, why he’s been burdened for five minutes of his morning double-checking something he’d already done.

Or when our little work projects become bigger work projects, coupled with other work projects and now with hiring (!) two more people when I don’t have time to get my regular work done.

That’s when I’m–inside–reminding myself that really, my job is not especially important, not in the big-picture sense. It’s not like I’m performing brain surgery or sending people to the moon or something. It’s a job, and I like it. And I’m really, really glad I like it. But really: it’s a job.

I can just do my best.

From now on, I’m clocking out at the end of the day and relaxing.

Maxed Out

You will not be wasting time when you watch this video. Put it on while you do other things. It’s very well-done: heart-wrenchingly powerful.

It left me wishing I could do something to help.

Go HERE to see it for yourself.

Getting an Accountant: GOOD decision!

When I was going to do my own taxes, I came up with a $500 federal refund and would have owed the state $5 (Oh, Illinois!).

My accountant took the same information and his expert knowledge and came up with some different, much preferable figures:

I’ll be getting a $1,000+ refund from the federal portion and paying $8 to the state. Subtract my accountant’s $90-100 fee, and I’m still coming out far ahead, without any of the headaches.

How I Live on $900/month

First things first: WHY do I live on this kind of a budget? Simply put, I choose to live on a small part of my income because other things are priority right now.

Priority #1: Saving

In this stage of my life, I have relatively few expenses. I’ve got no debt, my car is paid off and I have a good job. Financially, it’s very “safe,” but I’m well-aware that it won’t always be this way. That’s why saving is very important to me. Right now, I’m able to put away more than half of every paycheck.

Priority #2: Giving

When I started my current job, I did a study on Biblical finance that led me to a few conclusions: one byproduct was my current giving plan, which takes another large percentage of my pay.

So what I’m left with is around $900 for life. How do I spend it?

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Tell Me If You Think This Is Weird:

My friend, a part-time office intern at a prominent university, begins his work day at 9 a.m.

The other day, when he walked in about 10 minutes early, he opened his Outlook. An alert came up, saying his supervisor had scheduled a meeting with him that morning from 8:45 to 9:15 a.m. So he thought he was either a mistake or ridiculous, seeing as he *starts* at 9 and shouldn’t even be there at 8:45.

She came out: “Did you get my alert?”

Him: “Yes, but I was confused since I don’t start until 9.”

Boss: “Oh.” {walks back into office}

Right on the dot at 9 a.m., Friend went to scheduled meeting. Boss said he’d been unprofessional and she couldn’t believe his response. He should’ve come in early, she said. But he didn’t know about the meeting until that morning.

Weird? Not weird? Have you experienced any weird business interactions like this?

Planning a Cali Vaca

I’m going to San Francisco! In June!

I’ve never been farther west than Texas, not including a quick stop in Seattle when my fam went to Canada a LONG time ago. So exciting!

So now I need to start budgeting accordingly: I’m thinking I’ll set up a separate ING and deposit either a set amount each pay period or leftovers from fun accounts. Still deciding. I know some of my readers are from the West Coast, so any advice is appreciated!

My Spending, Lately

Thanks to the wonderful PF blogosphere, I’ve been spending less lately. This past weekend, I spent $15 for lunch Sunday. Like, that was ALL I spent, all weekend.

Other little victories:

1. Haven’t bought myself new clothes since February 5 (over a month ago!) when I bought about $50 in stuff from H & M.

2. Haven’t eaten out during the work day since February 21–OK, OK, I did spend $4 on Tuesday when we all went for fast food. Turned out, though, when they reimbursed me for the meal after I picked it up, they’d paid for my $4 meal, too. I guess just rounding up their dollars worked in my favor, and they wouldn’t take a penny back.

We’ve all resolved no more ordering until April 1.

My Quicken Free Trial

I’ve been using Budget by Snowmint since last summer, and I like it. It lets me make pretty little envelopes and set my budget ahead of time, yadda yadda.

Every now and then, though, I get a hankering to try something new. Enter: Quicken Online.

Since the end of February, I’ve been experiencing the free trial of Quicken and here’s what I think so far:

PROS:

1. It pulls all my bank account/ING/credit card info into one neat place.

2. I can label categories of spending.

3. It creates sweet pie charts that show what percentage of my money goes where.

CONS:

1. I don’t set my budget ahead of time within the software (I use a separate Excel spreadsheet).

2. It costs $2.99/month, which isn’t much but which could add up over time.

I’m still on the fence. Can anyone talk me out of this by persuading me to a better program? I’m all ears!

Facebook: To Do or Not To Do?

My friend tells me this story of a guy who went into a job interview, well-prepared and all charm, only to have the hiring manager turn around his computer screen and show the guy’s Facebook profile to him.

“I’m going to tell you right now,” the boss-man said, “You’re not getting this job, and here’s why. But let’s go ahead and do the interview. It’ll be good practice for you.”

This really happened, she swears. Within the last few months. To someone I almost know.

Do you Facebook? And if so, have you thought about the potential viewers of your page, including future employers? I know that when I was hiring for assistants, I looked them up on Facebook. I don’t know what I was looking for really, but I did do it. And I also know, just from enough casual conversations with random people, that almost everyone looks almost everyone else up.

So. I do have a FB, and I do use it regularly, but I have it set on private.

I have other concerns with FB, besides what strangers are viewing it or what they’ll be thinking. I hate the keeping-up-with-the-Joneses mentality it creates. At any point, morning, noon or night, I can click to see who’s updated what last–who’s engaged, who’s having a baby, who just got a new car and has created an entire slide show of photos.

I can’t tell you the time I’ve wasted looking at every detail of someone’s vacation, even though I barely know the person and might not say hello to them on the street. This, I’m pretty sure, is not healthy.

It’s no secret to me that my heart, deep inside, is an ugly one. And sometimes, I’ll just tell you this too, I get jealous. I feel like I’m falling behind everyone else. That everyone else (note the “everyone”) is getting better jobs, cooler apartments, prettier friends/boyfriends/spouses/children/pets/etc. Instead of being happy for them, like their friend (FB or not) should be, I’ll envy them.

Yet every time I think I should delete my account, I remember the roommates, good friends, long-lost coworkers that I wouldn’t keep in touch with otherwise. So I don’t delete, and the cycle continues.

I know the solution is bigger than deleting my FB, bigger than avoiding the slide shows or updates. I know the only thing (or One) capable of quelling my green heart is the One who made it. I need to live for His approval, not the Joneses, or anyone else’s, for that matter.

Wow. Amazing how a thought about Facebook leads to a reminder of worldviews and eternal relationships.

That’s my take. What say you?

PF Blogs (con.)

When you read 40+ blogs daily, you’re bound to have more than five favorites, and I do. I’m running out of time and energy to mention each in its own post, so this is my final wrap-up.

Here are the other three blogs I want to highlight for now, and maybe I’ll be able to pick more in the future:

#6: We’re Rich: These three Chicago gals were kind enough to shoot me an e-mail when they launched their blog, and I’ve been reading ever since. Some of my favorite posts include The No-Spend Showdown and this post/link to a mind-blowing story from the L.A. Times. Literally, at my lunch break, I was reading it out loud to the people nearby.

#7: Thoughts from an SF Renter: A fellow writer, SF sets tangible goals, whether for freelancing, job-hunting, or spending, and provides interesting stories about her career and everything relating.

#8: Kim’s Kitchen Sink: Kim doesn’t write only personal finance, but she’s always interesting. And she works at Google, people. How cool is that? She wrote this one post a few months back, and I love this bit:
“I think it is interesting that when I am upset, anxious, or out of balance in general, I engage in Retail Therapy. Now, Retail Therapy is common among women (so it’s not too interesting I guess), I’m told, but my particular form of this activity involves a one Bed, Bath and Beyond.” We would so be friends.