Why I can guest blog elsewhere

Today's lesson

has pretty much revolved around the "don't count your chickens before they hatch" scenario.

I paid a bucket load of tax this year. Partly because I worked 3 part time jobs for most of the year. And my tax-free threshold was claimed on the middle-earning one, not the highest earning one.

What this means is, on my highest-earning wage, I paid just under one third of my total income from that employer in tax.

Now, I'm not completely stupid. I understand that these things usually all come out in the wash at the end of the year, it all balances up and you really only end up paying what you are supposed to.

But I was pretty sure that it would work out so I would get a reasonable tax refund.

The estimate I've determined from today, however, shows that there is nothing reasonable about it. Because I earned in total *just* over the amount required to have to pay back some of my higher education accrued debt, the expected refund has all but vanished.


I have a construction project that I'm in the middle of, that I'm sure you all remember. It's stalled because, quite frankly, I need to hire someone who actually knows what they are doing. And now, I can't afford to.

I have no clue what I'm going to do. Everything is crumbling down even further at this stage. I mean, really.

Never ask how much worse a situation can get. Just.... dont.

Have you ever wondered?

What would happen if you threw caution to the wind and just rolled with whatever life landed in your lap?
I wonder lately if I've become to obsessed with safety. Financial safety being a big thing. There's a bit in my head that used to not care so much, and was happier following my impulses. But these days I seem to have convinced myself without a doubt that I AM STUCK.
I can't change anything, because then I wouldn't have a safety net. I work in a role I dislike enormously, but it's SAFE - it's permanent, it's all but guaranteed. It's not budging, and it brings in a set income, and I can pay the mortgage and most of the bills with it.
I have been looking for new jobs all day. There is a potential job just down the road from me. I'm trying really hard to bite the bullet and actually apply for it.
But I'm scared. Because the income will be smaller and I don't know exactly what the flow on effects will be. And I'm scared.
I never really thought that applying for work would be a risky thing. It is when it means you have to leave what you know and do something else, and when that something else comes with a lesser implied $$value.

Ack, I think I just need to man up or something.

windoze take two

Well that was fun. There is an app now for my windows phone thät talks to blogger. So I'm posting from my phone. I don't think I can put pics in the post tho. That's a bit weird. But a simple text blog shouldn't be a problem. I'll have no excuse now for not having something to say. . .

Windoze

I read a sign today

It was one of those catchy little signs they stick up out the front of churches. Normally I ignore those because.. well, it's a church.

But the sign this time said.....

"A ship in harbour is safe - but that's not what ships are made for"

And I thought to myself, the rest of my drive home - how very true.

I don't know that it means I'm going to change right now from my 'safe' space, but I feel as though that particular saying will stick in the corner of my brain for quite some time.

Perhaps oneday it will sail.

wow, more than a month? Really?

Apparently so.

It's been more than a month since I last blogged. That's kinda typical given that I don't have a lot of time lately, and I can't find a decent blog app for my phone.
That really sounds wanky. But the truth is, I don't get a whole lot of pc time anymore. I'm not missing it that much either.
In fact, in just a few moments I'm turning this one off and going to spend some time with my hubby.

So the miniscule updates supplied via twitter and facebook have taken over from blogging - I can do those on the go and can pop in the tiny little bits of my life that keep my attention long enough to want to make them public.

A number of things have changed here lately. This week marks the beginning of me being home in the evenings again. I changed my work hours from evenings to days. This has had a number of positive outcomes already (even though it's only been three days!)

Firstly - I am home when my children come home from school. We have baked, I've done reading and homework and we've talked a lot.

Secondly - I get the work part of the day over and done with SUPER early, which means I don't spend all day dreading it.

Thirdly - other important things, like my kids parent teacher interviews, don't get missed any more.

and Fourthly - I feel like a parent again.

It's been an ENTIRE YEAR since I've been home for my kids in the afternoon. A whole YEAR. That's been - intensely difficult. It was necessary for the financial health of our family at the time, but if I could have it over again, I probably would. Oh well.

I'm here, I'm home at what feels like the right times again, and I'm very very ocassionally blogging.

Hell, I may even be able to preserve again at some point, given this new schedule of mine. Now THAT"S an exciting thought.

I'm knitting socks in between calls at work, and I bought a lovely fleece to spin.

That's me at the moment.