Setting A Deadline

On May 23, 2008, I graduated law school. That is only 20 days away. I am STILL unemployed. Soon a new crop of law school grads will be out there looking for work. Yeah, the economy sucks. I don't care. I just want to be able to support myself again. I have really great friends who have helped me through this thing, but enough is enough. I am a grown woman, I need to stand on my own.

So, I set a deadline. 20 days to find a job or have my law practice functioning enough to support myself. I will NOT be unemployed one year after graduating.

Any job offers, suggestions of where to look (yes, I have signed with just about every temp agency in town, I have tried cashier positions, etc.), or other helpful ideas gratefully accepted.

Thank Goodness

Last summer when I had money, I stocked up on things like shampoo, toothpaste, shower gel, etc. Some of th deals I got were down right great. Thanks to coupons and sales, a lot of the toothpaste was FREE. I thought having 8 tubes on hand might be a tad excessive.

Well, I am broke (donations gratefully accepted) now. The job hunt goes on, but pickings are slim. So, right now, the budget is slashed to the bone and then amputated. Seriously. I am spending $8 a week on food. That's it.

But, thanks to the stockpile, I have not had to buy toothpaste, laundry detergent, or anything like that. I bought it cheap. Now, I don't have to spend money on getting those necessities. It's a great relief right now to not worry how I am going to afford toothpaste and still be able to eat.

If you have not read the posts about using coupons to save money now and later, read it here: The Smart Way to Use Coupons .

Remember to put your savings into a savings account each month. Then you not only save each week on groceries, have your stockpile to save later, but you get to save even later when you pay cahs out of your savings for something instead of using a credit card.

Two Sites to Help Get Your Finances Under Control

We all want to get out of debt and save money. But who wants to write down what you spend EVERY SINGLE DAY in order to get a handle on your savings? You need to do that, first. If you don't know WHAT you are spending money on, you don't know how to control it, cut it or spend more (like on your debt rather than Starbucks).

Plus, what should you pay first, how much should you save to get that house, your kid's education, or that vacation you always wanted to take? It takes a lot of effort. Effort you would be better off putting towards EARNING rather than figuring out what to do with what you earn.

Two sites to help you do just that. They are both free.

Mint.com - is easy to use to track your spending. It links automatically to your accounts and then updates it for you. No tedious manual data entry. You enter your account information, and your debts with interest, then boom, it tracks everything for you. It even suggests which debt to pay off first. It let's you know right where you stand every day.

SmartyPig - let's you set your savings goal, suggests how much you need to save each month to reach it, then tracks it for you. With a good interest rate, plus other incentives. It also is social. Family and friends can see your goal and encourage you. It even has a Facebook widget. It's always easier to save with encouragement.

Once I get back to regular earning, I will be using both of these sites.

Update to Cafe Press Stores

I decided to check on my cafe press shops. Not a lot of traffic there. So, I spent some time adding new items. T-shirts, cards, journals and more. Please check them out:

Human Rights Every Day -- show your pride in how you choose to live your life according to the tenants of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

Rosetta Research -- Genocide still occurs in this world. Speak out against it.

TLAGPTO -- new items about how those loans eat everything. plus some things to celebrate the writer in all of us.

Wow It's April Already

How did that happen?

Still unemployed. But, things are picking up. I am at least getting called for interviews which was not happening before. It's a step in the right direction. Now, if we can get all the way to the end and actually have a job that would be terrific.

Failing that, more clients would be nice. Still willing to represent those in need in my own practice. I charge less than you might imagine.

Just trying to keep going and stay optimistic. I really hope to be regularly employed -- either for someone else or myself -- by the end of the month. Then I can tackle paying down debt.

Paralyzed with Fear

It is really hard to remain optimistic in the face of all the bad economic news. The national news is bad enough, but my own personal economic situation is even worse. I can't even rob Peter to pay Paul anymore. Peter doesn't have anything left. I have been truly blessed with good friends to help me out. I have a place to stay rent free. One friend cleaned out his cabinet and gave me some food (those muffins were really good). However, their own situations are such they can only do so much. I don't want to borrow money from them because 1) it really creates problems in a friendship and 2) more debt -- even interest free with no definite payback date -- is not what I need.

My phone is about to be shut off. Without that, I can't get calls about jobs or legal cases to take. Not that it matters, I can't afford the Metro to go to any jobs. If I can't afford Metro, I sure as heck can't afford to put gas in my car to get there either (besides the car needs to be registered this month).

My tax refund is only enough to keep my law license. Which I need to do in order to be able to find a job or work for myself.

This is all bad enough. But, when I do get money, I am afraid to spend it. I worry that if I buy food this week, I won't have money for food next week. If I put gas in the car today, I won't be able to pay Metro tomorrow. It's all this rationing out. It makes me absolutely terrified to do anything at all because it might not be there when I need it later. But, I have to spend some of it now, just to keep going.

I am literally at my wits end. No money to do anything to get more money. No money to pay down bills. Living like this really sucks.

My biggest fear -- even if I do get a job or settle a case, I will continue to be this way forever. I will never be secure again. Sure, one shouldn't spend recklessly. One should save as much as possible and pay down bills as much as one can. However, I am paryalized with fear that I will never feel safe spending anything again. Not on debts (I might need it to eat or get somewhere later), not on clothes to look professional (even on sale). Never feeling safe spending a cent again.

It is one thing to frugal with money and change your mindset, it is another to become not a miser but something worse. I don't even have a word for it. A miser hoards miser to have it. What I am becoming is someone afraid to spend it -- even to make more money -- out of fear it will be gone again someday. And I don't know how to change that mindset.

Please Vote for My Idea

Ideablob is a great site for folks trying to get word out about their charitable idea. You post your idea and people vote for the best idea. The winner gets $10,000 seed money.

I am trying to get Human Rights Every Day up and running. Winning this contest would really help.



Please vote. It's free to register and vote. Also, please help spread the word about the contest and Human Rights Every Day.