24/28 Car Truths: Rainy Day Fund

Rainy Day Fund!

The name has more irony than you're aware.

The windshield wiper motor on my car broke.

During a thunderstorm.

On the highway.

Living in your vehicle can be a vulnerable experience. Make sure every pay period to set aside an amount to pay for "rainy days," specifically for auto repairs.

4/28 Car Truths: Food

Banana, Nutella,
peanut butter tortilla, yum!

Food!

Figuring out what food to buy, how much and working that into the whole budget for the month was a completely new experience for me. Originally, I tried giving myself a certain amount I could spend everyday. That didn't work out for two reasons: I would focus on buying little things over cheap larger purchases and I worked better having a set amount of money I could spend over the course of the week, as opposed to three dollars every day.

I have a small lunchbox cooler for small items that need to be stored for a couple of days and when the weather stayed cold enough I purchased different juices and fruits. Now that the weather is warming up (even though it's still snowing) I avoid large purchases that can go bad too quickly and stick to simple items.

For snacks and breakfasts, I mostly have granola bars (33-50 cents each, depending on the brand, Nature Valley honey is the cheapest), various nuts (10 bucks for a canister of cashews, almonds or 14 for pistachios). Peanut butter and tortillas are always a good bet. Carrots, apples and bananas are fruit and a vegetable that last for a couple of days while I munch on them. Those are the healthy food stuffs. I still occasionally have a one dollar burrito or hamburger from a fast food restaurant.

Working

The Abolition of Work by Bob Black

"No one should ever work.

Work is the source of nearly all the misery in the world. Almost any evil you’d care to name comes from working or from living in a world designed for work. In order to stop suffering, we have to stop working.

That doesn’t mean we have to stop doing things. It does mean creating a new way of life based on play; in other words, a ludic conviviality, commensality, and maybe even art. There is more to play than child’s play, as worthy as that is. 

...

Liberals say we should end employment discrimination. I say we should end employment. 

Conservatives support right-to-work laws. Following Karl Marx’s wayward son-in-law Paul 

Lafargue I support the right to be lazy. 

Leftists favor full employment. Like the surrealists — except that I’m not kidding — I favor full unemployment. 

Trotskyists agitate for permanent revolution. I agitate for permanent revelry. 

But if all the ideologues (as they do) advocate work — and not only because they plan to make other people do theirs — they are strangely reluctant to say so. They will carry on endlessly about wages, hours, working conditions, exploitation, productivity, profitability. They’ll gladly talk about anything but work itself. These experts who offer to do our thinking for us rarely share their conclusions about work, for all its saliency in the lives of all of us. Among themselves they quibble over the details. 

Unions and management agree that we ought to sell the time of our lives in exchange for survival, although they haggle over the price. 

Marxists think we should be bossed by bureaucrats. 

Libertarians think we should be bossed by businessmen. 

Feminists don’t care which form bossing takes so long as the bosses are women. 

Clearly these ideology-mongers have serious differences over how to divvy up the spoils of power. Just as clearly, none of them have any objection to power as such and all of them want to keep us working.

You may be wondering if I’m joking or serious. I’m joking and serious." - excerpt from Bob Black's "The Abolition of Work," found at the Anarchist Library 

(I separated the paragraphs into individual sentences to emphasize points)

As a frugal filly, who tends to go on and on about savings and money, I like to read ideas of abolishing the very things I fret over. Vandwelling, the Tiny House movement, mmlism and frugality is eliminating parts of society that we don't need in exchange for freedom. Unfortunately freedom usually means the strict control of finances and refusing to accept the consumer sedatives of corporatocracy.

This article reminded me off a speech by John Cleese, on creativity.

Somewhere out there, there is a world that you can make for yourself, with your own rules, limits, hours, in and out put. If you dedicate every moment of your time and money penny you can save to create a work environment that isn't a work environment, but one where you can be ludic in your labors.

 I guess that's what inspires me about the online webcomic, etsy shop owner, full-time blogger, vlogger, internet renaissance folks.

They worked their asses off after years of having normal jobs, lives and what not.

Through a mixture of luck, hard work and consistency they rose from having a hobby to having a career.

What have I been doing? Making ends meet, just to be slightly averagish at college, while maintaining my HEMA fancies and trying to build friendships.

I always feel like I'm not doing enough. Everyone is at college (this is a campus after all). Everyone has a crappy job they hate.

I need to rise above that. Somehow, between work, school and hobbies, I need to produce more, do better.

Tax Returns

Basil and me

Tax returns! I forgot to mention that my mom and I also filled out our tax returns over Spring Break.

My return, on top of my work bonus, was around 1,000. Well, where did all that money go!? I could of paid off my college loan by then!

You're right, rhetorical me!

I decided to pay for a martial arts conference, anime convention and family visitation instead. I worked very hard for that money and while it would be responsible just to wipe out my loan immediately, I can still pay off my college loan by the time I graduate and spend a little money on myself.

Another part of that pile of money went to buying a pretty sweet sword too. All of these purchases are for the long term outlook and to get better prices I needed to purchase things a head of time. By the 25th, my college loan will be paid off and by the 22nd of May, I will have saved up another five hundred to go towards my timing belt. Yay, living rent free.

So, there's that.

Development of teh Plan

When I first transferred to my CSU, I wanted to continue on to get my doctorates in Medieval History.  Since childhood, I have been obsessed with the Legend of Zelda and that preoccupation carried over the years as an interest in the time period it emulates.

Swords.
Castles.
Garb and kick-ass shoes.

All of it interested me.









Further down the road, I still study the material culture of the period, but right now I'm focused on the history (and the modern world's reimagining) of the Crusades, specifically focusing on Christiandom's relationship with the Islamic Middle East.

My GPA is not competitive enough to qualify for significant financial aid. Partially due to my personal life and unfamiliarity with college as a first generation student.



BUT, I always have a goal and plan to work towards, even though it changes a long the way! Right now, after graduating I have a specific schedule.

Pay off my college loan by the end of graduating (300 left, I'll explain what happened to the other monies I've been saving in the next post.)

Work until mid-September.

Go to a martial arts conference and an anime convention.

Visiting my artificial family in California.

Turn twenty-four.

Sign up as a linguist for the military.


Even if the VA benefits and health care are shit due to the current economic mess and mismanagement of VA records, the money made in the military could mostly go towards my education. I already know German proficiently and adding another language to that would set me up as a great candidate for a master program.

Just a plan.

Plasma Center

Needle hole, iodine stains, bandages

I started donating plasma. The first two weeks, as a first time donor, I made 80 a week. Now, as a regular, I'm down to 55.

It's a strange, painfully draining feeling to have a needle sucking the blood out of you and then pushing it back in. The saline that they provide after the blood plasma separating process makes me shiver, because the saline is 20 to 30 degrees colder than my body.

Also, let's look at the word usage here: donating plasma.

Donating is a gift, to contribute towards a cause and, like most gifts, nothing is suppose to be expected in return. When I donated a bunch of clothes and knick knacks to Good Will, I'm not expecting a monetary return.

I do not donate plasma.

I'm selling it.

I'm selling it at the lowest price they figure they can get away with paying people, to then sell the plasma to research facilities.

I do not wake up super early in the morning to rush over and donate blood, because they don't pay me for donating blood. (I have once, and probably should again. I'm B negative, which apparently is super rare.)

I wake up, to avoid the lines, of the misfit groupings of people, who all need those extra couple of bucks a month just to survive, to sell my plasma.

The end.

Re-arranged the Budget

Due to my demotion and shift in monies, I reworked my budget to fit the short term needs of food, car, gas while including longer term goals of paying off my loans and taking an October family visiting trip.

Depending on my hours, I should be making around 400 plus all the way down to 350ish. Splitting the paycheck into $200 student loans and $150 for two weeks and savings is my new plan. I don't spend $75 dollars a week on food, gas and luxuries. The monies left over from the $150 over two weeks goes towards car repairs and my long term vacation goals.

All and all, I'm paying $400 a month towards loans. My tax return is also going straight to getting this burden off my back. Luckily, I've been working since sixteen and my savings covers most of my education. Being a first generation college student, I did mess up on my community college credits transferring. To graduate on time (2013), I took summer classes. There isn't anymore financial aid available for the summer and I paid the whole semester with a 5,500 loan.

Five thousand is a lot of money, but in comparison to the national average $26,600 per student...
I also took five years to finish my bachelors. I use to feel shameful, but, HEY, a degree is a degree!

http://cloudfront.inthecapital.com/files/2012/09/student_debt.jpg

Foods Stuff

I'll put the healthier, more appetizing meal up first. It's a banana, nutella, peanut butter tortilla. It's a great breakfast and simply enough to make in a car.


The second isn't as pretty, but a reality, is a dollar hamburger. Usually grab one in between school and work as a quick bite. I'm moving away from more commercial foods, especially after what happened at my job. Grocery stores are also cheaper. A dollar for the amount is still occasionally worth it.

Right! This morning I had planned to go to the Plasma center and sign up for the first time. Because of waiting lines and my twelve o'clock class, I set my alarm clock before seven to get there when the doors open.

And my phone died sometime during the night and I overslept in a parking lot that requires permits during the day.


NOT THE POINT OF THE STORY!

Someone gave me a parking ticket - while I was asleep in my car. Apparently sleeping under a comforter is stealthy enough to be unnoticed.

That, or they just didn't care.

(I still filled out an appeal for the ticket, 40 minutes after it was issued. Thirty dollars is a lot of money.)

UPDATE: April 9
The ticket was voided.

Work Situation

Came into work this Saturday, running into my replacement for the cell phone kiosk.

What a great feeling to train the person replacing you.

Especially, when that dude couldn't tell you where the top and bottom of a monitor is.

Anyways, moving to the floor went smoothly. My coworkers already know me and several said I would be a "great asset" at the end of the day.

I guess I will have to get over the fact that my boss told me I should feel lucky that I have a job and I should accept the fifty cent pay cut as a favor.

I'm paraphrasing, of course.

Mouse Trap

After reading this inspiring article by David Cain just a few days ago, Your Lifestyle Has Already Been Designed, I caught myself today falling into the trap.

The summary of the article is that because the forty hour work week has taken up so much time that people have they tend to over spend on the weekends to recover from the droll of the week. As I work twenty plus hours and week and spend the rest of my time school-working, I rarely have time for entertainment or recovery.

I had a really stressful day at work.

I had a really stressful day at work.


I'm going to type it one more time: I had a really stressful day at work.

I am at my three strikes at work. My manager basically told me that this meeting should of been my termination and that I should talk to him in two days to change positions in the company (or face the "responsibilities" of my job).

Let me elaborate here: I am one of those annoying cell phone polo shirts that interrupt your shopping and use every tactic in the book to get you to buy a phone.

One of these desperate people

Source: http://www.printapromo.com.au/uniforms-and-clothing/custom-polo-shirts/mens-unisex/pp-2mp-jbs-wear-embroidered-podium-moto-polo-shirt

The first time, my manager wrote me up: a customer threw a tantrum in the store because their cell phone bill was higher than the brochures. Apparently, they decided not to understand the concept of TAXATION. That was my fault for telling them that their cell phone bill would be X and not X + taxes.

The second time was a couple of months ago, when I showed up on the wrong day and skipped the right one. My room mate thought it would be funny to fuck with the written down schedules I posted on the fridge. A no-call, no-show called for a coaching.

Today would of been my last day. I have been late for work once a month for around 11-16 minutes for sixth months. The last time I arrived tardy happen to be the day that my mom's pug vomited blood on me.

He was cuter as a puppy. A puppy that didn't vomit as much.

Fortunately for me, my late hours working, covering shifts and building good customer repoire has paid off as I didn't get fired. Unfortunately for me, I've been "suggested" to leave my position and be a regular sales associate on the floor. I wouldn't mind as much (working on the floor is fun), except for the pay deduction.

Source: http://www.foodspotting.com/reviews/324180

Feeling rather stressed, during my break I fumed my way to the sandwich shop across the parking lot and "treated" myself to a 6 dollar meal, complete with cookie.

Breaking my food budget and personal goals for a sandwich and a cookie I fell into the trap of convenience and want. I had food in the car. I already overspent my budget last month. I can't really afford to be homeless, let alone be homeless and eating out.

Lesson of the day! Watch where every cent of your money goes.

The Diet

Here's what I eat regularly!

Soy Milk for Protein

WestSoy doesn't taste that different from regular cow milk and it doesn't have to be refrigerated. Although, it has stayed cold enough where the milk is still chill throughout the day.

The Basic Fruit

Oranges, apples and bananas are cheap, keep well in the car and I like to eat them (which is important).

Nature Valley Bars (30 cents) and
Some Discounted Protein Bars (50 cents)

Snackies! I've pretty much replaced a meal with one of these bars, in between classes or the time before work. Once again, tryingin to focus

Nom Nom Nom Nom

Carrots are great because they keep long enough when I store them in my little lunchbox cooler. When the weather gets warmer I'm probably going to have to switch out the vegetables I eat, or get them in cans. 

Foods not listed are peanut butter, tortillas, chips, mixed nuts and craisins. I still pick up a dollar hamburger at least once a weak, partly for the protein. ALSO, I don't like not eating dead cow for extended periods of time.

The First Month

Well, I just looked at my monthly spending summary online. I can honestly say that if I had to pay rent, I wouldn't of made it through the month. Last semester, I took 21 credit hours and expected the extra $600 charge past my tuition funding of loans and grants. This semester, with only 18 credits, I did not expect the $700 past is normal for a semester. :|

Plus the $280 I spent to get the transmission and engine fluids flushed and the oil change. (The guy at Meineke also said that I should replace my timing belt, but I'm probably going to delay until summer.)

Plus the $400 on books. UGH!

So the first month of trying to save money by living in my car  is working, it's just that all the spare money I'm saving is going to school. While, I did go over on my food budget, most of the overspending was to pay for food that will last into February (granola, chips, peanut butter, WestSoy milk, dried fruit)

Next month should be easier, as I won't be in the process of moving and I got the whole car thing down.

The Week

I've found that whenever I receive an offer to hang out or go out on the town, I'm more willing to accept now because that means more time inside. Last time I updated, I had one more night in the car, with very little sleep after staying out until 2 am on a weekday. Then, I used the last couple of days I had off from work to drive down to my home city.

I got the car checked out and had a basic oil change. The mechanic dude got a little testy and suggested I also get an transmission flush - so took care of that as well. Unfortunately, he also said that there is not a marking on the timing belt - which could break around the mileage that the Aveo is at. :| So, I'm driving around a ticking time bomb that could break and cost thousands to fix OR he just exaggerated.

I did clean up the car while I visited my home city: removed/sold the mattress, added the cold weather sleeping bag, and packed all my things in the trunk. The car looks more discrete now and I definitely feel more secure sleeping in a less conspicuous vehicle.

The first night back from my home city I used the sleeping bag. Almost everything but my feet stayed rather warm. I only realized that my feet stayed against the cold, metal door the whole night. DUR! When the gym stays open later during the semester, it will be easier waking and showering - until then sink showers on the weekend. Although, next Tuesday is the first day of school. I can't believe it.

I should also mention that the transmission flush on my car screwed up my set up budget for the month. I had the money to cover it, but ehh who wants to spend almost two hundred dollars on their car in a week? Not I!

Third Night and The Man

The night itself went pretty smoothly. I got to sleep in a bit due to my schedule. In an attempt to stay stealthy, I set my alarm for sunrise. Unfortunately, when I woke up the sun shined brightly enough for my position to be more noticeable. I wasn't approached, but it made me slightly uncomfortable with the possibility.

The Rec Center is currently on a Winter Break schedule, which means that on weekends I don't have the time go to the Rec Center. So, this is the first day where I had to do a "bathroom shower" in the library. That went pretty smoothly, as the bathrooms at the entrance are single rooms and have plenty of privacy.

Not wanting to be stuck inside all day, when the temperatures appeared agreeably, I found a small park near my work to go and read. A patrol officer noticed me near my car. He said he wanted to make sure I was okay, because my head bowed down over a book, but I didn't really believe him. Then he asked if I lived in my car and I answered him honestly.

He then explained to me about housing options, gave me his card, and left. It isn't illegal to sleep in your car in the state of Colorado. Over the past three days, I've been approached by two police officers (albeit the first one is my fault). I honestly think the mattress in the back might be causing too much attention. Definitely need to get rid of it and just sleep on the seats.


FOOD!
An orange and four carrots for 50 cents each, tortilla and peanut butter for 30 cents, and a sausage biscuit for 1.07.

The Second Night

After I rearranged the sleeping position and had experience placing the window covers, getting into bed and sleeping went much smoother. I do need to wear two pairs of socks when I'm sleeping, as it gets really cold. The weather tonight is reported to be 12 degrees and this morning I awoke to 9 degrees. Although, it's not cold enough to keep me from sleeping in - I set the alarm for 5:40, but sleepily turned it off and slept in till 6:21. Oh well!

The Situation, taken from my sleeping position

As long as I am under the comforters, I stay relatively warm. In an attempt to solve the condensation problem, I left one window cracked slightly. No frost covered that particular window, but the rest of the car windows carried a thin layer.

To eat healthier and cheaper, I finally took a trip to the grocery store and picked up some fruit, tortillas, a yogurt cup and peanut butter. Because work offered free chicken sandwiches in the break room my daily food expenses stayed low: 50 cents for the orange, 50 cents for the cup of yogurt, 14  cents for a tortilla and 12 cents for the peanut butter spread on the tortilla. $1.26 for the day isn't bad at all!

The Food

I didn't really plan out my first month. I do have a basic mess kit (plastic container, knife, spoon, fork, cup), but haven't really put together a plan on what I should purchase to survive on my budget, in a car for a couple of months.

Today, I already spent 1.69 on the hamburger, leaving 1.61 for today. Per serving, I will be looking at how much it costs to get things like granola bars and make sandwiches. Right now though, it looks like breakfast is something off the dollar menu and dinner will be canned food from the grocery store.

Many sites have warned against eating fast food as a substitute for meals, Romana S. at Vandwellers.org uses the term false economy, which I understand. If I did order 5-10 dollar means at fast food restaurants I couldn't stay in my budget.

I would defend the big burger (520c) I had this morning from Carl's Jr as having almost half my caloric intake (1200-1400c) taken care of for a dollar. Well, it was suppose to be a dollar, but it looks like Carl's Jr is more expense than other value menus. Taco Bell, McDonalds and others have items that only total 1.07, but have 400-500 calories. A granola bar for .50 cents or can of fruit for the same can fill up my other two dollars.

With more planning, I will hopefully have a better plan that eating off the dollar menu everyday, but for the next couple of days that will have to work.

The Budget

With my part-time job, I make around $900 a month. To put that in perspective, a one-bedroom apartment in this city costs around $750 to $900. Most college students stay in houses or large apartments together, with each student paying $400 to $500 rent. Through financial aid and student loans the semester and the Rec Center fees are paid.

My Expenses

Reoccurring: I know every month I will have to pay my phone bill, a Netflix bill, and what I want to put away in savings:
Phone Bill: $38.38 ($35 + tax)
Netflix: $7.99
Minimum Long-term Savings: $168.00

Estimated Expenses: My goal is to eat off of $3.30 a day and use under $150 in gas money (a high estimate). By the end of January, I should I have pretty good ideal of the actual costs.
Food: $100
Gas Money: $150
Toiletries/Laundry: $10
Misc: $25 (movies, clothing, etc.)
Student Loan Payment: $400

This is a pretty rough budget. I did not plan this whole car adventure particularly well. The total amount equals: 899.37.