Update on new job

[frugalone]

Well, it has been a full week since I started my new job in the library. I like it very much and am getting along with everyone.

There are a couple of glitches, which, of course, should be fully expected.

1. I just posted in the Health and Health Care section on the High Cost of Health Insurance. I'm simply stunned.

2. I am sort of "swing shifting" this week. I have to work starting in the late afternoon till midnight. I can't get on my regular shift till they hire someone to replace me in the job I *formerly* did.

3. I am not making enough money for both my SO and I to live on. Frankly, I am so scared of the truth that I haven't really sat down and figured out just how much it really costs to live. I know, I have to. It's a bit complicated and it's late and I don't want to go into the whole issue so I will pass.

I am very, very grateful to have this job. I'm a bit surprised that I don't feel much more financially secure than I did before I landed it, though. Strange...

[Tussiemussies]

Hi frugal one, sounds like you are settling in.and now are onto the next steps of thinking about some other issues now that you have gotten the job...You will find your way with your issues!:)

[bunnys]

Knowledge about how much you're making and how much it costs to live will enable you to figure out ways to make this salary work--if it is workable.

I would bite the bullet as soon as I could because for me, now knowing and imagining the worse is more stressful than facing the truth. Good luck. You can do it.

[razz]

I agree with Bunnys, it is the unknown that is stressful Once you know, then you can set a budget and boundaries when you sit down to discuss options to manage. It is amazing what can be done if you place all your resources on the table including donations from family, friends and neighbours, items from discount sources, reusing and recycling or even renting somethings for short terms. I remember when attending uiversity, I was so poor and when others were aware of my need, strangers shared their cabs, an extra room was found so that I could have proper food and shelter... It is the unknown that triggers anxiety and fear.
Have faith in yourself and your partner in life as being resourceful and capable.

[SteveinMN]

frugalone, you mentioned in the Health thread that you lowballed yourself on your salary, even to the point where the company asked if you were sure. Would it be worth the while to do a little research on what that job pays at other organizations and then re-negotiate? Yeah, the economy is tough, but if they were prepared to pay more (it sounds like they were) and they realize that a notably-underpaid employee is likely to look elsewhere, they may be amenable. If they balk, you might even offer to couple it to achieving specified performance goals in X months in exchange for a raise. Just throwing some ideas out there. Scraping by for a few months is not as hard as scraping by for a few years.

[iris lily]

frugalone, you mentioned in the Health thread that you lowballed yourself on your salary,...

No, that was someone else.

The OP has been unemployed for three years and has moved into a new field where she brings limited expertise. And, she is considering going to school to get credentials in this new field. I'd keep my head down and concentrate on doing an excellent job were I in that position, given the opportunity this is.

Being of a practical sort like Tradd, I'd probably not put up with a housemate who for long didn't contribute to the family's financial health (that wouldn't necessarily mean work for money.)

[ApatheticNoMore]

No, that was someone else.

The OP has been unemployed for three years and has moved into a new field where she brings limited expertise. And, she is considering going to school to get credentials in this new field. I'd keep my head down and concentrate on doing an excellent job were I in that position, given the opportunity this is.

Yea that was me. If I was in a new field with new opportunities, I'd keep my head down too. I'm just underemployed (and underpaid) in a field where I bring over a decade of experience that is not being used very well and I took the first job offered. So I'm grumpy. Actually it would be so exciting to be doing anything new, that I'd put up with a lot just for the chance :)

[SteveinMN]

Ah, my mistake. Sorry....

[frugalone]

I'm gonna hang in there. At least if I go to grad school, and I think I can finish in three years, I will be able to become a professional librarian and get a higher salary. So it is somewhat temporary.

On the bright side, I am really liking this job. It is much less stressful than my last gig and the people seem genuinely nice! I am so relieved I don't have to do PR anymore...