Work is cutting hours because we're not selling enough. Except for the part where the other day I personally sold about $1,000 worth of stuff. Thankfully, though, we're not on commission, because days like that are rare. Still, it's a Saturday, which means with all the kids it's going to be hectic. And with hours being cut, it's probably going to mean a small crew to close. Hopefully it's too cold and it starts sleeting. That'll keep the people away, and we'll get out of there at a decent hour tonight.
Monday morning I'm having surgery to have my gallbladder removed. It's outpatient, and not very major, but at the same time I'll be missing a week of work. On the other hand, I do get to enjoy Thanksgiving dinner with my family, and I get to eat whatever I want again. Of course within limits, and I'm going to try to stay on this low fat diet, because I honestly feel, aside from the stress about no money and apprehension about the surgery, better than I have in a while. We'll see how long that lasts.
After that, I'm going to volunteer to be a cashier because working on the floor, I think, won't be the easiest thing. I won't be able to do lifting, work the rock wall (that our department is in charge of), stock, work in the backstock room at all, change signs...really anything but help customers, and on the floor that's only a small part of my job. I'm still putting in all sorts of applications online and trying to find more work for after the holidays, but it's hard. Really really hard. Oh well, I'll just have to tuck in and do my best.
Saturday, November 22, 2008
Monday, November 17, 2008
Quick update
So life is kicking my butt. I've got serious health issues that have developed within the past week, and it's going to require surgery. My gallbladder needs to come out being the long and short of it. As soon as I get that done, I have to miss at least a week of work, and I'll be on light duty for a while after that. So coming up into the busiest retail part of the year, I'm dealing with constant hunger, dizziness, nausea, and weakness. I'm going to be missing a week of work when I'm getting almost 40 hours a week. This is BAD news, because I need to get money coming in.
Luckily I've done my Christmas shopping, and also luckily EVERYONE at work is totally behind me on this. I work in a large store, as I've said before, but I've got so many people from different departments making sure I'm taking care of myself and offering anything they can do to help. That's how we do it at work, we all take care of each other because we all get along. We really are a community. My manager and everyone else in my department is willing to work with me and make sure I don't stress myself too much while I'm healing from surgery. The doctor said six weeks before I can lift heavy weights again, but I can definitely work on the floor. There's lots of people to do the heavy work, seriously. And then I'll be able to get more money coming in.
Somehow my sister is working two jobs now, and I know I need to work another job, but the searches are only turning up seasonal work. I really won't be able to start a new job until after the new year, which means it's kind of silly to be looking now because most of the people are still looking for last minute seasonal help. I'm already WORKING seasonal work, I can't start until after the year starts. And everything else requires a degree or manager experience, or I don't have what they want. But I can't give up now, always somewhere that I haven't tried yet.
Luckily I've done my Christmas shopping, and also luckily EVERYONE at work is totally behind me on this. I work in a large store, as I've said before, but I've got so many people from different departments making sure I'm taking care of myself and offering anything they can do to help. That's how we do it at work, we all take care of each other because we all get along. We really are a community. My manager and everyone else in my department is willing to work with me and make sure I don't stress myself too much while I'm healing from surgery. The doctor said six weeks before I can lift heavy weights again, but I can definitely work on the floor. There's lots of people to do the heavy work, seriously. And then I'll be able to get more money coming in.
Somehow my sister is working two jobs now, and I know I need to work another job, but the searches are only turning up seasonal work. I really won't be able to start a new job until after the new year, which means it's kind of silly to be looking now because most of the people are still looking for last minute seasonal help. I'm already WORKING seasonal work, I can't start until after the year starts. And everything else requires a degree or manager experience, or I don't have what they want. But I can't give up now, always somewhere that I haven't tried yet.
Friday, November 7, 2008
Car problems solved!
I've managed to fix my car for free! It turns out all I needed to do was stretch a spring. It was really that simple. But there was also a small problem with the radio housing, so I fixed that by putting the radio into the bottom slot so the broken housing wasn't trying to hold the weight of it. Simple and taken care of.
I've also been applying at all sorts of places the past few days. I know that right now a lot of places are hiring for seasonal work, but that's not what I'm looking for. I'm actually looking to start after the first of the year, when I get back from a trip. I'm getting plenty of hours at my current job for the holidays, and the manager is being EXTREMELY fair with what hours she's giving people, and taking into consideration the travel time to and from work during the holidays. Black Friday, for example, I'm not working until late. Which is good, because if I had to get up at 3:30 AM to make it into work on time, I'd have to seriously reconsider my job. If I didn't have to be up until 3:30 PM, however, that would be a different story.
I've also managed to cut drastically back on spending by taking my lunch in to work. I never thought about that, but working three days a week getting a lunch at $6.00 and snacks and drinks from the machines at usually $3.00 a day adds up really fast. That's almost $30 on average for a short work week. Now I buy a drink at $1.00, if anything. And with more hours coming my way and gas being cheaper, that's giving me MUCH more into the bank by the end of the week. And I'm at the point where the first of the large week paychecks are starting to hit my account. Not that it's anywhere near how much I need, but it's getting there. It's a start, and that's how things have to be done. One step at a time.
I've also been applying at all sorts of places the past few days. I know that right now a lot of places are hiring for seasonal work, but that's not what I'm looking for. I'm actually looking to start after the first of the year, when I get back from a trip. I'm getting plenty of hours at my current job for the holidays, and the manager is being EXTREMELY fair with what hours she's giving people, and taking into consideration the travel time to and from work during the holidays. Black Friday, for example, I'm not working until late. Which is good, because if I had to get up at 3:30 AM to make it into work on time, I'd have to seriously reconsider my job. If I didn't have to be up until 3:30 PM, however, that would be a different story.
I've also managed to cut drastically back on spending by taking my lunch in to work. I never thought about that, but working three days a week getting a lunch at $6.00 and snacks and drinks from the machines at usually $3.00 a day adds up really fast. That's almost $30 on average for a short work week. Now I buy a drink at $1.00, if anything. And with more hours coming my way and gas being cheaper, that's giving me MUCH more into the bank by the end of the week. And I'm at the point where the first of the large week paychecks are starting to hit my account. Not that it's anywhere near how much I need, but it's getting there. It's a start, and that's how things have to be done. One step at a time.
Wednesday, November 5, 2008
It's been a while, hasn't it? Well, gas prices have gone down, which is good. I can now afford to go back and forth to work, for the most part. Cell phone bill is still expensive, but I can't go without it, as I don't have a home phone. Living with parents after they've caught the whole cell phone bug is kind of annoying. The house phone is now a cell phone, but since I'm on my own plan, I can't use the home phone because it's on THEIR family plan that THEY'RE paying for. Someone explain parental logic to me again?
In any case, I'm also picking up more hours at my job. I'm still not full time, which is going to be terrible come my birthday when I'm off my dad's insurance. Not that it's terribly good, but it's better than having nothing. I'm still looking all over for jobs, but the only places that I'm seeing that are hiring are for seasonal work, which I don't need. Seasonal hours are actually picking up for me, so I'm doubtful I'll be able to start a new job until...oh, after New Year's?
I'm also taking a trip over New Year's, to Canada. My friend is flying me up there and paying for the hotel, so I don't have to worry about that. All I need is spending money, and hopefully after Christmas and working all sorts of hours, I'll be able to do it.
So at work last week I got more hours than most full time people, simply because I'm willing to volunteer for promotions. I worked with kids all of Halloween, which wasn't bad. The store was pretty dead. The weather was nice, and most kids went Trick-or-Treating in their own neighborhoods. Now, if the weather had been much worse, I would have been MUCH more busy, but I was having a blast with the few kids that did come. There were some ADORABLE children that came through, and they managed to make me smile. And when I'm having a hard time with money and such, I just think of them.
My family has also gone through a giant upheaval, my grandmother on my father's side passed away somewhat suddenly. It was nice to see all the family again, but not good that it takes a death to do it. So I lost some time at work for that, but at the same time, it was worth it. And now another girl at work just had her grandfather pass away, so not only do I know what she's going through, she's going to be away a bit as well, meaning we're either going to be a bit shorthanded, or someone else is getting more hours. The manager can't give them to me because I'll go into overtime on hours. Not that I'd mind, but I don't think the company wants to pay me for it.
Nothing else is really going on right now. The weather's really starting to turn, and I need to get the fan switch fixed in my car (still), but that's a cheap fix. All it takes is a nice day where I won't freeze working on it, the right tools, and time. Hopefully it all works out in the next two days, because it's my 'weekend' from work. And I need it. It's time to sleep in and not do much at all, except for keep looking for jobs.
Can it be New Year's yet? Please?
In any case, I'm also picking up more hours at my job. I'm still not full time, which is going to be terrible come my birthday when I'm off my dad's insurance. Not that it's terribly good, but it's better than having nothing. I'm still looking all over for jobs, but the only places that I'm seeing that are hiring are for seasonal work, which I don't need. Seasonal hours are actually picking up for me, so I'm doubtful I'll be able to start a new job until...oh, after New Year's?
I'm also taking a trip over New Year's, to Canada. My friend is flying me up there and paying for the hotel, so I don't have to worry about that. All I need is spending money, and hopefully after Christmas and working all sorts of hours, I'll be able to do it.
So at work last week I got more hours than most full time people, simply because I'm willing to volunteer for promotions. I worked with kids all of Halloween, which wasn't bad. The store was pretty dead. The weather was nice, and most kids went Trick-or-Treating in their own neighborhoods. Now, if the weather had been much worse, I would have been MUCH more busy, but I was having a blast with the few kids that did come. There were some ADORABLE children that came through, and they managed to make me smile. And when I'm having a hard time with money and such, I just think of them.
My family has also gone through a giant upheaval, my grandmother on my father's side passed away somewhat suddenly. It was nice to see all the family again, but not good that it takes a death to do it. So I lost some time at work for that, but at the same time, it was worth it. And now another girl at work just had her grandfather pass away, so not only do I know what she's going through, she's going to be away a bit as well, meaning we're either going to be a bit shorthanded, or someone else is getting more hours. The manager can't give them to me because I'll go into overtime on hours. Not that I'd mind, but I don't think the company wants to pay me for it.
Nothing else is really going on right now. The weather's really starting to turn, and I need to get the fan switch fixed in my car (still), but that's a cheap fix. All it takes is a nice day where I won't freeze working on it, the right tools, and time. Hopefully it all works out in the next two days, because it's my 'weekend' from work. And I need it. It's time to sleep in and not do much at all, except for keep looking for jobs.
Can it be New Year's yet? Please?
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