I've been considering a job move for the past few months, and I've been trying to plan for it financially so that I don't create any new debt associated with the move. The absolute last thing I need is new debt.
With the job move will most likely come an apartment move. I currently live and work in Orange County, but I'd like to be in LA, so I've been searching for jobs there.
There are tons of ways this could/will affect me financially. First, there's the normal costs of moving, like renting a moving truck and buying things my current roommates have that I don't (like a vacuum cleaner). Plus I'll need a deposit for an apartment; I should get most/all my deposit on my current apartment back, but I may not get it until after I have to pay for the new apartment. Also, I plan on renting a 2BR apartment and finding a roommate, which means I may have to front the whole rent for the first month or two. Finally, I could potentially be with out a paycheck for a few weeks, depending on how the pay schedule works at the new job compared to my current job.
In order to offset some of these costs, I've been beefing up my emergency fund. Instead of the normal $1000, I've got it up to $2400. When I combine that with the $555 I currently pay in rent, and the ~$400 snowball I have from my income each month, I have almost $3400 to cover me until I find a roommate and get my current deposit back. That feels a little too close for comfort, and it really makes me wish I had a fully funded emergency fund, but barring any major disasters, I should be okay.
Thinking about all of this makes me wonder what the heck I was thinking the last time I moved. I packed my car and drove all of my belongings from Seattle to Orange County, without much thought about what I was getting myself into financially. It seems crazy to me now, and I probably racked up some debt in the process, but looking back I'm glad I did it. Like a lot of very expensive things in my life, I'm glad I did it, I just wish I'd done it a little differently.
Anyway, I'll keep updating as I make progress on the job front and the apartment front. :)
Showing posts with label emergency fund. Show all posts
Showing posts with label emergency fund. Show all posts
Tuesday, March 25, 2008
Wednesday, December 5, 2007
December Alternative Income Update
My $600 December alternative income goal is going EXTREMELY well. As you can see from the side bar, I've made about $240 so far, but that doesn't include a couple things I'm expecting soon. Here's the breakdown:
And it could still climb higher. I've got another eBay auction with no bids yet, but similar auctions have sold for around $100 and there's still four days left. I've also got a few more things waiting for the right buyer on Amazon.com, as well as my skis that are up for sale on Craig's List. The total could potentially get above $1000!
Where's all that money going? The first chunk is going to AES. That company has been particularly irritating to work with, so when I send the final payment in the next few days I'll feel a huge sense of satisfaction. The rest of the money will be used to beef up my emergency fund. It's not at full capacity yet, and after fixing my computer I'll really want to get it back up to a comfortable level.
Onward with the money-making!
- Half Price Books - $58
- DVDs sold on Amazon.com - $182 (after fees and shipping)
- Christmas bonus from work - $200
- eBay auction - currently at $264 with four days left (before fees and shipping)
And it could still climb higher. I've got another eBay auction with no bids yet, but similar auctions have sold for around $100 and there's still four days left. I've also got a few more things waiting for the right buyer on Amazon.com, as well as my skis that are up for sale on Craig's List. The total could potentially get above $1000!
Where's all that money going? The first chunk is going to AES. That company has been particularly irritating to work with, so when I send the final payment in the next few days I'll feel a huge sense of satisfaction. The rest of the money will be used to beef up my emergency fund. It's not at full capacity yet, and after fixing my computer I'll really want to get it back up to a comfortable level.
Onward with the money-making!
Tuesday, December 4, 2007
My Emergency Fund Is About to Come in Very Handy
When I got home from work yesterday, I pushed the button to turn on my computer and then...
Nothing happened.
Literally, nothing happened. Complete silence. No lights or sounds whatsoever.
After checking the stupid things (the computer was plugged in, other things plugged into that outlet were working, etc), I started to panic. Just about then, my roommate came home and said that her computer had done the same thing a couple of months ago, but since she had her laptop she hadn't worried about fixing it yet.
One phone call to a computer geek friend later and we found out that a series of fluctuations in power had caused damage to our computers' power supplies. Basically every time the fridge turned on or the vacuum cleaner was run, it fried the computer a little bit at a time. The cost to fix it should be about $30-50, unless the motherboard was also damaged, which I think would be another $80.
I'm pretty attached to my computer, so this is stressful for me, but I'm trying not to think about it too much and just be really thankful for my emergency fund.
Nothing happened.
Literally, nothing happened. Complete silence. No lights or sounds whatsoever.
After checking the stupid things (the computer was plugged in, other things plugged into that outlet were working, etc), I started to panic. Just about then, my roommate came home and said that her computer had done the same thing a couple of months ago, but since she had her laptop she hadn't worried about fixing it yet.
One phone call to a computer geek friend later and we found out that a series of fluctuations in power had caused damage to our computers' power supplies. Basically every time the fridge turned on or the vacuum cleaner was run, it fried the computer a little bit at a time. The cost to fix it should be about $30-50, unless the motherboard was also damaged, which I think would be another $80.
I'm pretty attached to my computer, so this is stressful for me, but I'm trying not to think about it too much and just be really thankful for my emergency fund.
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