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Browsing category: Uncategorized

  • January 14, 2009

    ReStart

    People have been complaining that the ReStart package leaves out those with “money in the bank” or “significant redundancy payments”. Excuse me, but since when is 25k an “insignificant amount”? Even after taxes, that is not chump change. I would not be turning up my nose at something like that. I believe the savings cut off was around $16k. Which I think is fair enough. I know that’s not a huge amount, but if you have 16k you can live off some of that for a little while. I know it will hurt, but that’s what you save your EF for, after all. (Bear in mind this is coming from a student with barely a quarter of that to her name)

    If you are important/wellpaid enough to end up with 25k or more in redundancy payouts, that’s not something to take lightly. Many of us wouldn’t get anything, or very little, so be grateful for what you have! Let’s say you end up with $17k after taxes. That’s enough for a couple of months. I tend not to look at the very top of my bank statement, the line that shows the total amount IN for the month and the total amount OUT. It shocks me to see that 6-8k passes through our account each month! Bear in mind that we pay the total rent for our house, $405, and so we get the rent from our two flatmates in every week. But it’s still so much more than I imagined, and so little of it stays in our account.

    Nonetheless, we have certainly cut back since the whole situation with BF’s employment, and $17k would have kept us going for awhile!

  • January 13, 2009

    Shopping spree

    Last weekend I ventured down to Savemart in New Lynn. I like that place! It’s good for super ultra basics. Not so much for work basics with a twist. There are lots of too-worn singlets, tanks and camisoles. Formal dresses and ugly boardshorts. But there are invariably gems, if you go at the right time and are lucky enough. You’ve really got to devote the time to combing the racks carefully.

    I was looking for some tailored black shorts/three quarter pants, a short cardi and a nice top in a particular colour (kinda pink/maroony/fuschia – it’s a very specific shade I have in mind and can’t find the right piece. On cardis it looks too nanna-ish. So I’m looking for something in a more luxe material, maybe a silky satiny number.) And possibly some sort of skirt for work/play.

    What I ended up getting: a pink Cotton On cropped jacket (pretty much the same hue as my pink Cotton On cardi, which I love so, for $6; a black and pink spotted skirt with zigzag hem for $7 and black long Ricochet shorts for $15.

    I wasn’t looking for a cropped blazer, and agonised over getting it. I figured, though, I’d need some more professional wear for doing interviews and working on stories this year (especially when we trip out to the regions for a week). I also think I need to get rid of my pastel pink cord blazer which I never wear and replace it with a more neutral, practical colour!

    The skirt was just so darn cute. It’s actually from Urban Angel but fits me nicely! I thought it was maybe a bit fussy, but I figured it would be okay for work, and definitely if I end up doing work experience at somewhere like nzgirl (somewhere a little more quirky/funky than a straight up new organisation). See, I was really thinking ahead that day!

    And the pants. I had given up on finding anything suitable to try on. Then I wandered down one “Designer” aisle with hardly anything on the racks. Lo and behold, I stumbled upon a hanger bearing one pair of long black shorts. Even before I clocked it, I knew it was a size 8 I had to try it.

    It slipped beautifully on and sat just right on my hips. It was fitted, not clingy, not loose, and you could tell it was made to last. They fell JUST below my knees – the perfect length! So when I sit down they don’t ride up too high.

    After $6 and $7, I wasn’t sure about paying $15. And I wasn’t sure I needed long shorts anymore. But they were so well made and so well fitted, and where can you get designer pants for $15? I snapped them up and wore them on Monday! That’s an investment; I imagine I’ll wear them for years and they’ll last forever. Unless I gain weight…

    It’s made me really realise why it is that people buy designer clothing – and pay designer prices. Sure there’s the whole high fashion aesthetic, but another reason designer stuff costs more is the materials and the manufacturing. They USUALLY use better quality fabric and have better tailoring. Which, for a person like me, is a godsend.

    Size 6-8 tops are not hard to find. You can come by them in basically any shop. Not so much pants. And when you do, they rarely fit in any way. Butt. Waist. Width. Cut. Length. That’s a lot of variables, and when they’re all fighting, well, you never ever get them all to line up in cosmic perfection.

    So I’m really glad that I came across that one pair of pants hanging lonely on the rack. Someone had obviously tried it on and discarded it. It didn’t fit them, but they fit me perfectly – they could have been MADE for me.

    Thank you Ricochet! You know it. And you understand a petite person’s body.

  • January 12, 2009

    Budget

    I didn’t get paid for my days off over Xmas. I guess you really do have to fill out the forms and all and apply, even if it shows up on the roster as LEAVE!

    But it’s okay, I worked two public holidays, and (I think) got double time), so I didn’t lose out too much, despite the three days less.

    This week’s budget (well, discretionary budget, post rent, bills and other payments)

    120 – groceries

    35 – gas

    50 – BF lunches, he’s working in Avondale and company has NO kitchen facilities

    30 – our misc. fun/entertainment/eating out money

    10ish – paintbrush to finish our front door

  • January 11, 2009

    Lazy Sunday

    Well I’ve had a fairly productive day – managed to paint my nails (right thumb eluded me, I had to do it three times over), wash all my makeup brushes, cleaned the bathroom, cleaned the kitchen cabinets and went to the Laundromat. Since our washer died a few weeks ago we’ve been making weekly trips to our friendly local Laundromat. For $2.50 our washing is beautifully done and never starchy…I don’t think we’ll bother replacing the machine! Not least because as time goes on the less I want to invest in this household. Over half of our bowls have disappeared. We have about three left from closer to 8 or 9. So it’s a struggle when I want cereal or noodles, to find something to house my meal in.

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    00542-1_mdWhen I have money to burn furnishing my dream house, I’m off to Howard’s Storage World to spend up a storm! Retro fifties spice tins and rubbish bins, steel shoe racks, spice racks, holders and organisers of all sorts, hangers and shelves. Yeah, I never thought I had such a hidden homebody…but being in the store the other day was like nirvana. I don’t want a HOUSE AND GARDEN home, but I would like it to be nice and clean and pretty and organised. Gah, I want a house of my own, and I want it now!

  • January 11, 2009

    Student allowance – for the last time ever!!!

    I’ve just finished the excruciating process of applying for my student allowance! YESSS!!!

    Honestly, if nothing else, the horror of dealing with Studylink is enough to deter me from ever undertaking further study. That, and the bloated fees charged for post grad.

    It might be worth it after the age of 25. I think that’s when the new limits kick in – they get over $300 per week, instead of less than $200. Why? I dunno. Maybe they think someone older will have more financial obligations. Still, isn’t that something for us to handle ourselves? It’s not Studylink’s job to cover our visa payments, car loans, HPs, etc.

    What bugs me is the sheer repetitiveness of the application process. I have to enter the same info every year. DOB, date I arrived here, date I became a citizen (I don’t know any of these dates; I just hazard a rough guess), etc. Thankfully I shouldn’t have to send in paperwork as they should have it on file from the last two years.

    I also have to enter how much I’ll be earning during the semester. Get this: I don’t even have my timetable yet. I don’t know what hours I’ll be working or how much I’ll earn. That will probably change from the $190 i entered and I’ll have to frantically call their 0800 number in the last week of Feb to recalculate my allowance entitlement. And get a letter signed by my boss to say I’m not lying.

    I really don’t have any faith in Studylink. Last year I didn’t get approved until the second week of uni (but they backpaid me, yay!). I never got the forms I needed despite calling week after week. I think it was the postman’s fault actually, but whatever. I still despise them; they’ve a govt. operated agency and the sheer bureaucracy is unbelievable!

    In 2007 about 2/3 through the year some smart alec staff member was poking around the system and noticed that I’d applied in 2006. Yes, at the END of 2006, for the 2007 year. So as to be ahead of the game.

    But they took no notice of that. No, they assumed that despite applying in December of 06, I must have been applying for the 2006 accdemic year, and therefore should not have been receiving payments for the whole of 2007. And they took it upon themselves to suspend me. The first I knew was when I checked my balance and had NOTHING in my account.

    Fuckwits.

  • January 11, 2009

    Back to work

    Monday marks BF’s return to work.

    Not too sure on the details, to be honest. He knows he starts at 7, and it’s going to be a quiet day to ease in. Should be a three month job. He should be working as a contractor, so who knows what’s happening with taxes and forms and whatnot. Sis’s partner is the one working with him, so should be able to guide him – failing that well my mother is an accountant and so are some other friends’ mothers! Hopefully on $25, though if he has to pay his own ACC levies and whatnot, not sure what take-home will be.

    He’ll have to go into old job and officially resign (although the place is such a mess, doubt they’ll notice/care at the moment, and they’re so disorganised they probably wouldn’t care if he turned up in three months again! Apparently there are guys that only work periodically..so….

    New company seems just as bad. Not sure if they’ll pay cash or deposit on this project. But for some reason apparently their direct deposits take forver to clear – like, almost a week. How does that work? Fuck knows. They’re a business. Normal businesses pay staff and it clears overnight. So I don’t know what the hell they do or how they work it. But you know, whatever, as long as he gets paid someway somehow.

    He will be working super long hours, like 10 hour days, but at least it’s fairly close to home – less time driving, less gas, less wear and tear, better lunch options nearby!

    I hope he doesn’t burn out.

    I have to drag him to the doctor sometime soon; he gets some strange pains and cramps, and the last couple of months has pretty much had a constantly upset stomach. Nothing pleases it! Definitely nothing spicy. Anything too heavy/creamy/sweet (yet he loves his custard and slathers his cereal with about a pound of sugar). He never feels like eating anything we make, and has gone “off” some of our staple meals (like a freaking pregnant woman or something) like nachos, chili, pasta etc. I reckon he’s developed some strange allergies or intolerances. He doesn’t want a doctor poking around and prodding him; I told him we’d ask for a female doctor if that’s what it takes!

  • January 10, 2009

    Tina Fey

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    God, I love Tina Fey.

    Maureen Dowd did a great interview with her for Vanity Fair. Love the photos too! “What’s the wildest thing you’ve ever done?” “Nothing”

    Someone commented teh other day about Sarah Palin, “Bitch, Tina Fey MADE you”

    She so did.

    Tina seems so modest and self deprecating and downright normal – boring, even. I love, love, love her!

  • January 8, 2009

    All in the family

    I’m not close to my family. I guess I used to be when I was very young, up till say 8 or 9. (I got all emo and depressed and lame after that.)
    I would like to be now, now the bad blood has gone. But I’m enjoying life, its busy, its good, and it’s kind of exciting knowing I’m going to be finishing uni at the end of 2009, and I have a good job, and possibly plans after graduation to travel…it’s like I’m on the brink of something BIG. So I almost compartmentalise them out (family, I mean) mentally. It’s like, one of those things you have to attend to every so often (shave, self tan, water plants, take out bins, clean bathroom, go for a run, PARENTS)

    We’re almost like strangers. I always do look forward to seeing them, as it’s not often we do, and catching up, but too often silence ends up dominating. I just don’t know what to say to them! Our lives are so different. I don’t really have much I feel I can share with them…they don’t know about BF, at least I haven’t told them, I have to watch I don’t accidentally swear in front of them, they were very anti drinking (perhaps less so now I’m legal), and yadda yadda.

    I still occasionally think, on the bus or whatever, about the bad things that were said and done. But I think I have forgiven, though possibly not forgotten (obviously!). But the older you get, the more you come to realise that these things don’t really matter anymore. They fade over time. I wasn’t beaten or molested, and now that we’re all adults the dynamic is different – in a good way.

    I don’t think we’ll ever be close. We’re very different, and we inhabit quite different worlds, and have totally different tastes and interests. My parents aren’t that close to their families either, particularly my dad.

    Blood will always be important to me, though. I would help them however I could if needed. But it makes me sad to think my kids probably won’t be as close to them as I’d like. Sad that they won’t have close cousins to play with and go on holidays with. But they will have great relations on their dad’s side, well, maybe… at least three of their cousins will be a fair bit older! They already have three waiting for them, and I don’t plan on having kids for maybe 10 years….so they’ll be 10-17 years behind!

  • January 7, 2009

    Windfall!

    BF called his company yesterday and got them to agree to pay his remaining annual leave out as well as four stat days (seeing as all the stats fell on weekdays in Dec, which are his normal working days). I’m surprised he didn’t have any grief about it; the new boss has been a wanker to him. I reckon two days’ worth of stats will carry us through two weeks until he starts getting paid (should be starting some work on Monday) the rest will go towards debt, and his holiday pay will be saved for, well, a HOLIDAY at some point. We deserve one 😛 I guess you could say the last couple of months have been his longest holiday ever, but to be fair sitting at home isn’t quite the same thing.

    It’s still a little strange having everything so up in the air..I don’t like it! It’s a weird feeling, not knowing for sure if you’ll be working or not. Obviously the last few weeks were different – we KNEW there was no way BF would have work, but it was okay, we budgeted and got through. He did have a week’s work in December so that helped us for a couple of weeks, and I did a ton of mystery shopping which brought in over $100.

    In the meantime, assuming everything goes okay, I’m keen to do something fun before heading back to uni. Originally we planned maybe taking a road trip one weekend – either up north or the Coromandel (haven’t really been to either, and want to!) but think we’ll leave it till the end of the year. And the less wear and tear on the poor car, the better. I’m really hoping the last year has taught BF to choose his next one wisely. It won’t be paid for for another couple years, so fingers crossed it lasts till then, and hopefully longer!

  • January 5, 2009

    Back at work

    Back to work….it was hard! I worked a full 9 hour day. Dozed on the bus home. Felt slightly loserish being the only one in the office who hadn’t gone away over the break. Or got copiously drunk.

    Our new boss is great though! I just love her. She’s fun, bubbly, vivacious and a little cheeky. And has a great accent. And clothes. She’s just so funny and full of life. I would have wanted to be her best friend; I bet she was a blast as a kid. (She claims she was hideous and bullied lots…) It’s a totally different, light atmosphere now and we all love it.

    But man, I loved coming into work while they were all away. There were NO distractions (except of my own making). I’d rock up at 11 and still be done by 5 at the latest. In my miniskirt and jandals. I could hog the microwave. Scratch my ass. Talk to myself.

    I reckon I could in fact work from home, in fact I might prefer it!

    Working Girl reckons it takes months to make friends at work and to not try too hard. Like I did first day of uni……and bombed.

    But if that’s the rule of thumb I’m glad! I still don’t have work friends. But I’ve never worked full time – even now I’m basically split between the jobs on diff. floors, so I don’t have much contact time to build relationships. Sadly, the most I can say is I’ve gone out with a coworker to get some lunch…and not a sit-down together kinda lunch, a grab it to take back to work, with detours into shops on way back.

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