Tracking My Expenses

Yesterday I bought Wii Sports Resort, and it was one of three purchases I've made on my credit card in the last MONTH that you couldn't file under food/rent/utilities/gas purchases. Also, since I'm still under the beneficiary of my parents for one more guaranteed month, not too many dents have been made in my bank account despite being unemployed since the end of March.

This isn't an excuse for not finding a job. I certainly could have been a little more diligent. It's also not exactly like the economy is just spewing out jobs for me, but I have been able to steadily survive with a small surplus while receiving pseudo-paychecks. Since my employment ended 4 months ago, I have had the last paycheck from my job, a government tax rebate, and various graduation checks deposited into my account, including a generous $5000 check from my grandfather which I partially used to buy myself a fancy new MacBook Pro. And that's not all. Sure enough, sometime this week I expect two more checks to arrive: a rebate check from buying an iPod Touch with the new laptop, and a check from the investment company that controls the retirement savings from UCSD employees (there was only my money in there due to one summer which I worked full-time hours on a part-time job so a small part of the paycheck was transferred to said investment company). The two checks come close to $400, another pseudo-paycheck.

It's the difference in Account Balances (or lack there-of) that strike this all as very interesting to me, because aside from maybe a video game or two more, I don't have any pressing needs or wants to buy that I wouldn't think twice about if I had a job. You'd think I would want something, but at this point I can easily live comfortably. I realize this is all subject to change once I am cut off from my parents, but if I can make enough to cover rent/utilities/food I could survive handily. I've already made all the big purchases I've wanted to, which include a nice LCD TV, a Nintendo Wii... and hell I can't really think of another. I don't exactly want to set the job bar low for myself, but considering the state of the economy I may not have much of a choice anyway.

It's getting closer and closer to the point where I may have to settle for a job that I would consider beneath me. That's something my ego and pride with have to swallow, but I have always come through when it has counted most, so all I need is the confidence to succeed in whatever I end up doing.

Ugh, that was a terribly cheesy ending...