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Status quo
Jun. 19th, 2011 10:11 pmAfter chewing things over a bit here's how things are shaping up for me financially.
The good news is that it isn't dire. I'm not in danger of losing the house or any of my stuff... especially since the mortgage is paid off (but that's another story).
Unfortunately, I'm not seeing much in terms of positive cash flow. What this means is that whatever I make each month is pretty close to whatever I spend each month. I think there may be a very weak positive cash flow but if it came up to saving for a trip, etc., it would take quite a while to do so.
A pawful of variables to throw into the mix:
- With very few exceptions, I'm not letting others borrow from me. I simply can't afford to do so, and I've had people repeatedly borrow without paying back. And if it means others have to miss out because they can't go out, etc., well, too bad for them. A couple months ago I passed on going out because I couldn't afford to spend the money, so there's no reason others can't do the same too.
- I don't know how much longer I'll stay in the Guard. Ideally, I'd like to stay in until 2019, when I'd be able to retire, though I'd never see any of my retirement for a while because it would go to pay my voluntary separation pay when I left active duty. This will have a big fiscal impact because it cuts off one source of income while raising expenses.
- Gas prices are (relatively) low now but I'm bracing for the possibility of them surging up to $6/gallon by the end of the year. Whether or not this happens remains to be seen, but one thing is definite: Hawaii has one of, if not the, highest gas prices in the nation, and it's been consistently near the top. We'll likely be one of the first to see prices surge.
So with all that, what's going to happen for the future for yours truly? Here's what I envision:
- Until further notice, I'm suspending all non-official/non-work-related travel off-island. That includes interisland travel, of which I haven't done much anyway except for Guard. It does mean I won't be at any cons for the rest of the year, as well as FC 2012.
- I recently bought a set of discount movie tickets from Costco, but I intend to make the set that I bought last until the end of the year. If I use up the tickets before then, I won't be seeing much if anything in terms of movies, the only exception being "Puss in Boots" -- for obvious reasons. :)
- More because of logistics than anything else, I won't be able to host anyone that wants to visit. So, if anything, a lot of my socializing will be online (those of you who know my ICQ/AIM/etc. can contact me that way). To avoid getting spammed by bots, I've set my ICQ to only allow friends to contact me, so if you want me to add you to my friends list, put in a blurb about who you are and why you want to be on my friends list -- don't just send a blank request or it WILL be ignored.
I'll revisit this issue in a few months, and we'll see if things have gotten better, worse, or -- as I anticipate -- stayed the same.
The good news is that it isn't dire. I'm not in danger of losing the house or any of my stuff... especially since the mortgage is paid off (but that's another story).
Unfortunately, I'm not seeing much in terms of positive cash flow. What this means is that whatever I make each month is pretty close to whatever I spend each month. I think there may be a very weak positive cash flow but if it came up to saving for a trip, etc., it would take quite a while to do so.
A pawful of variables to throw into the mix:
- With very few exceptions, I'm not letting others borrow from me. I simply can't afford to do so, and I've had people repeatedly borrow without paying back. And if it means others have to miss out because they can't go out, etc., well, too bad for them. A couple months ago I passed on going out because I couldn't afford to spend the money, so there's no reason others can't do the same too.
- I don't know how much longer I'll stay in the Guard. Ideally, I'd like to stay in until 2019, when I'd be able to retire, though I'd never see any of my retirement for a while because it would go to pay my voluntary separation pay when I left active duty. This will have a big fiscal impact because it cuts off one source of income while raising expenses.
- Gas prices are (relatively) low now but I'm bracing for the possibility of them surging up to $6/gallon by the end of the year. Whether or not this happens remains to be seen, but one thing is definite: Hawaii has one of, if not the, highest gas prices in the nation, and it's been consistently near the top. We'll likely be one of the first to see prices surge.
So with all that, what's going to happen for the future for yours truly? Here's what I envision:
- Until further notice, I'm suspending all non-official/non-work-related travel off-island. That includes interisland travel, of which I haven't done much anyway except for Guard. It does mean I won't be at any cons for the rest of the year, as well as FC 2012.
- I recently bought a set of discount movie tickets from Costco, but I intend to make the set that I bought last until the end of the year. If I use up the tickets before then, I won't be seeing much if anything in terms of movies, the only exception being "Puss in Boots" -- for obvious reasons. :)
- More because of logistics than anything else, I won't be able to host anyone that wants to visit. So, if anything, a lot of my socializing will be online (those of you who know my ICQ/AIM/etc. can contact me that way). To avoid getting spammed by bots, I've set my ICQ to only allow friends to contact me, so if you want me to add you to my friends list, put in a blurb about who you are and why you want to be on my friends list -- don't just send a blank request or it WILL be ignored.
I'll revisit this issue in a few months, and we'll see if things have gotten better, worse, or -- as I anticipate -- stayed the same.
