The Target Challenge Continues

The Target Challenge has really paid off long after the initial 30 day recess. I’m pleased to report that my twice a week Target habit is officially broken. Nov 1st DH and I made a trip to Target for some essentials (draino, carpet cleaner, body soap) for less than $20! Better yet I haven’t been to Target since and I really don’t feel a dying need to go like I use to. It feels good to know I'm not waste money on non essentials like I use to!

Money Makeover- Chapter 8, 9, 10

While I have appreciated all the insight and inspiration I am getting from Ramsey's book, I'm admitting right now that the plan to this extreme will not work for me at this point in time. I know, everyone thinks they are the exception to the rule- but let me explain. This has nothing to do with the fact that my husband and I don't see eye to eye on financial matters and everything to do with the fact DH and I bought a fixer up over a year ago and certain things aren't going to hold up as long as we had hoped, e.g. our bathroom.

What I've learned from Ramsey is that it is far better to save ahead for major purchases to avoid having to take out debit. Believe me lesson learned. Our bathroom floor is on the way out; literally we are probably a few months away from having to shower under our house instead of in it. Our tub is leaking, our toilet is leaking, there is mold growing in the walls from excess moisture and the floor was rotted away when we bought the house (what were we thinking?!?).

I have more than $1000 in our emergency fund as I have been anticipating this problem and trying to gather money in advance of a really expensive emergency. But since I am a long way off from the projected costs of the project I feel it is more important to be saving up for this so we have the money on hand within 6 months to get it fixed. This means that instead of rolling over the payments from paid off debit to the next debit I’ll be putting it into our bathroom savings account so we can pay for it without taking out more debit.

I’m still reading and applying the principals as best I can but I also want to be prepared for the future and think this is where I need to be focusing at this point in time.

Confession Time

So I was planning on post a week's worth of my 15 minute days but I keep forgetting my timeline at work and I don't have access to blog while I'm there. Also I found out some disturbing and confidential news at work and have been spending most of my days preparing for the aftermath so I couldn't talk about it anyway.

I can tell you, however, that I've realized just how much time I waste during the week on pointless tv that I don't even like and how little time I spend paying attention to what I eat. I also spend a lot of time at work surfing around the Internet looking for things to read/do to keep busy. I think this will correct itself after the sale in a week but until then there are things I've been putting off that I should really be doing. It's hard to break bad habits but it has helped to see it written out in front of me.

15 Minute Days- Monday

6:05 Alarm goes off, hit snooze
6:14 Alarm goes off again, get up, let dogs out, go to the bathroom, prepare dogs for walk
6:30 Walk dogs in the rain
7:00 Return home, feed dogs, get dressed, straighten hair
7:15 Put on my makeup and pack my lunch
7:30 Carpool to work
8:00 Turn on computer, get coffee, check e-mail
8:30 Go through the weekly project list for upcoming due dates, outline tasks for the day
9:00 Met with manager to discuss hiring woes and employee counseling
9:30 Weekly meeting with employee
10:00 Walk
10:15 Send offer paperwork to potential new hire
10:30 Respond to e-mails for intranet Get to Know posting
10:45 Eat breakfast, changed my "card number zone" password, talked to potential new hire on phone
11:00 Edited co-worker's employment ad
11:15 Attended marketing planning meeting
11:45 Address issues with an old conversion account
12:00 Reviewed pricing list and provided feedback
12:30 Heated up lunch (left over mac and cheese)
12:45 Reviewed the local newspaper online
1:00 Read the latest article on The Simple Dollar
1:15 Read the Lecon du Jour, I'm inspired to brush up on my French now that my future parent company is in Canada.
1:30 Back to work, completed Get to Know article and posted on Intranet
1:45 Saved old conversion docs from previous issue earlier this morning
2:00 E-mail announcement- The FDIC has approved the sale! Yippee!!!!
2:15 Chit chatted with co-worker about the good news
2:30 Received a new immediate project
2:45 Updated Project List and responded to e-mails
3:00 Walk
3:15 Explained new project to employee
3:30 Completed applicant log for position FDIC did not allow me to fill
3:45 Filled applicant log for position I'm hoping to fill this week
4:00 Responded to e-mails
4:15 Received call from applicant completing new hire paperwork
4:30 Scanned the Internet for interesting reading while impatiently waiting for new hire paperwork so I can run it over to the HR manager before she leaves
4:45 Receive new hire paper work and run it over, but alas the HR manager is gone
5:00 Send e-mail to HR manager to run credit check on applicant, print schedule for tomorrow and wait for carpool ride.
5:15 Head home in the pouring rain
5:45 Arrive home to a hungry DH and make dinner (pumpkin curry soup and grilled cheese)
6:15 Eat dinner with DH and clean dishes
6:30 Shower
6:45 Watched last minutes of Family Guy and snuggled with the dogs
7:00 Listened to That 70s Show while playing with the dogs
8:00 Watched Gossip Girl
9:00 Typed up post
9:30 Go to bed and read until 10:15

Well there you have it another exciting day in the life of DEL. I'm noticing just how much time I spend with the tv on (even if I am not all out watching it) and how little time I spend eating. It takes DH and I less than 15 minutes to sit down, eat dinner, and clear the table. So sad although I am impressed that DH and I made it to the table 2 nights in a row.

15 Minute Days- Sunday

Awhile back I wrote a post suggesting that if we track how we spend our time every 15 minutes for a week, we could identify where we are losing time and in turn gain more time in the day. So this week, my lucky readers, you are going to get a glimpse of a week in the life of DEL, down to every 15 minutes.

7:10 Woke up, let the dogs outside, feed them, made coffee, and ate breakfast
7:30 Posted a prewritten blog post
7:45 Read the blogs of my favorite PWO ladies
8:00 Read financial blogs from my bookmarked folder and downloaded free shareware similar to photoshop
8:15 Read Stuck in a Rut at The Digerati Life
8:45 Watched Barack Obama's dance off at Blueprint for Financial Prosperity
9:00 Read more financial blogs
9:30 Managed bookmarked blogs and removed blogs I no longer read
9:45 Visited my 2 favorite forums- PWO & Woof
10:00 Continued browsing Woof
10:15 Looked at dog clothes and toys for the Woof pet swap and found some great deals on www.dog.com
10:30 Started an electronic copy of my 15 minute interval log.
10:45 Downloaded doggie pics to e-mail to my mom
11:00 Watched 2 episodes of The Wire from Netflex
12:45 Took a shower
1:00 Browsed www.dog.com again
2:00 Finally made a purchase and bought the doggies their x-mas presents
2:15 Took Hank, one of my dogs, for a walk
3:15 Returned from the walk and did the dishes
3:30 Logged into Facebook while I downloaded last week's NCIS
3:45 Watched NCIS
4:15 Watched House online and started the laundry
5:15 Made dinner and checked into PWO and Woof again
5:45 Ate dinner with DH at the kitchen table
6:00 Cleaned kitchen
6:30 Reorganized my dresser drawers
7:15 Did some Wii Fit
8:00 Watched the Amazing Race while folding laundry
9:00 Typed up this post
9:30 Read my leadership book
10:30 Went to bed (okay I cheated on the last two, but this is my plan and I'm sticking to it)

Hiring Woes

Dear Applicants,

Thank you for your interest in our open position at Company X. I know you are searching for just the right place for employment as we are searching for just the right employee. I regret to inform you that the position has been filled and I would like to offer you some suggestions for improving your search.

• If the ad says submit cover letter and resume, submit a cover letter and resume. Don’t submit a resume and say a cover letter is not available at this time. Make one available!
• Always write a cover letter. I hire for entry level positions and I have a rule- no cover letter no interview. This is your opportunity to share parts of yourself that may not be clear by glancing at your resume.
  
• Always proof read your cover letter and resume. Incomplete sentences and spelling errors contradict your claim of excellent writing skills.
• Use a professional e-mail address for job communications. Tinkrmybells is not professional.
• If you should be so bold as to tell me my e-mail address is wrong, you better be right. Otherwise I’ll be forced to believe you just can’t read and funny how 40 other people had no problem.
• Don’t misspell my company’s name and then say what a great eye for detail you have.
• Put your last name on your resume. Giving me just an initial makes me think you are hiding something.
• Take a note from minimal disclosure guy above, I don’t need you SSN or DOB and it’s not safe to send that kind of information over the Internet.
• You say your loyal and hard working, yet every year you are in a new city with a new job.
• If you are moving to a new state or a new career, explain why in your cover letter. Otherwise I’m left to make up my own reasons and I have a pretty outrageous imagination.
• It's pretty presumptuous to tell me when I'm going to call you. I’m the hiring manager and I get to decide how it’s done, when it's done, and whether or not you're involved.
  
• Include the dates of when you worked and put them in chronological order. I have better things to do than unscramble the last 25 years of your employment history.
• Don’t be inflammatory. It’s one thing to be confident it’s another to go inflate the truth. If you are going to make grandiose comments like how you are going to improve company productive in an entry level position in an industry you know nothing about, you better tell me how. Otherwise I think you are just full of yourself.
• Don’t supply 5 pages of your journalism awards for an entry level writing and marketing position. 0-1 years experience equals entry wages; we can’t afford your inflated ego.
• Check out Resumania for other silly things you should avoid doing.
  

I wish you the best of luck in your employment search.

Thank you,
DEL

P.S. I really haven't hired anyone, I just couldn't bring myself to hire you.

Money Makeover - Chapter 6

It’s been pretty uneventful on the home front. Things are picking up at work and the powers that be are starting to make plans for restructuring the company, which means most of my energy has been focused at work and employee restructuring but more about that later.

Highs:

• I made it 1 whole month without Target. Can I get a Yeeha?!?
  
• Our electricity bill is down $20. Seems giving up cable has brought down 2 bills!
• Gas is at an all time low price, I'm filling up before the election!
  

Lows:

• I bought lunch out twice this week
• I only went grocery shopping once this month so we also had to go out to dinner but we managed to make that pizza last for 3 meals so I don't feel quite so quilty.