I apologize for not updating my blog. I have had one heck of a month. Wow! I hopefully have a new high paying job, saving more, bought a new car. It is awesome! Granted it was a very bad decision but you know what, this is the time I have to live a little. No more extravagant expenditures. No no no!
Things left to do:
1. Negotiate a great salary/package (within the next 2 days).
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3. Start investing more.
More and more people now give out gift cards as holiday gifts. May it be that the person you are shopping for is very picky, very hard to shop for or that you are just crunched for time. But are gift cards worth it? In my opinion, not most of the time. Rather than churning up a story let me list some of the problems I see.
CONS:
I have not devoted as much time to this blog as I would have liked to these past few weeks. I have been a working hard! There are times when you give up hope, or just get lost in the hustle and flow of the world but there are also times like these where you learn to live again. As you know, I am working and in school, it is hard to focus on just on anything, let alone have time for yourself. As my friends start graduating, starting jobs or begin their Masters degrees, I feel left behind. Sure, this was my choice to take the slow track for my education while I work, but still it feel weird. But then again, I do feel proud of what I have accomplished. I have been working hard, been promoted, recognized and appreciated in my work place. I am currently working hard to yet again get another promotion that will officially take me into higher management. Within one short year I started at rock bottom and am on my way to greatness (I don't want to sound cheesy).
So what have I done different from my fellow coworkers?
Simple, I stood out. I have implemented my ideas and if successful I brought it to attention of the right people. I have been very proactive, positive and "helpful." You can only depend on yourself. You are the one who has to make things happen. Do not feel embarrassed or shy to bring attention to your efforts.
I would first like to apologize for not updating my blog this week. I have been very busy with exams and work. It was an interesting week. I have been contacted by three recruiters from other companies with high salaries and better positions than I currently have. I flat out refused the first two, but the third one out of curiosity asked what they were offering. Turns out they were willing to pay me $16K more than what I am making right now. I had to decline for various reasons. First of all, I love the place I work at. Sure, it gets frustrating at times and I even think about quitting but I guess I have become comfortable there. Secondly, I do not want to make such drastic choices before I finish my degrees. But it was good to realize what I am worth in the job market.
I still have not received a response from them. I contacted them via their secure messaging service twice. According to Banking Guy,
The relatively new E-Loan savings account has a lot of glitches and problems. First of all, if you make a deposit, for a day or two it shows up as a "debit" rather than a "credit." According to a CSR that is going to be fixed soon. Secondly, I was informed that my e-statement was ready. When I logged on my balance had not changed, I looked at the statement and saw that I earned like $15 in interest on 10/31 but that is not reflecting in my account as of 11/3. What's up with that? I sent them a secured message on 11/1 and am still waiting for a reply. I might call them tonight and check up on that. I will post my findings as soon as I can.
Tonight was something! I had to run to the store twice as we ran out of candy within an hour. Apparently 4 bags was not enough. I was wondering however what would be the age limit to go trick or treat? I saw many kids who had to be between 16 - 19 who came alone for free candy! In my opinion this is for the little monsters, personally under 13 in my book. I don't know what I am saying maybe had to much candy myself that I am rambling. I ate like 12 mini boxes of Mike&Ike... now I fee sick. Happy Halloween! Boo!
I recently was a victim of identity theft. I still haven't grasped the idea of what exactly happened but it sill has left me in shock. Someone apparently got hold of my MBNA credit card number and was charging like there was no end. How did I find out? I called to inquire if my payment reached on time and the associate after verifying my identity told me that my card was blocked as there had been some suspicious activity. Blocked? How? What? Apparently they tried to contact me but I had not updated my new number with them, so as a precaution they blocked my card. THANK GOD! After verifying that out of the thousands of $$$ in charges only $4, that's right $4 was mine she informed me that my card was canceled a new card was issued with a new account number. Phewww!
But I still can't figure out how this happened. I never use my cards online. I always use the virtual account numbers that you can generate to buy stuff online. I have read articles where restaurant employees swipe your card and retain the information which they later either sell or use. What a world we live in!
Word of Advice: Check you accounts at least weekly, set up e-alerts if your card issuer offers them. Keep track, if anything seems suspicious call the credit card company or bank immediately.
October is going to be a tricky month for me. I will have an added expense of $200 a month in living expenses. A lot of birthdays! So my expenses are going to be around $800 more than last month which is going to hurt me (damn those expensive presents...but it's worth every penny to see the look on the faces of people you love when they open your gift). Keeping this in perspective I am not going to eat out at all this month, or at least try not to. I am going to do more of the extra activities such as surveys and mystery shops. I would estimate about $120 from surveys and mystery shops alone. This month most of my mystery shops are very entertaining and interesting so it should be fun. I hope everyone looks for the best deal be it for clothes, furniture or anything else. Since, I have been doing a lot of shopping this month, I have hunted for a lot of coupons and deals and might I say I have saved over $300 using those promotions. I have used 15% off to 40% off, free shipping, rewards etc. I think I will write an individual post on how to find the best deals and coupons before you purchase anything, and I mean anything.
For more information or if you have any questions about which service provider to sign up with for surveys and mystery shops just contact me.
This is more of a rant so, I apologize for going a little off topic. I have been working at this company for over a year. Not to brag, but I pretty much do everything at some point each week. I mean, I have knowledge of over 80% of the duties of other employees with higher and lower positions than mine. I like the people I work with, and that is the only reason that is keeping me there as I have been screwed over my pay over and over again. I got a promotion in June, and my pay raise is scheduled to take effect in October and I am highly disappointed. They are going to pay me peanuts! Seriously, the pay I will receive is far too low, not only for the amount of work I do but compared to others in the same job band. I tried my best to negotiate, I am aware that if I were to apply at another company for an even high position I would get a lot more. I have been approached by recruiters but my loyalty to the company stood in the way. What should I do? Any suggestions?
