See Jane Get Rich

Financial Goals for Fall 2009 – Update

 I had several personal finance goals for this fall semester and here’s how I fared on them.

Goals:

• Goal #1: Correct my social security earnings statement
• Goal #2: Open a Health Savings Account
• Goal #3: Start a personal finance blog
• Goal #4: Get a holiday job for my winter break
• Goal #5: Set a budget

 Goal #1: Correct my social security earnings statement

 Issue: What I saw on my paystubs and income tax statements did not correlate with what I was seeing in my social security earnings statement.

 Status: Done but…   Read the rest of this entry »

 Today I got my first paycheck from my holiday job. I was starting to wonder when that first paycheck would show up and I kept checking my bank account to see if the direct deposit had come through. I finally went and asked my manager and it turns out the direct deposit paycheck hadn’t gone through.

I was so excited to see my paycheck that I immediately opened it up to see how much I had made working. It was a whopping $161.29. What! No way! I know I am working for peanuts but that’s even smaller than peanuts. So, I started scanning my paycheck to see why the heck my paycheck is the size of a mustard seed and that’s when I noticed my big fat 401(k) contribution. So, here’s how my first paycheck breaks down.

Total Earned Paycheck: $515.12

Now, subtract the following: Read the rest of this entry »

I am still waiting for my first paycheck from my holiday job.  I am starting to get a little tired of my job and it would really motivate me to see some of the fruits of my labor.  Also, I get a standard hourly wage and then I get various commissions on top of that so it makes it difficult to estimate how much money I am making.  I am very happy that I was poached by the jewelry department because my earning potential is much higher than what I would have been making in retail. 

Retail Departments

Hourly Wage: $8.00

Every Store Credit Application Opened:  $2.00

Jewelry Department

Hourly Wage: $7.25

Sales Commission: 1% of fine jewelry or watch sale

Insurance Plan Commission: 10% of plan

Watch Repair: 40% of total repair

 Every Store Credit Application Opened:  $2.00

  Read the rest of this entry »

Enountering Clueless Husbands

In my short holiday retail experience I have comes across the clueless shopper.  They’re usually men in their 40’s shopping for their significant other and they have absolutely no idea what her size is.  I am no longer shocked to hear  ”You”re the same size as my wife.  Will you try this on for me?”  or “So, if my wife wears a size 14 in pants what size panties should I buy her?”  And even, “Tell me, what size pants do you wear and what size panties do you buy?” 

Read the rest of this entry »

I have been wanting to get an oil change ever since I got back home and finally I decided to check out the new Express Oil change in town.  Their regular oil change price is $35.99.  This is way more than I pay at Bob’s Auto but I was feeling adventurous and wanted to try something different.  On Tuesday’s Express Oil has a Ladies Day promotion that will knock the price of the oil change down to $30.99.  Off I went this morning for an oil change. 

When I pulled into Express Oil I was told not to get out of my car and to just pull into their work area.  As soon as I pulled in I was told I can stay in the car because it would only take 10 minutes.  I was also presented with a rose because it was Ladies Day.  Soon I popped the hood and two men started probing and filling my low fluids.  I was presented with a $32.62 and a request for my autograph and I was out of there as soon as I pulled in all without getting out of my car.  The service was excellent, it was quick and I loved my beautiful rose.  But, I couldn’t help thinking how much I really paid for this rose.  I called Bob’s Auto to find out the exact price of their oil change and with taxes it came to $27.75.  Hmmm…let’s see here.  Express Oil’s $32.62 – Bob’s Auto’s $27.75 = $5.37.  Whoa, that is one expensive rose! 

So, I overpaid for the oil change but it sure was nice being treated like a queen.   Next time I will keep the $5.37.

When I went home for Thanksgiving, I put in an application for seasonal employment with two big box retailers at the mall close to home. I was staying up late to study so I finished filling out two online applications at around 2:00 a.m. The next day in the afternoon, I got a call from one of the stores that I applied to asking me if I can come in for an interview. I interviewed at 5:00 p.m. and was back in my car at 5:45 with an offer to start after I got home in December.

Seasonal holiday jobs are a great way for students to earn some cash on the side when they are off from school. And it will likely end up being a great motivator to continue with your studies after you realize how physically grueling jobs that merely require a high school diploma can be. I work in retail and that means I am on my feet all the time. My legs hurt so much that it takes me hours to recover from a shift.

Here are some tips to land a holiday seasonal job:

(1) Timing  Apply in late November when companies are looking to fill their ranks for the upcoming holiday season. Even if you can’t start right then it will be easier to get a December-only job if you apply early.

(2) Be Flexible I believe one of the reasons I got a job so quickly was because I had full availability.  Retailers are open earlier and staying open later and that means they need people to fill the schedule at those times.  If you have flexible availability then you stand a better chance of being hired.

(3) Target holiday industries People love to eat and shop.  These two activities certainly go into overdrive during the holidays so target retail and restaurants/catering.  

My retail job wears me out completely  from all the standing and the paycheck that I am getting isn’t going to be that big, but knowing that it is a temporary job makes me soldier on!  The extra cash also will come in handy with my tuition bill.