(Un)Employment & the Workplace

[-$31,700] Another Taxing Tax Season

Posted on by Double Debt Single Woman

Work Update

I had my annual review meeting with Manager, who apparently, and miraculously, has no plans to fire me, despite what I perceive to be recent decreased performance. I’m getting a small cost of living salary increase of 1.7% and my annual bonus! I’ll be getting my bonus soon. I was really nervous going into the meeting as I didn’t know what to expect or if I’d have a job coming out of it, but was relieved that it went as well as it did. I have improvements to make, but I still have a job.

In fact, I’ve been assigned two new projects. Thankfully, these projects will be in line with the old workstyle, so I expect I’ll feel comfortable running them. I’m planning to stay where I am for the immediate future. It won’t be easy at all, but if I can somehow grind it out here for one more year and pay off / down this debt, a lot more avenues will open up to me starting next year. Newish Leader (my manager’s manager) has been more hands-off lately, and this trend should continue. I plan to stay under Newish Leader’s radar as much as possible.

I just need to be able to survive for one more year before I can escape for good.       Read More

[-$32,700] Debt and Work

Posted on by Double Debt Single Woman

Student Loan Update

FINALLY(!!!) I have my new account settled. Refinanced at the end of November. Earnest-Navient didn’t send out the overage refund check back to new servicer until the end of December, one month later. Then it took the new servicer until a few days ago, mid-January, to credit the check and update my account. OMG, almost 2 months?! Ugh. What were they using, the Pony Express?! In any event, it’s good to have that servicer transition over.

Oh, and I made a payment this week, which brings my balance to $32,700, down from the $35,000 I rang in the new year with. This is great, but I’m wondering if I should have held on to the cash. See below.

Work Update

This update is not a good one.       Read More

The Post Where I Have No Idea What My Student Loan Balance Is

Posted on by Double Debt Single Woman

Did you participate in Black Friday / Cyber Monday or did you participate in Buy Nothing Day?

I bought one thing on Black Friday. I had no business buying anything else given my finances right now.        Read More

[-$40,745] I Think It’s Time for Me to Leave

Posted on by Double Debt Single Woman

There’s a trick to the Graceful Exit. It begins with the vision to recognize when a job, a life stage, a relationship is over – and to let go. It means leaving what’s over without denying its value. – Ellen Goodman

I think it’s time for me to leave my job, and my career…

Of the 10 Signs You Hate Your Job, I score an 8 out of 10 right now.

In the article How Work Kills Us, from The Economist, it is argued that work harms employees by being tied to their access to health care, and that the stress of work, lack of control over one’s working environment, long hours, etc, makes people sick both directly and indirectly.

I feel like work is killing me and I want out. When things go south in my jobs, it seems, they go south fast.  Read More

[-$42,800] Flat Out

Posted on by Double Debt Single Woman

Thank You 

Thanks, guys, for all the positivity and words of encouragement after my last post. I really needed a verbal hug, and you guys really delivered. I guess I realized just how much I am relying on getting out a debt by a certain time, just to keep myself together, and when there’s a change to that,  I get really down. I’m just so ready for all of this sacrifice to end, that it gets stressful sometimes. But never to fear, your Intrepid Debt Slayer is still here and ready to charge ahead. 🙂         Read More