I was ok until this week with this whole unemployment thing. Now, not so much.
I hate not knowing what's going to happen.
I hate not knowing when the second interview is going to be with the housing design company.
I hate knowing that I have to shell out $150/month on health insurance starting 5/1.
The waiting truly is the hardest part.
I feel like I'm just stuck, going nowhere, in this big black hole. The longer time goes on, the further I'm sucked in.
I had an interview 2 weeks ago with an online housing design company that I thought would be a great place to work. I thought the interview went pretty well and he told me that everyone always gets 2 interviews. That was enough to keep my hopes up for a little over a week. I sent my requested weekly "check-in" email, no response. I sent my second email yesterday, no response. I don't know what to think. I LOVED the company. If the money was decent, I'd accept a job there in a heartbeat. Now I'm questioning everything and in all honesty, there just isn't much of anything out there that I'm qualified for.
I've been scouring websites, magazines, the paper, anything I can think of to try to find some sort of full time employment. At this point, the reality is starting to set in... without a full time job, savings is starting to be held up, I'm having a harder time reaching my goal of paying off my credit cards and student loans, and money is just starting to be all around stressful.
The biggest thing though is that this schedule is killing me. I'm sitting here working three different jobs again, just trying to piece things together. I am working at PT job #1 at 5am twice a week and then on the other days I'm working at 8:30 at PT job #2. It's killing me. I'm also teaching lifeguarding classes on the weekends. I spend more time in the car than I should, but there's no way around it considering that I go from A to B to C to B to D all.the.time. The sad thing is these jobs are no more than 10 miles from the house.
I'm so impatient, I know that. Right now it's only getting worse though in this never-ending wait. I hate waiting.
Sunday, April 5, 2009
Saturday, March 21, 2009
Money, Money, Money
Awhile back I wrote about saving money and how it's almost a game to me. My addictions to coupons and sales continues, but now I have a new love: mystery shopping.
You see, when I was in high school, I worked at a high(er) end specialty shop in Kohler. Customer service was always key; you needed a smile on your face and to bend over backwards to accomodate the customer. Whatever they wanted, within reason, they got. It stuck with me; it's not necessarily that the customer is always right, but it is necessary to accomodate the customer whenever possible and there are no excuses for less than exceptional customer service. Mystery shopping allows me to evaluate that customer service and then on top of that, get paid! I regularly order pizza from Papa John's, shop at Harris Teeter, and do some shops around the mall. I shop for two main companies; Corporate Research International (www.mysteryshops.com) and GfK (www.cybershoppersonline.com). I've made a good bit of money off of both, but you really have to be careful. Not all shops are worth the time. Some are ridiculous amounts of information (Exxon, for example) for little to no pay. Eating out has become a new favorite... everyone loves a free meal!
CRI is my favorite. I've done 45 shops for them to date and have never had a late payment from them. It's a good day when I get an email from them saying my money is on its way! I do Papa John's and Gate gas station shops (buying beer!) through them. Easy surveys, fast pay... what's not to love?
GfK is a close runner up. I've done countless shops for them and they pay through PayPal. It's always a race to pick up the shops through them though, especially in a tough economy. The shops go FAST. Their reimbursements and pay are fantastic, usually $11-13 for a short 15 minute shop and then filling out a survey for about 10 minutes after the shop. Easy, easy, easy!!
Who doesn't love free stuff? Have fun, make some money, and get a few free (or severely discounted) things.
You see, when I was in high school, I worked at a high(er) end specialty shop in Kohler. Customer service was always key; you needed a smile on your face and to bend over backwards to accomodate the customer. Whatever they wanted, within reason, they got. It stuck with me; it's not necessarily that the customer is always right, but it is necessary to accomodate the customer whenever possible and there are no excuses for less than exceptional customer service. Mystery shopping allows me to evaluate that customer service and then on top of that, get paid! I regularly order pizza from Papa John's, shop at Harris Teeter, and do some shops around the mall. I shop for two main companies; Corporate Research International (www.mysteryshops.com) and GfK (www.cybershoppersonline.com). I've made a good bit of money off of both, but you really have to be careful. Not all shops are worth the time. Some are ridiculous amounts of information (Exxon, for example) for little to no pay. Eating out has become a new favorite... everyone loves a free meal!
CRI is my favorite. I've done 45 shops for them to date and have never had a late payment from them. It's a good day when I get an email from them saying my money is on its way! I do Papa John's and Gate gas station shops (buying beer!) through them. Easy surveys, fast pay... what's not to love?
GfK is a close runner up. I've done countless shops for them and they pay through PayPal. It's always a race to pick up the shops through them though, especially in a tough economy. The shops go FAST. Their reimbursements and pay are fantastic, usually $11-13 for a short 15 minute shop and then filling out a survey for about 10 minutes after the shop. Easy, easy, easy!!
Who doesn't love free stuff? Have fun, make some money, and get a few free (or severely discounted) things.
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