Accepted a job and doubled my salary

[jollylight]

I did it guys! After struggling from paycheck to paycheck for my entire adult life, I have landed my first “big girl job”. Most entry level jobs in my field pay $45-50k/year. I took a chance and asked for $70k in the interview because I know how urgent their staffing need is, and we met roughly in the middle of what they were offering and what I asked. It is a Monday to Friday job, 8-5, good benefits. I’m so relieved beyond words. I make barely enough to pay my bills now, so this will change my life. I plan to stay in my cheap apartment for at least another 2 years so I can pay off debt and build some savings, but it’s finally here.

 

[shawnab]

@jollylight Smart decision to avoid lifestyle creep. Kill your debt, start investing and have compound interest work for instead of against you. This is the way!

 

[jollylight]

@shawnab I don't plan to change my lifestyle except that I will probably get higher quality food for myself and my pets. The first paycheck will go towards restocking my pantry and buying myself a decent wardrobe for the new job (although my shopping will be done at goodwill and other cheap stores) AND I will have plenty left to pay my bills! I'm going to double down hard on paying off the credit card debt I've accrued and then throw as much as I can towards savings every month. I have a good car that is paid off, I use mint mobile for my phone bill and pay it once a year, and I share streaming services with a few people. No need for any of that to change!

 

[smon]

@jollylight Consider the work clothes an investment for your job and the higher quality food an investment for your health. These are two areas I consider necessities rather than lifestyle inflation.

 

[mamabear92]

@smon Also shoes. Getting a 200$ pair of work shoes may seem crazy but they make each step a million times better.

 

[ganner]

@mamabear92 One of my grandparents used to tell me "don't cheap out on anything that goes between you and the ground" and that's been solid advice. Shoes, tires, mattress, etc, can all be good investments if you do your research and buy smart.

 

[dirknolan]

@mamabear92

The reason that the rich were so rich, Vimes reasoned, was because they managed to spend less money.

Take boots, for example. He earned thirty-eight dollars a month plus allowances. A really good pair of leather boots cost fifty dollars. But an affordable pair of boots, which were sort of OK for a season or two and then leaked like hell when the cardboard gave out, cost about ten dollars. Those were the kind of boots Vimes always bought, and wore until the soles were so thin that he could tell where he was in Ankh-Morpork on a foggy night by the feel of the cobbles.

But the thing was that good boots lasted for years and years. A man who could afford fifty dollars had a pair of boots that'd still be keeping his feet dry in ten years' time, while the poor man who could only afford cheap boots would have spent a hundred dollars on boots in the same time and would still have wet feet.

This was the Captain Samuel Vimes 'Boots' theory of socioeconomic unfairness.

 

[zenos777]

@dirknolan The modern addition to this in my head is Ikea furniture. I've never had particle board anything last too long it seems.

 

[1cor1522]

@smon Yeah and we need to eat everyday so I think we should make it enjoyable.

 

[shyhelpless]

@jollylight Also hit up your local Buy Nothing group for work clothes! Clothes are the one thing that everyone is always giving away, and if you make an #iso (in search of) post that you’re looking for x type attire in y sizes for your new job you might even inspire someone to go through their closet.

 

[xjohnson]

@jollylight Hold up…mint mobile is a once a year bill?

 

[jollylight]

@xjohnson You can buy in 3 month, 6 month, or 12 month options. The 12 month is the cheapest per month, but most expensive up front purchase.

 

[xjohnson]

@jollylight Bruh i pay 45 a month for limited speed. How’s the service? I live in nyc

 

[jollylight]

@xjohnson I live in a different state, and I don’t have service in my office in the middle of a hospital, but everywhere else is fine!

 

[prnce]

@jollylight Goodwill has become an overpriced scam. Check there, but also check other thrift stores and compare prices (online) as much as possible; sometimes Goodwill stuff is priced higher than what you can pay for it new. Look online to places like eBay and OfferUp as well.

 

[qey]

@prnce Eh. Goodwill isn’t a scam.

Goodwill saw Etsy and DePop stores making profit off the clothes they were selling and decided to increase their prices a little. Also they were hit with the same inflation and price increases the rest of us have seen.

Goodwill still sells clothes below retail. Still keeps older donated clothes in use, versus buying new ones. Does help employ people in need (though I don’t know as much about that).

There are some clothes that are about the same as retail. I see a lot of 32degrees clothes there, which cost about the same. That said, I also buy at Goodwill for all the other ways (see above) purchasing from a thrift store is beneficial, along with their less than new prices.

Goodwill could hire some DePop store owners and really jack up prices to match what people actually are willing to pay. I’m glad they haven’t.

 

[prnce]

@qey Goodwill is a “charity” that overcharges customers, underpays employees, and pays its CEO millions.

 

[qey]

@prnce I’d say the same about most retail stores, like Old Navy and Target.

Except they’re:
- more expensive
- not a well-rated registered 501(c)3 charity https://www.charitynavigator.org/ein/530196517
- don’t recycle used products

Gap (owner of Old Navy) has also donated nearly $700k to political campaigns on both sides of the aisle. https://www.followthemoney.org/entity-details?eid=16508

 

[miltoncrum]

@prnce I totally agree with this. I’ve been shopping there 15+ years and their prices at stores in my area are outrageous.

 

[agman00]

@jollylight Good. There's no such thing as cheap food a friend told me once. He's right. You'll pay now for food or later with tone and medical bills