Looking Forward

So if you’ve read my previous posts, you know that I’ve been mulling over a new opportunity for several weeks now.  This has been one of the most difficult decisions I’ve had to make because I really like my job, but there’s been several layoffs since I started, and the future isn’t quite as certain.

As I mentioned in a previous post, I was approached by another company, fairly soon after our last round of layoffs.  I interviewed with them, and then heard nothing back – for several weeks.  I had thought I was off the hook, and almost put them out of my mind assuming they had decided not to hire me.  And then yesterday the recruiter called to tell me that they wanted to move forward with an offer.  So I figured I had one more night to think/sleep on it.

I received the offer tonight and faxed my signature to them accepting it.  I believe it will be good for me, both personally and professionally.

So…  I’m still on Baby Step 2 – but still making really great progress.  If you listen to Dave Ramsey’s radio show you hear him say that when you start the debt reduction process it’s like you get a raise – because you address both the income and spending areas of your life – you learn to live on less than you make, and therefore spend less, and you find ways to make more money.  The new job helps – it’s not a BIG raise, but definitely significant.  But more importantly, I’m living on quite a bit less than I used to.  So ultimately I’ll be able to pay off that student loan just a little bit faster. 

Baby Step 2 is a long process for me – but I’m finding ways to speed it up. 

KISS, or How I learned to give up complexity and love simplicity

It’s really interesting to me, how only ten, maybe fifteen years ago I longed for the complex, perceived “fun” things in life. Taking on additional responsibilities (credit cards, car payments student loans) just seemed like life. And to a certain extent it is – although the older I get, the more I realize just how optional those things really are.

This process – debt reduction in particular, has caused me to consider, and even value simplicity in my life. On the “No Credit Needed” podcast, the host described the idea that he worries now, so he doesn’t have to worry. He talked about having his bills paid up, or in advance for a month in preparation for the birth of his daughter (CONGRATULATIONS, NCN!!!) – so that when she does arrive, he can focus on her – and not worry about bills. WOW.

I don’t have children, but I can relate. I remember a couple of years ago we had a pretty big event happen in my family; it was painful and traumatic. I became fairly depressed for about a month, and lost interest in – well, paying my bills or keeping up with them among other things. Now depression isn’t something I struggle with on an on-going basis – but when it did hit, I felt pretty disoriented.

Here’s the interesting thing – I eventually came back around, and when I looked at my bills and decided to catch up, I was caught up already. You see, I had set up my bill payments through my bank. My bank can receive bills from almost all my accounts, and I had set up automatic payments to be sent on the due date for those. For the bills that don’t have eBill capability, I have scheduled the right amount to be sent (which is pretty much only rent). And since my employer automatically deposits my paycheck, well, I hadn’t realized just how much my finances were on auto pilot. As long as money was in my account, my bills were paid.

I had expected to have to catch up with late payments – but everything had happened exactly on time, and for the right amount. Had I realized this, I probably could have focused on my family needs a little more – and worry less about my finances. Actually in retrospect the right thing probably would have been to pay attention and not let life’s events keep me from managing my finances. But that it worked out as well as it did is a testament to the simplicity of paying bills this way.

Now I make it a personal and unbreakable policy NOT to allow any company to deduct a payment from my checking account automatically. I want control – I’m more than happy to set up payments through my bank, where I have control – but I will NOT allow another company the right to dip into my checking account. By doing it this way I can change the amount, date, or even cancel a payment if I need to. In other words, I am in complete control.

As an aside, several years ago I had an interesting conversation with a salesperson at a gym:

Salesperson: Now, just give me your checking account information and we’ll deduct payments automatically through your checking account.

Me: Whoa! I was not aware I had to give you access to my checking account in order to sign up.

Salesperson: No, it’s okay – this way the bill is paid each month so you don’t have to worry about forgetting.

Me: I schedule payments to happen automatically on my bank’s web site. Besides, it’s a personal rule of mine, not to allow companies to take payments from my checking account automatically.

Salesperson (you won’t believe this): Well, you know rules were meant to be broken.

Me: What hours are you open?

Salesperson (a little surprised at my question): We open at 5:00am and close at 11:00pm.

Me: Would you mind if I came in at, say 2:00 in the morning to work out alone?

Salesperson: No, we couldn’t allow that.

Me: Why not?

Salesperson: You can only come in during business hours.

Me: So you’re saying it’s one of the company’s rules?

Salesperson (beginning to understand): Yes, I suppose so.

Me: And you won’t bend that rule for me?

Salesperson: I could ask, but I assure you the answer would be no.

Me: So I’m sure you understand when I tell you that my personal rule is never to allow a company access to my checking account. This, like your store hours, is a rule that is not meant to be broken.

The salesperson grumbled, but he did find the right forms, and he signed me up with traditional payments.

I’ve been told before that I’m a salesperson’s worst nightmare. Later on I saw that salesperson again, and he told me that he had called another salesperson at another location and told them what I had said.

At any rate, I like to keep control of my bills. So setting up automatic payments through your bank isn’t for everybody – but for me it works like a charm. In fact, in a way it allows me the freedom from worry. As long as I have an income.

So over the past few months, I’ve been able to remove bills from the list of bills on my bank’s website – and the smaller that list becomes the better it feels. Simplicity feels great – and allows me to relax a little bit.