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Jun. 14th, 2017 04:36 pm6/14/2017
Yesterday, I was using my phone and texted out an entire Dreamwidth post before I managed to back out of the page and lose the entire thing! The only time I decide to write directly on Dreamwidth and not copy and paste my post from another word processor...sigh*
Last night, I figured out how to connect my laptop to my phone via Bluetooth so I'm going to see what I can do with this. It should be possible for me to write things up on here - upload a text doc. to my phone, copy and paste it into Dreamwidth, Hubpages, and anything else, really. I also want to see if I can do some self-advertisement (for my writing) on my phone. I've also made a commitment to myself that I'd start sharing my writing, and writing FB posts again. Or at least try and see where it goes.
I love and hate this weather. I'm sticky and want to shower, but that summer breeze is so nice. Speaking of, I think I'm going to go shower before I finish this.
That's better.
It's been about a week since my last post and the biggest accomplishment for this past week is probably the amount I've been writing. I wrote about 12 pages over the last few days. I also hella deep-cleaned this entire apartment. The one thing I like about living in a studio-size apartment is it's very easy to clean. In the future, I would probably be satisfied if we had a small kitchen with just a stove, fridge, and a sink. When we do finally move, I think I'm going to only buy a (long) table and 2 chairs, as well as a mattress. Keep it small, keep it simple, etc.
I've also been thinking quite a bit about how long we will be here, realistically. I really want to find work by myself, even if it's just a part-time job, before going back to HRA. I really do want us to have more income before we get a housing voucher. In the meantime, I'm crossing my fingers that we may possibly be transferred out. Best case scenario is we get transferred out of here and into a place with a small kitchen. Big plus if they allow us to bring internet into the unit. Of all the obstacles we currently live with, I feel that not being able to cook our own food is our biggest financial and health/wellness barrier, and it really is a basic necessity. I can really see it first hand now why the concept of "housing first" is so vital to getting people back on their feet and in a good place financially so they can actually maintain it long term.
The articles I have been writing for HubPages this week have been about building routines for creative work and unplugging from the internet. This was all inspired by a book I have been reading on my Kindle. I've actually been reading quite a bit this week! I DL-ed 10 books! Some are poetry, majority is literature. I regret not DLing more non-fiction because I haven't been in the mood for stories and stuff lately. I doubt I'll actually get through them all before the Kindle Unlimited trial expires. LOL. Anyway, reading and writing about this topic has been very insightful. I know that I often talk about trying to increase productivity, and I really do think unplugging has been a huge factor. And sadly, that includes distancing myself from Nicole as well. It's kind of sad, but I know it's necessary. At one point, I'd spend all day talking to her, and although I miss it, I know this is better for me, at least for a while, although I really do hope I can establish some better habits now while I am living here.
Here is my to-do list for the remainder of the week:
Apply for jobs more regularly (on my phone). Try different apps such as Zip Recruiter and Monster. Write up another generic cover letter and save it in my Notepad.
Email back MyAccount (tuition balance)
Get an appointment for the ultrasound for next week. I know, I'm slow on this. It's always with the stupid calls, I swear.
**Important** Help/Proofread my aunt's essay (due Sunday). I want to get it to her early. It's not very long - it's like not even 2 pages, and it does need help with grammar, sentence structure, formating, ect. (but it's not a disaster).
I might also run some errands, pick up a few things, etc. I'll probably do another small load of laundry at some point in time, but that isn't happening today because it's already late. Before that, I need to pick up more dryer sheets, though I'm considering buying liquid softener instead. I think it's most effective. Maybe. I might be wrong - depends how much a small bottle costs. I honestly should just buy a big size already, when it's on sale, because I'm doing laundry nearly once a week, and I can cut costs by not spending another $3 on detergent and softener each week (along with the $5 to wash/dry). BTW, this is actually really affordable in comparison to other places. I've spent like...$25 each time I've gone to do laundry when we used to do our own laundry. Probably helps that we're not in Manhattan. Although, I would not miss an opportunity to live there again - foolishly of me, of course. I probably shouldn't. It's too expensive.
Saturday, we (or Thomas) will probably go to Brooklyn to see his Grandma and Luna. I will suggest to pick her up another sizeable bag of cat food. On Sunday, we have another follow-up appointment with our social worker in the basement.
Thomas only has about a week and a half left of work before Summer Break. I'm not sure how long he's off, but he should probably try and find some work in the meantime. If I could find a job quick enough, he may as well just ride it out for a month, because school is back in session first of August. I personally don't think it's worth it. Money will be tight though. I do think we would be OK, though with our food stamps and a little help from my Mom for a month. If we had some money, we'd have more opportunity to enjoy the summer - and I really want to enjoy it this year. I'd like to go to the Zoo once, and also to the beach. Both are cheap outings that would cost us less than $10! I was going to suggest to Thomas that we can simply pick up drinks and a deli sandwich with our food stamps, and bring a towel. Bam. Done.
Speaking of $$$, we're going to be tighter on cash for the next two weeks (but not really, because our food stamps just popped). I got $200 in cash today, and we have $250 in food stamps. We're getting about $300 (maybe a little bit more) tomorrow. The only bill we have is our phone bill which is $75 and due Sunday. The only other big expense is food and transportation. My mom is tight on money so I can't bother her much for any. I bought some vitamins today and spent $5 for lunch. I also gave Thomas money to refill his metro card. I believe I'm already down to $160. The plan is to spend no more than $20 a day (for both of us). And, to use food stamps for AT LEAST half of our purchases. If we do that, we should be spending approx. $50-70/week with food stamps and the same amount in cash. Which is more than enough to get us through 2-weeks.
Yesterday, I was using my phone and texted out an entire Dreamwidth post before I managed to back out of the page and lose the entire thing! The only time I decide to write directly on Dreamwidth and not copy and paste my post from another word processor...sigh*
Last night, I figured out how to connect my laptop to my phone via Bluetooth so I'm going to see what I can do with this. It should be possible for me to write things up on here - upload a text doc. to my phone, copy and paste it into Dreamwidth, Hubpages, and anything else, really. I also want to see if I can do some self-advertisement (for my writing) on my phone. I've also made a commitment to myself that I'd start sharing my writing, and writing FB posts again. Or at least try and see where it goes.
I love and hate this weather. I'm sticky and want to shower, but that summer breeze is so nice. Speaking of, I think I'm going to go shower before I finish this.
That's better.
It's been about a week since my last post and the biggest accomplishment for this past week is probably the amount I've been writing. I wrote about 12 pages over the last few days. I also hella deep-cleaned this entire apartment. The one thing I like about living in a studio-size apartment is it's very easy to clean. In the future, I would probably be satisfied if we had a small kitchen with just a stove, fridge, and a sink. When we do finally move, I think I'm going to only buy a (long) table and 2 chairs, as well as a mattress. Keep it small, keep it simple, etc.
I've also been thinking quite a bit about how long we will be here, realistically. I really want to find work by myself, even if it's just a part-time job, before going back to HRA. I really do want us to have more income before we get a housing voucher. In the meantime, I'm crossing my fingers that we may possibly be transferred out. Best case scenario is we get transferred out of here and into a place with a small kitchen. Big plus if they allow us to bring internet into the unit. Of all the obstacles we currently live with, I feel that not being able to cook our own food is our biggest financial and health/wellness barrier, and it really is a basic necessity. I can really see it first hand now why the concept of "housing first" is so vital to getting people back on their feet and in a good place financially so they can actually maintain it long term.
The articles I have been writing for HubPages this week have been about building routines for creative work and unplugging from the internet. This was all inspired by a book I have been reading on my Kindle. I've actually been reading quite a bit this week! I DL-ed 10 books! Some are poetry, majority is literature. I regret not DLing more non-fiction because I haven't been in the mood for stories and stuff lately. I doubt I'll actually get through them all before the Kindle Unlimited trial expires. LOL. Anyway, reading and writing about this topic has been very insightful. I know that I often talk about trying to increase productivity, and I really do think unplugging has been a huge factor. And sadly, that includes distancing myself from Nicole as well. It's kind of sad, but I know it's necessary. At one point, I'd spend all day talking to her, and although I miss it, I know this is better for me, at least for a while, although I really do hope I can establish some better habits now while I am living here.
Here is my to-do list for the remainder of the week:
Apply for jobs more regularly (on my phone). Try different apps such as Zip Recruiter and Monster. Write up another generic cover letter and save it in my Notepad.
Email back MyAccount (tuition balance)
Get an appointment for the ultrasound for next week. I know, I'm slow on this. It's always with the stupid calls, I swear.
**Important** Help/Proofread my aunt's essay (due Sunday). I want to get it to her early. It's not very long - it's like not even 2 pages, and it does need help with grammar, sentence structure, formating, ect. (but it's not a disaster).
I might also run some errands, pick up a few things, etc. I'll probably do another small load of laundry at some point in time, but that isn't happening today because it's already late. Before that, I need to pick up more dryer sheets, though I'm considering buying liquid softener instead. I think it's most effective. Maybe. I might be wrong - depends how much a small bottle costs. I honestly should just buy a big size already, when it's on sale, because I'm doing laundry nearly once a week, and I can cut costs by not spending another $3 on detergent and softener each week (along with the $5 to wash/dry). BTW, this is actually really affordable in comparison to other places. I've spent like...$25 each time I've gone to do laundry when we used to do our own laundry. Probably helps that we're not in Manhattan. Although, I would not miss an opportunity to live there again - foolishly of me, of course. I probably shouldn't. It's too expensive.
Saturday, we (or Thomas) will probably go to Brooklyn to see his Grandma and Luna. I will suggest to pick her up another sizeable bag of cat food. On Sunday, we have another follow-up appointment with our social worker in the basement.
Thomas only has about a week and a half left of work before Summer Break. I'm not sure how long he's off, but he should probably try and find some work in the meantime. If I could find a job quick enough, he may as well just ride it out for a month, because school is back in session first of August. I personally don't think it's worth it. Money will be tight though. I do think we would be OK, though with our food stamps and a little help from my Mom for a month. If we had some money, we'd have more opportunity to enjoy the summer - and I really want to enjoy it this year. I'd like to go to the Zoo once, and also to the beach. Both are cheap outings that would cost us less than $10! I was going to suggest to Thomas that we can simply pick up drinks and a deli sandwich with our food stamps, and bring a towel. Bam. Done.
Speaking of $$$, we're going to be tighter on cash for the next two weeks (but not really, because our food stamps just popped). I got $200 in cash today, and we have $250 in food stamps. We're getting about $300 (maybe a little bit more) tomorrow. The only bill we have is our phone bill which is $75 and due Sunday. The only other big expense is food and transportation. My mom is tight on money so I can't bother her much for any. I bought some vitamins today and spent $5 for lunch. I also gave Thomas money to refill his metro card. I believe I'm already down to $160. The plan is to spend no more than $20 a day (for both of us). And, to use food stamps for AT LEAST half of our purchases. If we do that, we should be spending approx. $50-70/week with food stamps and the same amount in cash. Which is more than enough to get us through 2-weeks.
