Goal Update: Money

One of the first blogs I wrote when I moved here was about money, and my current lack of it.

This blog, and the couple that are similar to it, inspired several comments from a variety of people.  Some people offered to front me some cash, some respected that there were words out there similar to their thoughts, some understood the place it was coming from.  Moving is hard.  Moving abroad is also hard.  I came over here with the expectation that I would be saving money, hence my goals, and those first months were quite the opposite.

But here we are, in June, and I'm reevaluating the goals that I had set, and seeing where I am now.

I've acquired a few extra jobs these last few weeks.  I'm tutoring for a neighbor kid, and also captioning videos online, a job which doesn't make much money, but gives me something to do besides sitting at home and watching television.  It's also entertaining; I've captioned for feminist MTV webcasts, alternative energy science videos, and a documentary about the Beach Boys.

These past two weekends, I've been spending only the money in my change cup.  I would go convert it to cash, but I would just be that a**hole who brings in a bunch of change to the bank and makes the ladies count it for me.  So, I've been using my coins to purchase my moto ride to the market, my coffee and water, and my rice noodle breakfast, making sure to use up all the coins that I've kept for the year.  The money stuck in there has bought two weeks' worth of breakfast routines, which is pretty nice.

All the other money I've used this week has been from my weekend tutoring gig.  My neighbor, who I rarely see, asked me a few weeks ago if I'd be willing to tutor her nephew, studying for the IELTS to get over to Australia.  We've worked on English pronunciation, and test taking skills, and reading comprehension.  Then, she buys me lunch, which is pretty neat.  I believe that people my age have an above-average appreciation for free foods.

I've been proud of myself this year.  I've saved some good money.

I saved enough to pay for eye surgery, and I couldn't be happier with the results.  I still have some astigmatism in my left eye, but they say that it may correct itself with more time.

I have saved enough to get myself home for summer, which is very exciting.

I have saved enough to pay down some of my student loans, which do nothing but stress me out.

Given the good news I had this week, I also indulged in a massage and a haircut, two desperately needed times at the spa that turned out to be well worth the money.  My hair and my neck were unhealthy in their own ways, and I've taken steps to make them better.  I also saw a movie, Spy, even though I accidentally purchased a ticket for the Thai dubbed version instead of the English one.

I've been thinking, though, that I don't usually try that hard to save money.  My colleagues seem to spend considerably more than myself, and I am often wondering why.  Granted, I live in a village far from the city center, which means my opportunities for certain activities are limited.  That will change in the fall; I'm moving into the city to be more able to acquire transportation and independence.  Hopefully, I can find an apartment that mimics the joy that I feel in my current place, and still provides me a community.

Speaking of that, I took a step to save money during Summer School (June) by moving into a friend's apartment.  She lives in an apartment complex basically across the street from school.  This saves me having to take taxis to and from school everyday, which would cost something like $15-$20 a day, along with the added stress of finding one in the morning.  The closest shopping center to school, and these apartments, is Mega Bangna.  It is mega, in every way.  There is an Ikea, a grocery, a department store, and wings full of the same types of stores.  I hate it there.

As I've been staying here, I have really wondered if I could have moved here.  The answer, undeniably, is no.  This helps me to realize what I'm looking for in my next apartment in the city.  I couldn't put my finger on what I really disliked about the place, not immediately.  It's great to be able to leave for school with 10 minutes to spare and be 5 minutes early.  It's great to have a movie theatre a cycle away from your house, with every possible type of food.  It's not great that I must brave the wall of noise in order to eat all the food.  It's not great that a ton of kids and coworkers live in the same building.  It's really not great that there's no sense of community.  I need community.  It's the small town girl in me.

I've gotten off topic.  Living in this apartment is saving me money, even if I am close to a mall with tons of things I want to eat in it.  There's very little I'm inclined to buy otherwise.  I did buy a hose and some canvases, but other than that I've been able to restrain myself.

I'm in a good place financially right now.  The extra work, despite not always working out fantastic hourly rates, makes me feel productive.  I did say I wanted to save every extra baht, and I have.

My goals for this summer with some additional cash:
1. Pay off at least one loan, and all the interest for all four loans.
2. Keep at least $2K in both Thai and US accounts.
3. Allot money to emergency saving fund.

Slowly, but surely, I'm getting on my feet and looking to pay off the momentous debt that the American education system has left me with.