Adam Luke

Archive for the ‘Money and Work’ Category

An Explanation

So…I still exist.

It turns out that working almost full-time while being a full-time student and having all my assignments due at the peak of this busy period is not conducive to having any sort of “life”. Having one day off in seven weeks and being busy with aforementioned work/uni/etc. all day and well into the night every single day is just exhausting. And wearing shoes for all that time gets painful.

But anyway, as a lot of you (if I do, in fact, still have readers?) know already, I lost my job amidst of all this (for reasons not of my own doing, in case that’s how it sounds..!). Which means I now have available this mystical thing known as ~the weekend~.1

And I’m pretty sure I’ve been aloof around my university friends (disgregard friends; acquire grades2). But that can now stop, I suppose. I “celebrated” finishing my assignments by seeing a show for the Melbourne International Comedy Festival with Lucy. Long story short, this happened to my arm, and fun times were had.

  1. With which to catch up on all the schoolwork I’m behind in. Which is a lot. Argh!
  2. Except not really…my grades may well be screwed.

May 2nd, 2011 · Daily Life, Money and Work · 1 Comment »

Money and Me

Yes, the title of this entry should actually be “Money and I“, if you’re going to get all grammatically correct on my ass. I…I liked the alliteration OK? IT’S MY BLOG AND I’LL TAKE POETIC LICENSE IF I WANT TO!

Ahem. Anyway, since I’m eagerly awaiting a few hundred dollars of tax refund to be deposited into my bank account, I thought I’d write about money. Money is awesome, am I right? I like to hoard it, and have two bank account for this very purpose:

  1. Primary bank account
    This is where all my money from work is deposited, and where I withdraw funds from when I need them. I don’t keep much money here, instead transferring it often into my second account. Whereas some people get pleasure from spending, I feel guilty for doing so, and prefer watching all the pretty numbers rise!
  2. Savings account
    Basically, a “high” (currently 4.90% p.a.) interest savings account where I keep most of my money, and never touch. A lot of people have a coffee habit and/or a shopping habit. As for me, I don’t drink coffee, and I avoid shopping trips at all costs. This is (partly) why I have $14,000 in here, which I’m certain is more than most students my age have, but of course in grand scheme of things, it’s nothing at all. That said, I’m quite satisfied with the hundreds of dollars of interest I earn on it yearly! I don’t really know how much Stuff costs, but I think I have nearly enough money for some sort of car? Not that I need one at the moment, but when I do…I’ll be all up in that.

Also! If I somehow manage to stay employed1, I think I can double that balance over the next year. I’ve really hit stride recently, in that I’m getting a lot of hours, and my wage has also increased due to an increase in the national minimum wage. Also, since I’m classified as a “Level 3″ employee2, I’m actually ever-so-slightly above minimum wage for my age (which only equates to a few extra dollars per week, but it’s still nice to have!)

Check back next month for another instalment of “Adam Tells the Internet Stuff He Should Probably Not Tell the Internet”.

  1. Working at a video store = very low job security. It’s hard to feel settled when all the other rental stores around you are closing down. I’m expecting to be out of a job in the foreseeable future. Obviously I have a second job, but only a minority of my earnings come from there.
  2. Which means I can open (i.e., am entrusted with the security alarm code and safe combination), close (i.e., do the figures at the end of the day and lock up), and work solo.

August 11th, 2010 · Money and Work · 14 Comments »

The Week I Learnt What "Busy" Means

Wow, so when you only have one day off in a week, you get insanely excited over it!

Working 28 hours, attending university, and having an assignment due, is totally not conducive to my lazy Arts student lifestyle! Today, in particular, was a mess. Uni from 8am-4pm1; work from 5.30-10.15pm. Further, with my resolution to stop spending so much on lunch, I got very hungry, which seems to make my face fairly pale by the end of the day. That, of course, is completely fine — I like pale skin!

Also! I was running on only four hours sleep2, on account of working the previous night, and then having to stay up to finish a lab report introduction I had due at today at 8am in my lab. Upon proofreading it this morning, I realised I spent too much time plugging my awesome research proposal, and not enough time reviewing the literature. Alas.

But in the end, I’ll finish the week $450 richer, so it’s not a complete loss. Also note that I don’t usually work this much, although I’ll now have increased hours at work for at least a couple of weeks.

Anyway, I think this entry was rather boring. Hey, they can’t all be winners! Tomorrow, I resolve to spend the entire day in bed and/or staring at screens. People keep telling me to watch Glee. Until a few days ago, I had no desire to see it, but now, all of a sudden, I have the urge. That happens to me, sometimes; I don’t know why. I grabbed the extended pilot from work this evening, and am going to give it a chance.

  1. Although I did have two hours of break, in which I spammed Twitter for the second time today. And by “spammed Twitter”, I mean “tweeted twelve times in one day, which is probably a record for me, though nothing compared to what others are capable of”
  2. I almost always get eight. I need eight. A full night’s sleep is one of my greatest pleasures. I don’t see how some people can stay up all night, every night!

April 16th, 2010 · Daily Life, Money and Work, University and Study · 13 Comments »

More on Money and Spending

I’m not really frugal, I just don’t like to part with large amounts of money. For this reason, I suspect I won’t become much of a traveller1, as I’m more interested in hoarding my money, or spending it on something tangible. Even so, I’m not as materialistic as many people, and avoid spending where I don’t have to. Mainly because I’m constantly thinking “Oh, it took me forty-five minutes/three hours/one week to earn that much money; it’s not worth it!”

However, there’s one thing I spend too much money on: lunch. I’m not going to put a cap on spending whilst out with friends, but buying lunch solo at uni becomes far too expensive. I’ve resolved to limit my spending on food, opting to take it with me to university instead. What with this resolution and my “can’t-be-bothered”-ness re: actually making lunch, I went pretty hungry yesterday. Over seven hours, I had a combination of lectures, tutorials, and work at my on-campus job, armed with only a bread roll to satisfy my appetite. Now, I’m someone who has a large appetite. I’m in constant need of fuel. Essentially, I want to have my cake and eat it too (both literally and figuratively, of course), as I want to have lunch, but don’t want to make lunch. As an aside, when I’m inevitably still hungry after eating what I’ve bought, I get buyer’s remorse.

Anyway, this week’s lunch budget was spent (very wisely) on a vanilla thickshake. I just can’t resist! One of the benefits of donating blood, is that I can get a free large milkshake afterwards. To be honest, that’s secretly the main reason I continue going. The nurses once inspected my veins to see if I was eligible to donate plasma (which can be donated every two weeks, as opposed to three months for blood), but alas my veins are to small. Woe is I, I have to pay for milkshakes.

That last bit was random and off-topic, but hey, I’m passionate.

  1. that said, I’ll be in Canberra next weekend, though that’s domestic, fairly close to Melbourne, and a hell of a lot cheaper than overseas trips.

March 10th, 2010 · Money and Work · 11 Comments »

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