About a week and a half ago, I started a new job. I put myself through college, without any debt, by working as a waitress.I made very good money and I don’t take it for granted that I was lucky to have such a good paying job in such a bad economy, but after waiting tables for 5 years and too many visions of throwing drinks in the faces of rude customers I figured it was time to get a new job. After a particularly bad day, I decided that I wanted to be out of the restaurant industry in two months and exactly one month later I started working for my new company. It’s my first full time, post college job. It’s also the first time I have a somewhat set schedule, benefits, and a steady paycheck.  I’m still working on switching over from the restaurant sleep schedule of up until 3 am to sleep until 12 pm. Now I get up at 6:30 am for an hour drive to work, a nine hour work day, and an hour drive back home. I am extremely fortunate that I LOVE my new job.

This blog focuses on saving money without compromising lifestyle and changing jobs can have a big impact on personal finances. I am no financial expert but here are some of my experiences. Initially changing jobs/careers can be bad for your finances. I planned ahead financially for the wait for my first paycheck but going from a job where I took home cash every day to waiting for a paycheck every two weeks in new to me. Initially there were expenses such as new clothes, shoes, and other professional accessories. At Goodwill I got four pairs of shoes for the price of one pair at Payless. I also found a pair of perfectly fitting Forever 21 dress pants for under $2. I am also now spending A LOT more money on gas to get to work. The first week at my new job was so crazy that I decided to eat out for lunches. I spent *gasp* probably around $60 for one week of work lunches. I knew that this was not an amount of money that I am comfortable spending on a weekly basis so the first day I had off I bought *gasp* $50 in groceries. With coupons I usually spend about $20 a week on all household groceries and products, but I didn’t have the time. There is definitely a huge price to be paid for convenience. Now that I am somewhat able to sleep on a schedule that allows me to get up at 6:30am and function for a whole day without massive amounts of coffee (which I have now also bought in bulk) I made a huge salad for lunches and a huge stew for dinners. I am one of those people that doesn’t mind eating the same things for a week straight as long as I don’t have to cook daily. I’ve tried and so far cooking is not my thing, especially now that I have even less time.

I have recently been reading many frugal financial advice books and I agree with the theory that the less money you spend, the less time you can spend working. I am hoping to work more now so that I can work less later, but, I am surprised to say, that so far I really enjoy getting up and going to work. Knowing what I get paid and being able to afford more means that my goal for this coming year will be to continue to live below my means. I have read about people who make over a hundred thousand dollars a year and still consider themselves broke. This is because people consistently live at or above their income level. In other words- they spend what they make. I want to live debt free and have a healthy savings account. I want to be able to pay cash for a new-to-me car when my current car (that I bought with cash for $2,000 off eBay 5 years ago) dies. Now that my income doesn’t fluctuate so drastically I will probably attempt to create a budget to follow. This is not to say that I’m not going to treat myself on occasion. Today, I really wanted a manicure/pedicure and having just been paid I can definitely afford it. However, the idea of spending over $60 and sitting in a salon for over an hour didn’t appeal to me, so I did the manicure/pedicure myself from the comfort of my own apartment with the supplies I already had. I guess this goes back to the same point I keep reading over and over again in frugal advice books- it doesn’t have to cost money to treat yourself. I am also proud that I didn’t run out to spend my first paycheck in less time than it took me to earn it (not that I ever thought I would).