Still Catching Up

Besides all of the hassle with Newt, I had a few other hitches in my daily giddy-up that forced me to sit out a few games.

Like most everyone else, I don't make enough money. And with the way the economy has been behaving, the money that I do make is just not stretching as far as it used to. With show season quickly approaching, I've tried to get a few side hustles going to cover some big bills that are looming. The first of which is Speedy's newest box of Prascend. You would think that something that comes in such a girlie shade of pink would contain something a lot more fun than $350 worth of pink pills.

I also need to come up with a grand to cover my boys' annual spring vet visit. To help with those costs, I took on another writing project with the attorney that I have worked for over the past couple of years. It's interesting work, and I know her clients need my writing skills, but it's really time consuming and emotionally draining. I already have a time consuming and emotionally draining day job. Working a second one is ... well ... time consuming and draining.

​Of course, writing for an attorney doesn't get me the full $1500 or so that I need for vet bills and drugs, so I also took two Saturday classes that my school district was offering. Rather than pay for the classes, we get paid for going. I attended two Saturdays back to back which made for one very long work week. ​The side job and the two classes still didn't get me what I needed, but then a miracle happened.

​When I saw that my paycheck had been deposited, I cheered and fretted at the same time. I am a salaried employee which means I don't make over-time, and my check never changes. I get an annual salary that is divided into nine monthly payments to cover the 183 days that I work. My monthly check might vary by a dollar or two due to small tax changes, especially in January, but this one was $529.59 too high. Crap?

First thing Monday morning, I called our payroll department and asked what was up. I was told that I was being refunded for some over-withholdings from the previous year. Bank error in my favor? No way! I was dubious and asked repeatedly if the reimbursement was correct. When I was guaranteed that it was right, I gave a deep sigh and a huge hallelujah. Five hundred bucks was going to do a lot to cover my vet bill. I even started to see a bit of a surplus. 

​The very next day, I got an email saying the reimbursement was actually an over-payment and would need to be repaid. #we're so sorry to inconvenience you. I think I said this yesterday, but mother forklift. Back to the side hustles I go.

What can you do, right?