Money Money Money

It seems like this article’s namesake been the main stressor of life recently. I sure spend a lot of time thinking about it. Because of my graduate program, I took out a loan for this year. On top of that, I’m working 15-20 hours a week in a keyholder position making a measly $12.50 an hour. I enjoy the job enough–I work at a bookstore. What else could I want?

Well, as it turns out, money.

School is about an hour away, and work is about a 40-minute drive. That means that my job basically pays for gas, and maybe sometimes a little bit of my rent? I’m perfectly aware that I put myself in in this position, but I genuinely believed it wouldn’t be this rough. Naive of me, I guess. My partner makes enough money on his own, but only for us to be paycheck to paycheck. I understand doing this for a medical degree, but for a degree that will not pay anywhere near a doctor’s salary, it’s harder to justify and puts excessive stress on Sam.

And thus, I once more find myself in the pits and valleys of job hunting.

I am staying in the graduate program. I have high hopes that I’ll be able to get a graduate assistantship next year, which would pay for school and give me about $1,600/month, which is over double what I’m currently making. Regardless, August 2026 is incredibly far away. So, in the last few days I have applied to 11 jobs ranging from retail and food service to janitorial services and gardening. Some of them pay up to $19 an hour, which would change our finances dramatically. They’re also much closer to home, which is practically a new concept to me.

I don’t mean to spend this whole post complaining. Life has otherwise been truly stellar! I just had a birthday, and I feel so loved at 25. My dog and Sam’s cat are healthy, and we added a fish who has been thriving. The house is furnished, decorated, and feels like home. I’ve been watching some inspiring shows and movies and find myself appreciating cinema much more than before. I’ve slowed down on some of the habits that make me feel like myself, but I believe that’s due to the aforementioned monetary stressors. I look forward to prioritizing things like going to the gym, eating healthy, reading, and journaling as our finances get straightened out.

And the MOST IMPORTANT life update? Last week, I adopted a cat (yet another reason to get a higher paying job). It took months to get over the loss of Suri and the guilt I felt. No way was I going to adopt another kitten without FIV. I’ve been told many times that Suri’s death was rare, and that the transmission rate between non-aggressive cats was low and definitely not deadly. But I couldn’t be the reason another cat died or got sick–it just wasn’t worth the risk.

So after about a month of searching, I found a black female cat who is about one-and-a-half-years-old and is already FIV+. Besides this diagnosis and a benign growth in her eye, she is healthy, spunky, playful, loving, cuddly, soft, and everything I ever could have wanted. At the wonderful recommendation of the volunteer who introduced her to us, we named her Mazikeen (Maz). We’re in the trenches of the acclimation and introduction process, but she’s already best friends with George. With Andi things are much slower, but dogs are big and scary-looking. Andi also loves to mess with George, but Maz doesn’t quite understand that she’s harmless yet. After all, playing with a big dog looks much different than with a slightly chunky, slow, orange cat.

This update has made me realize and appreciate that the things I’m struggling with are within my control. I am grateful that I have the time, resources, and community that allows me to pursue my goals. I am thankful that I am able to find so many higher paying jobs I am capable of, and that I have such wonderful friends and family. I am happy to recognize that the important tasks and hobbies I have pushed aside can just as easily be reinstated within my routines. Thank you to everyone who has hung around despite the lack of posts. I look forward to what life has to offer!