BlogBreak

By Marie

November 8, 2006 9:45 AM | Link to this

Apparently, Jane is not good at budgeting. She buys gifts for her co-workers, gift baskets and drinks for people EVERY MONTH? And she gets a haircut every month? Why is she spending $50 on dry cleaning a month? With her salary, she should either buy clothes that are washable or learn to dry clean her own clothes (which is possible). That girl needs to listen to Clark Howard.

By harold

November 8, 2006 9:58 AM | Link to this

jane is only working there to marry one of those attorneys. then her salary turns into spending money. $25,000 a year is not too bad for spending money.

By lovelyliz

November 8, 2006 10:12 AM | Link to this

When I was living near Washington DC, I worked a second job at a women’s clothing warehouse. Our “uniform” consisted of white collared shirts and black pants/long skirt. The pay was average for retail, but since the uniform was inexpensive and easy to maintain the job was worth keeping.

In large part that world of retail no longer exists. 3 years ago when I got a Christmas seasonal job at one particular retailer, I could wear the same business casual clothes that I wore for my day job. This is no longer the case. That company along with many other retailers I considered applying at now have a dress code that makes part time work too much of a hassle and to expensive to consider doing anymore.

Why would anyone work at anyplace that pays you less than what it costs to dress for the job?

It would be one thing if you were immediately upwardly mobile, but what if you aren’t?

By Nina

November 8, 2006 10:41 AM | Link to this

Yes!!! It is so hard to manage my finances as a single mother living in Marietta. Between the cost of gas and the commute time, I have less money to shower on my son and less time to spend with him! I don’t think work clothes are expensive because I shop on a budget and usually take my lunch in to eat at my desk. I also do my laundry at home.

By Vick Bartkowski

November 8, 2006 10:56 AM | Link to this

Quit being a baby. Nobody cares. Grow up. Get a new job.

By Abby

November 8, 2006 10:57 AM | Link to this

It is easy to get sucked into spending money to “keep up” with coworkers.

But she needs to learn how to budget- she shouldn’t buy dry clean only clothes, but if she must, get one of those dryelle DIY bags. Skip the coffee breaks, always bring lunch to work, and don’t buy so much stuff for coworkers- she could easily trim $100+ from that budget.

By Vick Bartkowski

November 8, 2006 10:57 AM | Link to this

Wait tables at night like I used to do until I was 27. You suck.

By young and broke

November 8, 2006 11:17 AM | Link to this

Vick, you suck! If you read it correctly, you’d have noticed she goes to school at night so she CAN’T wait tables. I make a little more than Jane but between having to pay for suits for work and going to MBA school at night, I totally see where she’s coming from. Being young and single isn’t always easy and usually means you’re broke too!

By Debora

November 8, 2006 11:20 AM | Link to this

Although, I am sure Jane is a fictional character. All those gifts are completely absurd. I put a quick stop to that office nonsense at the beginning of my employment.

Babies, new homes, retirement, your personal charity, your kids band camp at school, etc. If you can afford to do all of these things why do you have to mooch gifts and money off of me?

Occassionally, I will donate to the office pool if someone’s loved one has died, only if the money is for charity and only if a charity that I agree with or someone I am personally close to.

You can go broke with all of the giving in an office. NO! This is not a requirement of working somewhere and getting along with people.

By Karen

November 8, 2006 11:39 AM | Link to this

Vicki sounds bitter. I’m sure she has lots of friends at the office.

By kt

November 8, 2006 12:03 PM | Link to this

She has 2 roommates, if I had 2 roommates I would be rich!

By Les W.

November 8, 2006 12:03 PM | Link to this

Unless Jane is driving a gas-guzzling SUV to work, the driving to work is NOT going to cost her $100 per month. She lives 10-miles from work, so the work related driving is only 20-miles per day. Her four cylinder should be giving her 20mpg. Do the math: (21 days/month)x(20 miles/day)x(gallon/20miles)x(2.20 dollars/gallon)= $46.20.

If she is buying gas for $2.20 per gallon, her gasoline for commuting to work is less than $50 per month.

$75 for lunch? Jane better learn to brown-bag it, and spend half that much.

$50 for dry cleaning? That’s rediculous. She pretty extravagant or lazy about cleaning her clothes. She could easily knock that in half.

She’s giving away $70 a month to co-workers like the money is growing on trees. The other writer is correct… Jane is husband hunting.

By Jimi

November 8, 2006 12:04 PM | Link to this

Oh Boo!! I make a little bit more than her and I just got a brand new car. If she has a roommate, she should be able to save money. I don’t have a money and I still keep at least a G in the bank every month!!It is all about how you manage your money!!! She needs to grow up!

By Jason

November 8, 2006 12:05 PM | Link to this

Option 1 is to swap the work and school. Go full time to complete the degree faster and live off your loans (much lower interest rate) and work part-time. PT jobs are more flexible and usually require less dress code.

Option 2 is to swap firms for something closer or move to a more transit friendly area. Atlanta is sadly not known for its mass transit.

For all of you giving 2cents about what she does with her free time and money. How willing are you to marry your job and sacrifice your personal time and happiness. Also, regarding work spending, no one cares to be blacklisted as the office grouch. The majority of employees often use work as captive fundraising sites. It’s a sad part of office politics.

By frank123

November 8, 2006 12:14 PM | Link to this

Agree with Marie and Vick, Jane quit complaining! You are spending more for hair cuts and lunch than I do in 3 months. I’m driving a 1997 Corolla with 300,000 miles on it. I am making 3 times more than you are. Your still in school and lucky to have a job. You’re young. Save all you can now and get an education. You’ll need both later.

By Kat

November 8, 2006 12:42 PM | Link to this

I once took an extra job (in addition to my full-time job) to get extra money to pay off some bills. At the end of the year I was out of debt for one brief and shining moment, unil I had to declare that extra income at tax time and it put me in a higher tax bracket. I ended up owing more in extra taxes than the original debt had been. Nothing like getting punished for taking the initiative to get out of debt! I can sympathize with the young & struggling. It is very hard to get ahead, even when you have the best intentions.

By Jo

November 8, 2006 12:42 PM | Link to this

I agree with Marie, Nina, Abby & Debora. I do NOT agree with Vick & my guess is he’s the boss at someplace where some gal like “Jane” works. Work celebrations/gifts get ridiculous, especially in the case of, say, baby showers. Ladies, if you can afford to have a baby, then you can afford to buy your OWN breeder gear. $45 for a haircut is absurd. Go to a beauty school! Know where I’ve gotten some of my prettiest office skirts & dresses? Goodwill! Honey, I don’t even KNOW the meaning of the word “Dry clean”. I also hate the way lower-paid employees have to jump through hoops & spend money on looking “professional”. Oh, puh-LEEZE!!

By Wednesday

November 8, 2006 12:42 PM | Link to this

Of course working is making me poorer, but consider the alternative……..

By LHK

November 8, 2006 12:54 PM | Link to this

Jane could easily cut out:

— the $45 haircut. I go to Hair Cuttery for my haircuts. Even if I spring for the shampoo and a bit of styling, it’s still only about $20. And I don’t go every month, either.

— $75 for food and coffee? I bring my lunch four days out of the week. The one day I go out, even if I do go to a sit-down place, I find it’s diffcult to spend more than $10-$12 on a large lunch. Most times, though, I only spend about $7 on lunch. There are a lot of great lunch deals out there. And going out once a week should be enough to placate the other co-workers’ social needs.

That being said, I empathize with people who have work dress codes that require them to spend more money on clothes than they’d like. My workplace just went from a “jeans are OK” dress code, to a more professional dress code. It’s not something that would prompt me to leave the company (I only have 5 more months in Atlanta before I move to a new city), and I’m pretty good at not breaking the bank when buying clothes… but the new dress code has still forced me to make a couple of shopping trips I wouldn’t have otherwise had to make.

By Sensei

November 8, 2006 12:57 PM | Link to this

Yes, Jane is a fictional character and the situation is meant to be hypothetical. Both points missed by Vick B. and her obvious personal issues. The bottom line here is; it’s tough for anyone making $10-$12/hour to make basic, daily ends meet. Lifestyle changes and/or supplemental income will certainly be needed UNTIL that new job is found.

By Sensei

November 8, 2006 1:07 PM | Link to this

In these cases, one can look for a new job but the problem is how to maintain basic bills, food, etc…until hired? I no longer have cable, cut back on dry-cleaning and stopped giving to all the birthday and coffee clubs because I simply can’t afford to participate. I am however, desperately holding on to my DSL - It’s a very important piece to the finding a job puzzle!!!

By Kay

November 8, 2006 1:18 PM | Link to this

She needs to try Target. Blouse is $12.00 on sale and the hose are $6.00. Where does she shop anyway?

By lovelyliz

November 8, 2006 1:41 PM | Link to this

I love shopping at Target too, but let me defend Jane. There are a lot of low wage, foot-in-the-door jobs out there that require something more than Wal-Mart clothes. I am not saying that you have to wear designer this and that, and while it’s acceptable to wear a $20 Target blouse with a professional business suit, could you imagine working in a big law firm or as an executive assistant an expect to rise to your boss’s level of expectation wearing hear to toe discount apparel? Appearances do matter in a lot of jobs. It’s not fair, that just the way it is.

I’ve been in the business world long enough to see how important keeping up with the Jones in the office is even at entry jobs.

As for the lunches, saving $$ by bringing your own can help, but let’s get real here, have you ever heard of networking? Sometime you really have to go out with others to find out what’s going on and connections in the office. Lunches with clients and the boss are very important and may not always be covered by the company expense account.

By Monday

November 8, 2006 1:52 PM | Link to this

First of all, $75/mo for lunches is not bad, it comes out to $3.00 day, given a four-week month, 20 working days. I spend approximately $6.00 on an average day. Usually I take my lunch, but once or twice a week I like to dine out. I very rarely dine out for dinner. I cut WAY back on my natural gas bill for the winter. I purchased three $40.00 space heaters, in order to save about $300-400 this winter. My thermostat does not go over 68. I have a space heater in the basement, in the living room and my daughter’s bedroom. Of course all three are turned off, and unplugged during the night or when we are away. Another way to save money is to plan your weekly menus, go to the grocery store with a list, and stick to your list. I average about $75.00-80.00/week for my small family of two (plus 4 animals). I sit down on sunday and plan my weekly menu, then go to the grocery store. That $75.00 will cover for dinner for two every night (except one for going out), and lunches for my daughter to take to school, and lunches for me 3 days a week.
I also make homemade soups or chilis on Sundays, and I will freeze some, and get another two meals out of the rest. It’s all about choices, and I choose to have money in savings. I also drive a 1998 vehicle with over 100,000 miles on it. I drive 17 miles one way to work. We don’t have a dress code here, so jeans, tee shirts and tennis shoes are ok. The only thing I get dry cleaned is my comforter, once a year. By the way, I am a single parent with only one income (no child support). If I can make it work, anyone can. AND I own my own home (2nd one).

By artex

November 8, 2006 2:45 PM | Link to this

This young lady could try shopping @ burlington coat factory, that way she can get a designer name and I good price. I work in sales so I know image matters but people should see success (ie. name brands) but they dont need to know what you paid for them. As for the lunch… learn to love turkey sandwiches. Need snacks… hit the dollar store. Why does a women need a haircut every month? Do you keep a brush cut? I a home and keep an apartment in another state, and I dont make that much money. You would be surprised how far money can stretch if you learn to keep it and make it work for you.

By Frugal Lady

November 8, 2006 2:56 PM | Link to this

Fictitional Jane needs to learn how to budget and manage her money better! I highly recommend Dave Ramsey’s book The Total Money Makeover to learn about managing money.

Yes, it can be expensive to work and there can be hidden expenses BUT you have to learn to say no. You can’t contribute to everything that comes along! $75 for occasional lunches out? Learn to order the least expensive item on the menu with water. You can still have the networking time without spending a fortune. A haircut every month? Get a hairstyle that doesn’t require that much maintentance. Learn to make an inexpensive dish for the potluck. Shop somewhere less expensive, sheesh $60 for ONE blouse and stockings! (I spent $52 for 4 pairs of pants for my teen.) Etc.

In our consumer driven society you can learn to live on less.

I feed a family of 4 on $80 per week.

By Teacher's Kid

November 8, 2006 3:15 PM | Link to this

One word to Jane: BUDGET! I learned to pretty fast while at my first duty station in San Diego, CA, where I was earning the same amount as the hypothetical Jane and where EVERYTHING costs twice as much as in the ATL. You just have to get your priorities straight, plan a budget and stick with it. Yes, it means saying “No” a lot, but people will respect you more for sticking to your guns than giving in to every “gift” opportunity. Besides, if you work in the Federal government, the only charity you can legally give to on work time is the Combined Federal Campaign. Trust me, I had to be the Ms. Meanie several times for people bringing in stuff that their kids were selling at school, boy scouts, girl scouts, etc. But if I allowed one fundraiser in, then I’d have to allow every one of the fundraisers in (and personally I’m tired of schools turning children into little Amway people!).

By Lou

November 8, 2006 3:35 PM | Link to this

She’s lucky she doesn’t have school loans, car loans, credit card debt, etc.

You’ve also left out car insurance. Even though some people pay every year, or every 6 months, it really is something that’s budgeted every month. I wonder if “Jane” is paying for any other benefits either. I’d also like to know how she’s paying for school. (Loan, credit card, etc?)

I spend about $5 a day on food, so I think the $75 a month is a reasonable figure.

Anyone done dry cleaning lately? It’s expensive. And usually, suits should be dry cleaned. So I don’t think that figure is out there either.

All the expenses for gifts is the main issue I have. My employer has gone to a once a month system. It’s about $10 out a pocket, once a month. It’s easy. We’ve also deemed that “fund raising” stuff isnt’ allowed.

Anyway, I think “Jane’s” budget was poorly address by the author. Everything should have been listed. Rent, Food, Utilities, insurance, needs, wants, work related expenses, gas, spending money, etc.

I have to budget like that every month. I think a lot of other people do as well.

By Jo

November 8, 2006 3:44 PM | Link to this

In my office we used to chip in everytime someone had a birthday, broke a nail, got a run in her pantyhose..OK, I’m exaggerating but you get the picture. Finally a bunch of us decided it was ridiculous & a strain on opur budgets so we got together & had that particular policy abolished. End of story

By momof2

November 8, 2006 4:16 PM | Link to this

LES W. YOU THINK YOUR SO SMART W/ YOU GAS CACULATION, SHE DOES GO TO SCHOOL AND WE DON’T KNOW HOW MUCH GAS SHE USES. IDIOT!!!!!!

By Debora

November 8, 2006 4:18 PM | Link to this

A gal here at the office had a HUGE wedding shower thrown for her at the office. They invited everyone (of course I declined). A lot of folks showed up and gave massive gifts. I heard gossip that she even got two plane tickets for her honeymoon from her boss.

A month later, to everyone’s surprise only about 5% (yes FIVE) percent of those people were invited to the wedding. Yep, some folks were mad.

One gal had her baby-shower and asked everyone just to deposit money into her bank account for the starting of a “college fund”

Flowers, gift baskets, everytime someone is out sick for more than a few days.

Housewarming - that cracks me up the most. I STRUGGLED to buy my house and certainly didn’t expect the world to furnish it.

No, people don’t think I am the company grouch. I have even had people come and say they wish they had my courage to say “no” and they felt used by all of this.

And no I don’t do Christmas gifts either. I can’t afford to buy presents for 8-10 people. I have my own family to take care of and support.

By Trying really hard over here

November 8, 2006 4:58 PM | Link to this

You work it MONDAY! I am feeling your post, and I know exactly where you’re coming from my dear. Most of the time I bring my lunch, if not, it’s something really inexpensive like chicken salad. The working poor…GOD Bless Us One and All!

By Priscilla

November 9, 2006 8:24 AM | Link to this

I am a working poor person. I am 64 years old, working part-time because no-one will give me a full-time job. I was receiving a ss check for 889.00 a month, but that was stopped for 3 months because they said they overpaid me. In the meantime, I couldn’t pay my rent, my car was repossessed, and nobody could help me. I now have a part-time job making $9.00 an hour, 3 days a week which nets a weekly paycheck of $225.00 before taxes, etc. I am now homeless, carless, and struggling to get back on my feet. I have to eat, am sleeping on a friends couch, my belongings are in storage, so I have to pay storage. I am at the end of my rope.

By Mike in Woodstock

November 9, 2006 8:42 AM | Link to this

I was a personal finance nightmare until I did some reading. It’s simply a subject that isn’t taught in our schools anymore. If you learned it from your parents, consider yourself lucky.

I’d recommend reading anything by Clark Howard. Also, I read a book by Dave Ramsey called The Total Money Makeover. That one really turned things around for me.

By aaaa

November 9, 2006 9:04 AM | Link to this

Jane’s example makes a good case for telecommuting if her job allows it. There are tax credits for her and her employer to do so. Atlanta is unique in that it now costs more to travel to and from work than it does the typical mortgage payment. The gasoline allowance is too low. It should be a car allowance instead that allows for other necessary expenses to own and operate a vehicle.

By Dan

November 9, 2006 9:09 AM | Link to this

This is a normal scenario and there is nothing wrong with it. There are a ton of positives here. She is working a steady job has 2 roomates which makes the 1000 a month for food rent and utils at most 2/3 of that and it could be closer to half. She made the choice school or second job and should be applauded for her effort. But it is a choice none the less. You have to earn anything worth having. Just a couple of generations ago people would never spend that kind of money (adj for inflation) on lunch gifts and haircuts. She is actually quite well off and other than a couple of extravegances on her way to being even better. It is down right scary that some people view her situation as difficult and in need of help

By KIM

November 9, 2006 10:55 AM | Link to this

if you have a 97 Corolla with 300,000 miles and I have a 98 Montero with 170K, that means i still have 130K to go!!! YAY!!! Is your paint peeling too?

By frow

November 9, 2006 12:51 PM | Link to this

Priscilla-Try working two part-time jobs to make full time pay. Possibly at the storage place!

By Lynn

November 15, 2006 2:40 PM | Link to this

Daily costs vs. monthly take home has to be managed. One goes to work to make money, not give it away. If this was my budget, I would cut off the co-workers and reduce the haircare. You are at work, to work, not socialize. Co-workers will think the same of you regardless of how much you give. When someone leaves the company, chances are the person will never been seen again, anyway. If you are in college, this is your first focus, not the social stuff going on at work. Hunker down and watch the dollar as there will be a better job after graduation and more money. With no dependents, 25k is not bad for a student. You just have to watch the bottom line and focus on the future.