The Scoreboard

It's amazing how jarring an event can be, even when you are expecting it.
Yesterday the long awaited memo was finally released. My furlough days have been chosen, not by me, but by the Department of Personnel Administration. If you have not read the memo, you can do so at: http://media.sacbee.com/smedia/2009/01/09/23/memo010909.source.prod_affiliate.4.pdf
Yes, I was expecting it, but I was also hoping that some sort of agreement would have come about between the legislature and the Guv to prevent what is most likely going to come next: IOU's. As I mentioned before, a portion of my wife's income comes from a contract with the state. On top of my 10% reduction in pay, my wife will only bring in 50% of her usual income starting in February should the IOU's in fact get disbursed. Oddly, my situation is by far better than hers since I can actually make up the income by using my furlough time generating income. She, on the other hand, must continue to spend her time fulfilling her obligations spelled out in the contract, thus preventing her from finding other clients to make up for the deferred payment. So, the scoreboard at home now reads: Fearful Furlougher- $400; IOU wife- $1700.

My first furlough day is February 6th, which means I have about 26 days to get a plan, act on it, and make it work.

I previously mentioned that I thought I could generate about $15 per month using the ads in this blog...well that doesn't seem to be working out. So I'm back to looking for the full $400. My first step is going to be looking into a program offered by the Natural Foods Coop that I shop at. They give you the option of working for 6 hours per month (unpaid) at the store and in return receive a 10% discount on all your purchases. We spend approximately $350-400 per month, so I'll be able to save $35-40 per month. Now, I realize that at this rate, I'm going to run out of my 16 hours before I make up the $400. I have decided that I'm going to plan on working 32 hours per month, or two weekend days per month on top of the furlough days.

Money needed: $360
Hours available: 26

Yes, I realize that I'm ignoring the 600 pound gorilla in the room (my wife's $1700 per month deficit) but this blog is about my experience...not hers. I'll spend the rest of the weekend fleshing out 2 more options. If anybody has any recommendations, I'd appreciate it. I'd also love to hear your stories. Just add a comment with your experiences or ideas!