She Works Hard for the Money. . .

Hello lovelies!  I was very close to calling it quits on blogging since I've been so horrible at it lately but a bunch of lovely ladies got me to stick around!  So I'm going to do my best to be around more often.  

2012 has been a very hectic year thus far as I began working more!  I have a lot of debt (all student loans, which is probably mortgage equivalent with its 6 figures ... good thing, I love my job!).  Anywho,  I've been working a lot to try and get it down.   I posted on twitter a few weeks back about my working several jobs and received a lot of responses and questions asking how I manage it all.  Well I'm going to try to explain it all in this post.

For the last 2 1/2 years, I've worked 2 jobs.  You see,  I've been laid off 3 times from teaching over the last few years and even though, I've been lucky enough to always get re-hired back within a few months... I still needed to work to bring in income.  I began working in an office and when I began teaching again, my boss allowed me to work from home.  That made it much easier for me to manage both jobs.

Last summer,  I fell into a waitressing job, which was good extra money that I couldn't turn down.    When the school year began in September,  I decided that I would teach, work for the office, and waitress only when needed on the weekends.  It has worked out great and I have been able to balance it all!

Well up until two weeks ago that is!  When we returned from our holiday break,  I agreed to teach after school!  Enter another job!  The money is just too hard to turn down!  I love everything I'm doing and I just need to find a way to not push myself to hard and keep focused on my priorities.  I've been doing good so far ... just need to find more blogging time!

Working more has been able to buy things that I've really wanted.  

#1  .... the iPhone 4s!

and 

#2 ... a plane ticket and tickets to CMA Fest in Nashville!

 Do you really think I would pass up another opportunity to see my JA and Jesslyn?!

Now that I've bought myself two things {that I think I really deserved ;)}, it is time for me to focus back on my original plan, which was to pay off this student loan debt!  So no more spending ... or maybe once in awhile! ;)

One thing I can say is that it really makes me feel proud and accomplished to know that I've paid for my undergraduate and graduate school education.  It's a good feeling! :)

So that's where I've been hiding.  I haven't been a fan of my recent posts lately either... so if you have anything you'd like to see more of on my blog ... please let me know!   I'm always open to suggestions!

Happy Monday! xo