Are you sad to sell your house, Anne?

You could trade it to me, for, umm,., I have some bottle caps and twine. And comics. And 23 bucks. And then you'd know it was still in the Buffista community!

Should I use it, or just use my "letterhead" with a couple of sentences on it?

I'd go with the latter.

Me too. I usually just have a brief description of services provided, hourly rate and hours worked (if not a flat fee job), the amount due, and whatever payment instructions I think are relevant/necessary.

Thanks, y'all. This is all so exciting!

Salary: $37,000
Rent: $520
Debt: $20K (half of that is my car loan, half is credit card)

My best friend makes close to 3 times what I do, which is just really really annoying. Not because I want more money, but because now she lives EXTREMELY large, and I can't keep up. We go out to dinner and she wants to split a $40 bottle of wine, on the grounds that "it's *cheap,* since we're splitting it."

Hello -- I rarely pay $20 for a bottle of wine, period. Or for a meal. So then I feel like a cheap-ass peasant next to her, and because I don't like to talk about money/debt (see discussion above, re: people don't like to talk about money troubles), I end up spending too much when we're out together and then I fuck my bank account up.

It irks.

So, I'm wondering, O Buffistae Mine, how do other people (meaning all y'all) deal with it? (If, in fact, you have to?)

Are you sad to sell your house, Anne? It's so cute....

Less sad than I was before. Repainting and fixing things up to get it ready to sell is doing a lot to help break those bonds of affection.

I'll have to have some sort of localista get-together before I move.

If all goes well, I will have a cute house in St. Louis in the not-too-distant future.

Speaking of which, ~ma for the out-of-state job hunt would be greatly appreciated.

I end up spending too much when we're out together and then I fuck my bank account up.

But that's why it's good to talk about it!

As we speak, I'm billing for almost $300! AND I got my tax refund money! I AM SO EFFING RICH RIGHT NOW! Bring on the $11 cocktails!

Has your best friend always made more that much more than you, Steph? I'd like to think my idea of "cheap" won't change, but I'm sure willing to work on "affordable," but that's only what's affordable to me. I've been the poor one around millionaires, and it sucked, and I was embarassed about how little I made, or the only one of my friends with a nine to five, instead of scraping from gig to gig, and that made me feel uneasy too. So there's no win for me, not without erasing a whole lot of J'can bougie instincts.

eta: Drinks are on Jesse!

but because now she lives EXTREMELY large, and I can't keep up. We go out to dinner and she wants to split a $40 bottle of wine, on the grounds that "it's *cheap,* since we're splitting it."

Yeah, that's tough. I have a similar position with regard to someone I work with who makes nearly double what I do - she keeps inviting me to go out with her and her friends, but that means trendy restos and bars that are way out of my comfort zone.

and because I don't like to talk about money/debt (see discussion above, re: people don't like to talk about money troubles), I end up spending too much when we're out together and then I fuck my bank account up.

Nodding. Spending too much or seeming anti-social by declining too often. It can be a real strain sometimes.

What really bugs me are people you send me work at like 7:00pm and then are surprised that I'm not still working. Hello?

Actually, what's worse are people who call me up at 7pm when I'm still at work, and are miffed when I tell them no, I can't do a rush job for them tonight. Because, hello, reason I'm still at work at 7pm is because I already plenty of work to do.

Has your best friend always made more that much more than you, Steph?

No. I think she's always made *more,* but not almost 3 times more. It's crazy how she spends money. She's flown to Colorado every month since November to go skiing. She buys expensive wine by the CASE.

I mean, she's got it coming in, so she can spend it however she likes. But I just can't keep up with her. If she tells me one more time to come skiing with her, I'm going to scream.