I'm doing my own little cabbage patch dance .... Kat, insent (and please yell if I sound like an ass).

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Mr. Jane and I have been paycheck to paycheck since I've been here. Monday we'll go back to being able to pay off debt and afford toys. I forgot what all that was like.

It occured to me yesterday that on top of the working poor being screwed health wise (can't afford to get the good fresh stuff, or get to the store that has it-possibly don't have health care), parenting wise (can't afford really good daycare and have to work lots of hours for enough money) and all that other fun stuff I read about in Nickle and Dimed, they're also screwed as far as hobbies or other interests.

This is because I was thinking about what I would do now that I'm off at 5, and I thought "Ooooh, I'll knit and sew and crochet." and then I wondered why I hadn't been running home to do that lately, and I realized it's because I rarely get off in enough time to go buy supplies and I also have no money for supplies.

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Sox, backflung. It was fine.

okay, I have to go hunt a student down. Too bad it's RAINY and COLD and the school is not enclosed.

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I think you're all correct; the phrase "paycheck-to-paycheck" is usually used for much more extreme situations than what I was thinking when I first responded to the question. Mea culpa.

ETA:

Too bad it's RAINY and COLD and the school is not enclosed.

I usually love the open school thing, but it is SO not fun on days like this.

Also, I'm done teaching right now and was planning to sneak out...and I just got an email from the Head of School that we're having a quick meeting at 3:15 so that she can "make an announcement." DAMN.

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got it - thanks Kat! & backflung. This is wonderful.

happy hunting. ... er.

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I just realized I was getting all worked up for weird reasons, so I'm done.

In more amusing news, Barack Obama apparently told a black audience that they need to get "cousin Pookie" and "Ray-Ray" to vote. [link]

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I think you're all correct; the phrase "paycheck-to-paycheck" is usually used for much more extreme situations than what I was thinking when I first responded to the question. Mea culpa.

I think people do use it in that manner though, so I am not sure you are wrong even though I have a different interpretation.

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I think you're all correct; the phrase "paycheck-to-paycheck" is usually used for much more extreme situations than what I was thinking when I first responded to the question. Mea culpa.

I think people do use it in that manner though, so I am not sure you are wrong even though I have a different interpretation.

What Sophia said. That's why I wondered if different people had different definitions of it.

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I think people do use it in that manner though, so I am not sure you are wrong even though I have a different interpretation.

Thanks.

The paycheck-to-paycheck of desperation, yeah, I know it well. Grad school/student teaching year, I was living on my $10,000 student loan for the year and was charging groceries and gas weekly, not to mention buying a professional wardrobe to teach in. The single year began a decade in debt. Things are tight now, but I never want to go back to what it was like then.

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I was looking forward to going outside and not having to worry about frostbite--it was only six degrees when I got up this morning, and according to the Tribune's website, it's still only twelve degrees now. But, it's supposed to be in the 20s tomorrow, so the warming front is on its way, yay!

The past two evenings have been so cold that the bookstore was deader than dead both nights. (I actually read a few magazines while at the register after I straightened everything in sight, and I've never done before that in the seven months I've worked there.) I think we'll probably be swamped tomorrow with the warmer weather.

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