Plucking Flowers Blogging

I meant to mention this earlier but got distracted by searching for work! I finally managed to do this money challenge that has been floating around for quite some time now. It's one of the things I set to do this year and actually got accomplished. Like this article says, I "hacked" the challenge.  I decided to switch it up and do a fixed amount of $52.00 per week.  Ballsy, right? I made it through the year, minus the few weeks after I was laid off work, and got through the year without touching any of it (because I tell myself repeatedly that I'm simply not allowed to touch it). Next week I will start Money Challenge 2.0.  I have to figure out how to hack this year since I am starting out unemployed.

There is something to be said about just going with your gut. That's what I should've done last July. Here's the story. I was laid off from a law firm at the end of May after over three years of working due to just plain cuts and whatever management's other excuses were at the time. Note: They had been laying people off for more than a year here and there at that point. The money earned there was decent enough that I didn't have to supplement income by transcribing or working from home. I went back to transcribing, even working as a contractor for a previous employer (probably best decision of the year) and transcribed reports for a former coworker while his usual typist was away. At the same time, I looked for a "regular" job. I was offered a position that I did not want to accept. The pay was a cut from the job at the law firm, I didn't like the area and did not like the feel of the office. On my way to the interview in the morning, tr