No More $20 Dollar Cocktails For Me

I have to admit that I never thought that I would be where I am at the age of 42. Now I never particularly planned specific end goals for the age of 42. But I never thought that I would have been without a job and surviving on unemployment benefits and a dwindling nest-egg when I turned 42.

It really is a humbling situation to be in. Even more so, since working in the bar business offered me the opportunity to make good money, albeit off the illness and addictive habits of many a customer. That in itself formed a type of moral issue for me. But I digress.

Fast forward about a month and a half and I'm employed in the retail sector. Why? Because the bar business well dried up. In almost four months I had three interviews for a person with almost 20 years in the bar business. 3!!!!! When I interviewed for the Olive Garden and I couldn't get a second interview or a call back of any type, I knew at that point it was clear as day that I was done in the bar business. You know what? It was a good thing.

I was downright miserable. I really dreaded going to work to deal with the constant bullshit that came from both within and without. If you've never worked in the service industry, you really wouldn't understand. A five night work week in the bar feels like a seven day or more work week at a day job. Trust me, I've been on both sides of the workforce. Not to mention, you see people at their worse and they treat you like you're shit. As if you're job in dealing with their drunk and belligerent asses isn't a "Real Job." Don't let me get started on the internal issues.

So you may ask "Why do it". Plain and simple" The money is good. Back to working the proverbial 9-5 40-hour work week as a daywalker, I can tell you that on a bad night, I could make almost the entire amount that I would now make in a week. Talk about sobering. But again, it was a good thing that I was knocked back down to square one. I probably would be miserable and working at the bar. It took getting kicked in the balls and going through my savings to realize that it was a blessing in disguise. I might be cash-strapped but I have my peace of mind. The money issues have created another stress but it has allowed me to refocus and re-learn the idea of living a simpler existence. In trying to cut the fat from my expenses, it has allowed me to better manage the little funds I have available. I can no longer live by the idea of "I'll have a kick ass night that will cover the bills and what not." As I mentioned to my sister the other day: No More $20 Dollar Cocktails For Me.

So where do I stand. I'm back at square one after taking my lumps and ready to dish out some punishment and take my next steps. I'm going to try and rebuild my savings and then some. The original amount that I had saved and subsequently went through is irrelevant but I will attempt to use tried and true methods of saving money and share my successes and failures here through periodic posts.

The first recommendation that I have is that if you can, pick up this book: How to Invest $50-$5,000: The Small Investor's Step-By-Step Plan for Low-Risk, High-Value Investing by Nancy Dunnan. Now in its 10th edition, the book is a great resource in educating people on what resources are available out there for investment written in plain English. It won't make you rich with a turn of the page, but it will allow you to learn the foundations of investing and give you ideas on what services might be ideal for you. I'm sure you can find it in the public library if you don't want to buy it. That's how I got a hold of it. Let me know what you think.

Until next time.
FH