Possible Interim Budget (if I take the new job)

So what's making me anxious this Wednesday morning?

Two things. This now pending job offer and housing; as well as the fact that the two people I was most looking forward to connecting with on Facebook didn't respond to my messages.

Job offer and housing
Well, Monday I received a verbal offer of $120k for the Big Pharma Job. Yay!! It really is a win even if I'm not totally there yet. However, things have stalled because I asked for a $9,100 sign-on bonus.  That would potentially make my compensation for the year about $129k. That's amazing right!

Let's take a moment and pause here. I was very nervous to ask for this; it's not as easy for me as others make it seem. They originally told me the job was at $115k, so the fact that I'm even angling for $129k is HUGE. Normally, I'm pretty meek and would have just accepted that the job was $115k and been done with that.  What helped me is having an inside source sharing their salary experiences; my obsession with personal finance and budgets and spreadsheets; and a year of rejection that also gave me insight into what the general market was for this type of role.

My goal all along was to increase my income by 30%. But it's hard to put a number on that because I can't remember my starting point - my original salary in 2015 ($41/hr), the salary I left at Call Center 1 in 2019 ($45/hr), or my current salary at Call Center 2 ( $100k/yr or ~$48/hr) - since I made that goal at the start of the job hunt in early 2019. They're all pretty near each other.

In my cost of living comparison spreadsheet, I had marked $130k as my target income. But having been provided different ranges in my search last year (2019), I got a little confused on what to expect or ask for.  The $130k was my target income because at annual spending of $34k, it would allow me the potential to save about $62k/yr which would allow me to reach my FIRE number of $500k in about 5 years.

I think I had always just focused on the base salary because at Call Center #1 the bonus was unpredictable.  And while my colleague who works at Big Pharma Job has gotten her target bonus the last 3 years, I think in my mind it's not something I want to rely on. Case in point, my current job has cut bonuses and raises this year in light of COVID 19.

I think I just figured out my anxiety regarding the offer. I don't want to count on the bonus in my total compensation, but it's difficult to ignore. So I think I just need to refocus on the base salary that was offered.  Am I willing to accept $120k for this role?

Woosa... 

See, this blogging thing helps because I can iron out my thoughts...

Ok, so moving forward, just focus on the base salary and count anything else as extra or the "bonus" it actually is.  Le sigh.

So to recap, Big Pharma offered me $120k on Monday.  Because my target base salary was $130k, I'm a little bit disappointed. That's all.

All things considered, it's a good offer and it's 20% more than what I currently make. However, it's potentially more than 20% more work than I currently do.

It's a yes, still for me, because even with the increased cost of living, I can still potentially reach (not increase) my current savings goals.  For me, it's not how much you make, but how much you can save.  With the new job, I can potentially save as much as I'm currently able to potentially save now.

Here are some numbers I ran yesterday..

	Original 2020 Projection	2018 Numbers	NC-Townhouse	Death Budget	Big Pharma Job estimates (sans housing)
Annual Spending target	$26,000	$34,000		$20k (up to 25k, as needed)	$45,000
Monthly spending	$2,167		$1,889	$1,667	$3,750
Housing (incl utilities)	$1,100		$822	$822	$TBD
Carrying NC House			--		$822
Everyday Expenses	$400		$400	$400	$400
Student Loans	$530		$530		$530
Tithe	$137		$137
Other		$8,000
Remainder - monthly				$445	$1,998
Total			$1,889
Death Core (mon)				$1,222
Death Core (yr)				$14,664

As I mentioned yesterday, my current plan is to take the job and rent an apartment out of state for 6 months. I was running these numbers last night to see how much I could afford to spend on an apartment.

With a targeted annual spending budget of $45k, my monthly spending is about $3,750. After I subtract out my recurring expenses (incl keeping my house), I'll have about $2k per month to spend on housing and other incidental expenses in my new Big Pharma life.

I included my Death Budget just to remind myself why I'm holding onto the house - it's the best deal I can find so far for my own place.

What am I looking forward to? 

Today, a new season of a Netflix show I watch drops. I'm going to try to wait to watch it on the weekend so I'll have something to do.

When the dust settles, I think I'll be excited about the new job. I used to like new adventures. My pending Death Date hasn't squelched that just yet. Note to self - the goal is not to accelerate death; it's just to accept the death of the life you'd hoped for and slowly ease out of the life you were given.

All the things less than my $75 monthly utility "facility fees"

So if you didn't read my last post, you don't know that I received my first power and water bill for my new place. I recently moved from a studio in an affluent area at $1100/mon to a 2bd/2ba townhouse in a rougher part of town two counties away.

Things are different here.
For one, the trash. There's just litter everywhere and something called "illegal dumping." Apparently where I live is outside the city limits so the town doesn't provide garbage pick up. Doy! People just dump trash wherever.  Behind the row of houses in front of mine there's about a dozen bags of trash and a mattress set.  I tried to notify the town, but they said it wasn't in their jurisdiction. That was the end of my citizenship policing.

I know there's not much I can do about it. So that's frustrating. But until that frustration dies down, I have fought all these mental wars. I thought about starting a Facebook page. I even tried calling the power company. Just a standard answer.  I tried being grateful. Nine hundred dollars a year ($900/yr) isn't that much to pay to have access to running water and electricity. Meh.

But on this FIRE journey, we talk so much about tracking your expenses and seeing where your money goes. So, I'm hyper aware of this new cost.

For a total bill of about $117, $75 was in fees (75/117 = 64%).

People complain so much about cell phone fees and surcharges and cable bills, but none are as high as this. So, my next thought was, what are all the things that cost less than $75/mon or $900/yr?

• My cell phone ($27/mon)
• Cable and internet ($71/mon)
• Actual energy usage ($35/mon avg)
• Actual water usage ($12/mon avg)
• Car insurance ($600/yr)
• Home owner's insurance ($564/yr)
• 1% Home maintenance fund ($770/yr)
• Flight to Ecuador ($600)

What about you? What expenses could you cover for less than $75/mon or $900/yr? 

What the power company is raking in. 

So Census.gov has quick facts. 

My county has about 147,000 housing units. If the Power Company were to charge each of them $900/yr, how much are they raking in in just fees? 

900 x 147,000 = $132,300,00

ONE HUNDRED THIRTY MILLION DOLLARS A YEAR IN FEES!

Wow. 

So let's say I'm the median family in this county, making $45k gross. That means my net pay is about $36k/yr.  How much of that is spent just in power company fees? 

900/36,000 = 2.5%

And they wonder why the Average American doesn't have an emergency fund. I don't know about you, but if I'm a family making $45k/yr, $900 sure sounds like a cushy emergency fund! 

The part that just plays over in my mind, is in the wealthier town I came from, they're not subjected to these fees. So I'm paying 900x more a year in fees than my wealthier neighbors. How is that fair???

$75 in monthly utility "facility" fees and a verbal job offer

So I received my first power bill, and I kid you not, they charge SEVENTY-FIVE DOLLARS/ month in "facility fees." This is not my usage, mind you. This is how much I am required to pay every month ($900/yr) for the privilege of them providing me power, water, and sewer.

This would be less shocking if I didn't know better. But unfortunately I do. Just last month at my old place, my total for power and water was less than $50/mon for Usage. I complained once when my old water company would charge a $6/mon billing fee. The new company charges $25/mon in fees for water alone.  The best part is my actual water usage was $2.76 for the month of April. So I'm paying 10x that amount for the privilege.

I'm calling it my town's dirty open secret.

So, now this house is costing me an extra $900/yr in fees. That's a lot. There goes my bank bonuses for the year.

It's just odd because 80 miles down the road (where I used to live), I wasn't being charged these fees for the same service. And this is a poorer community by half (based on median income). It's perplexing.

Add to my drama the following...

A verbal job offer.
So Big Pharma finally extended an offer to me. I started this application with them in January, so that's a 4-month turnaround. Wow, good thing I was gainfully employed or that would have been an even more heart wrenching experience.

It's a 20% bump in base salary (from $100k to $120k), but I imagine I'll be doing more than 20% more work, especially given our currently low call volume.

When you factor in the increased cost of living +/- keeping my current residence, the potential to save is about the same. In 2021 is when I'd really start to see the difference because their bonus target is twice what mine currently is.

The dilemma.
I don't want to sell my house. I don't really want to rent my house (because... stranger cooties). The reason I don't want to sell my house is because it's the best deal I could get for my budget and it'll fit in my death plan budget as well.  I don't love it here, but as long as I'm not given a reason to fear for my safety or have to deal with too much nuisance, I'm fine staying here until my death date.

The ideal scenario
I get to make Big Pharma Money and work remotely in my current home.

Other scenarios - House

• Keep house vacant for 6 months.
• Keep house vacant and rent Big Pharma apartment for 6 months. 
• Rent house for 6 months.
• Rent house for 2-3 years.
• Sell house.

Other scenarios - Job

• Accept new job offer.
• Don't accept new job offer, i.e. keep current job.
• Accept new job offer and attempt to move to remote in 6 months. 
• Accept new job offer and actively seek remote work over the next 6 months. 

Thoughts

Well 6 months is about as far down the line as my mind can process right now. Since my goal is to keep my house and not let it to strangers, I think the option that seems the most actionable would be to Accept new job offer + Rent Big Pharma apartment for 6 months. 

Options, stream of consciousness....

That part (accepting the offer and renting new apartment for six months) seems easy because the new job pays more money and I'll need somewhere to live. It's pragmatic.  As far as what to do with my house during the interim, I don't want to leave it completely vacant; but I don't really want to rent it out to strangers either (again, cooties). The whole point of getting a new build was to not have to think about other people living there. 

For now, I'll go with the thought of keeping the house for the 6 months, probably not with a renter; I can come back one week a month and work remotely, maybe even squeeze 2 WFH weeks together...ooo, I like that plan.  

The six months can act like a probationary period for both owning a house from afar and the new job. 

If the job works out, then look toward making the move to Big Pharma permanent for the next 2-3 years.  If that's the plan, then it would make sense to try to rent the house for 2-3 years, likely with a property management company.  After I give notice at new job to commence Death Date, I can decide if I can repaint or recarpet the house  or sage for cooties if the price is right. Or, there maybe other affordable options.

If the new job doesn't work out, the house is my safety net. I can concentrate more on remote call center work and sail along to my death date. 

Notes on How to Make Better Decisions

I've been following along with the Daily Hope emails sent out by Pastor Rick Warren. Lately the series has to do with making good decisions. Sometimes I get lost in my decision-making and only later does the better decision make itself known. So, I copied and pasted them here for quick and easy reference.  These are  mostly verbatim from the emails, just copied and pasted for quick reference.

Ideal Test

• Verse:
• If you want better insight and discernment . . . learn the importance of reverence for the Lord and of trusting him . . . He shows how to distinguish right from wrong, how to find the right decision every time” (Proverbs 2:3-5, 9 TLB).
• Psalm 119:105 says, “Your word is a lamp for my feet, a light on my path” (NIV)
• Ask yourself:
• Do your decisions and actions line up with God’s will? Are they in harmony with God’s Word?
• Notes:
• When the light of God’s Word makes your choice clear, just obey—even if you don’t understand

Integrity Test

• Verse(s)
• “Whoever walks in integrity walks securely, but whoever takes crooked paths will be found out.” Proverbs 10:9 (NIV)
• James 4:17 says, “Knowing what is right to do and then not doing it is sin” (TLB).
• “If someone believes it is wrong, then he shouldn’t do it because for him it is wrong” (Romans 14:14 TLB).

• Ask yourself
• “Would I want everyone to know about this decision?”
• Can I do this with a clear conscience?
• Do I believe this is wrong?

• Notes:
• When you have integrity, your public life and your private life match. What’s in your heart is the same as what other people see on the outside. What you say and what you do are in harmony.
• Violating your conscience is a big mistake. God will forgive you for the wrong you do. But forgiveness doesn’t free you from the consequences of bad decisions.

You can be forgiven and still have regrets. You can be forgiven and still face pain. You can be forgiven and still have broken relationships.

 Improvement Test

• Verse(s)
• “‘I have the right to do anything,’ you say—but not everything is beneficial. ‘I have the right to do anything’—but not everything is constructive.”

1 Corinthians 10:23 (NIV)

• Ask yourself
• Will this make me a better person?
• Notes
• Sometimes, though, you have to decide between a good option and a best option. In situations like that, use the Improvement Test.
• The reality is, many people are spending their lives on second-class causes (reading, watching tv). But you don’t have to. Don’t coast along, filling up your life with things that aren’t the best.

 Independence Test

• Verse(s)
• “‘All things are lawful for me,’ but I will not be dominated by anything.”

1 Corinthians 6:12 (ESV)

“You shall have no other gods before me” (Exodus 20:3 NIV).

• 1 Corinthians 6:12, Paul says, “I can do anything I want to if Christ has not said no, but some of these things aren’t good for me. Even if I am allowed to do them, I’ll refuse to if I think they might get such a grip on me that I can’t easily stop when I want to” (TLB).

• Before allowing something into your life, Ask yourself
• Could this begin to control and dominate my life? Could it become addicting to me? Could I become dependent on it?
• How do you know if you’ve fallen into an addiction? How do you know if something is starting to dominate your life—when you no longer are independent of it? Ask yourself: What do I think about the most? When I’m alone, where does my mind go?
•  
• Notes
• No matter how fun something is, it’s bad for you if it becomes an addiction. Because whatever dominates your life eventually becomes your god.
• Modern idols include: the maker of your car, the label in your clothing, or the corner office in your building; things we can become addicted to: work, sex, money, the internet.
• when Christ is in control, he encourages, enables, and empowers you.

 Influence Test

• Verse(s)
• Each of us will give an account of himself to God . . . Try to live in such a way that you will never make your brother stumble by letting him see you doing something that he thinks is wrong.” Romans 14:12-13 (TLB)
• Romans 15:1-2 says, “Even if we believe that it makes no difference to the Lord whether we do these things, still we cannot just go ahead and do them to please ourselves; for we must bear the ‘burden’ of being considerate of the doubts and fears of others” (TLB).
•  

• Ask yourself
• Will this harm other people?
• “Am I a good neighbor to the people who live closest to me?”
• How will it affect others?”
• Notes
• The Influence Test is the opposite of what our culture encourages. Our culture teaches you to think of yourself only: What do you need? What do you want?

But God expects you to think of people around you, too.

• The Bible says that one day we’ll be judged on how our decisions have affected other people. God takes this seriously.

• The randos you meet everyday are watching too- even when they are nasty. The way your respond or react matters.

Other

• “Follow all the directions the LORD your God has given you. Life will go well for you.”

Deuteronomy 5:33 (GW)

• Obedience is the key that unlocks God's promises

“God blesses those who obey him” (Proverbs 16:20 TLB).

“The Lord takes care of those who obey him” (Psalm 37:18 GNT).

“The Lord watches over those who obey him” (Psalm 33:18 GNT).

“Always obey the Lord and you will be happy” (Proverbs 28:14 GNT).

What is making me anxious this Sunday morning?

Remember that Big Pharma job that's been stringing me along since January 2020, well the recruiter sent me an update on Friday afternoon. She said she finally got an update from the higher ups and wanted to arrange a time to speak to me on Monday.

My immediate thought it was: Is this woman really trying to schedule a time to reject me?

That was my gut reaction, as they say. I got nervous and instant diarrhea. I deleted the email. But slowly, yet surely, I'm learning not to act impulsively (at least not actions others can see). So I reread the email a few more times from its home in the Trash box.

I could recall the two other companies that had called to reject me and the one that had given me 2 periodic updates to tell me that I was still in the running but they were interviewing others. All ultimately ended in a rejection.  This seemed like that.

I crafted 2 versions of email response, both nicer than the version I composed in my head. Ultimately, knowing I couldn't last the whole weekend not knowing, I offered that I could Skype that day or get the update via email.

She responded it wasn't an update she could provide by email "hint, hint." Yes the hint, hint were her words, not mine.

Wow! Am I about to get this job?! What does this mean for my life? I've already resigned myself to this second place life. Where does this fit in my woe-is-me narrative? 

More logistically, what's the salary? Do I have to move? In terms of job security amidst COVID, is this a good decision?  What are the emotional repercussions? Do I have to rewrite my narrative? Why can't I reach that depth of sadness anymore to which I had become so accustomed?

More importantly, will Monday ever come?!