Finances and Budgeting - A Tale Of Needless Worry

Yesterday I mentioned that I started a new job. This is a good thing, for no greater reason that it means that once a fortnight I am blessed to receive some form of purchase credits in my bank account. I believe it's called money.

Regardless of how often I get paid, however, is the slight problem which hit me today. Every Wednesday the staff roster is sent out via email to myself and my co-workers, so that we know what shifts we have to cover for the following week. I've worked here for three weeks now, and so far I've covered 8am to 4pm for two weeks, and 9am to 5pm for 1 week. So this week, when I got the roster, I was ready for pretty much anything.

I say pretty much anything, because I wasn't quite mentally prepared for the eventuality that was staring me in the face as I checked my weekly hours.

I scanned the spreadsheet quickly to find the following:

• Monday: 9am - 5pm
• Tuesday: 9am - 5pm
• Wednesday: 9am - 5pm
• Thursday: 9am - 5pm

I checked the chart once more, trying to find my place in the Friday column. But I wasn't there.

Slowly it dawned on me...I'm a casual...There's no guarantee that I'll get five days a week each week. There's not even a promise that I'll get four days...Hell, what if there's a week where I just don't get to work at all?

My mind started to question my current state of existence - how was I going to survive without a supplementary source of income? What if I'm having a particularly expensive week? What if they decide that they don't need me anymore?

And from there my hyperactive little ADD spoilt mind went into overdrive - what was the rate of taxation on my income? What if there's a week I can't afford rent? Could I get some tutoring money?

And so I continued on in my little downward spiral of ADD neuroticism, as I tend to do. Until, that is, I managed to get onto MSN to talk it out with Spud (who you will quickly come to learn is the person who makes me feel good about pretty much any situation. I could be having my face chewed off by a bear and he'd make it seem okay.)

I talked to Spud - I poured my panic all over the screen, and he wiped it down with a chamois of calmness (and, admittedly, anesthetic from the dentist.) Suddenly, things didn't seem so bad. He and I could spend Friday doing something cool. I'm earning more money this week that I normally would (because of the time I spent training) so I can just budget carefully and sensibly. And (most notably) in a four day period at this job, I earn more than I used to in a five day period at my previous job.

After I'd taken all that in it didn't seem so bad. Sure, I still have those little panic butterflies in my stomach, but they'll go away with time (and after I find out how much I get taxed, which should happen tomorrow.)

All in all, it's not as bad as I initially thought it would be - which I suppose is the case with most incidents like this.