February, 2021
Cut Hours
Well, 2020’s crazy, and instability didn’t stay in 2020. Legal jobs are few and far between. It’s been a hard year for all of us globally. But, we made it through 2020 and now things will get better, right? Not exactly.
I got my hours cut at work.
Yeah, it hurts a lot. My budget suddenly doesn’t work and I’m pretty scared. So, I keep the current job and apply like mad to new ones. I also elect to work home remotely more than my current firm likes because a two-hour commute for 20ish hours a week isn’t really worth it. Life had to be reorganized.
I am extremely fortunate to be coupled up with a mechanical engineer who has had stable work for over two years. So, we renegotiated fiances and housework. We’ll be fine until I either get another job or get my full-time hours back. But, not a fun time even without my winter blues.
Student Loans
My private student loans (originally about 17K) got to me this month. When I graduated law school in 2019 and started making a livable wage for the first time in my life, I thought I’d hunker down and pay back my loans in a year. Well, COVID-19 happened. So, now we are coming up on the two-year anniversary of my law school graduation date and I still have about 15K in private student loan debt.
It feels awful to be out of control, feel like you’ve failed in your task, and see the damage 5.2% - 8.6% interest does. Worse still, as a bankruptcy attorney, I know full well there’s no getting out of student loans - not currently anyway.
So, I’ve been stressed about student loans and money this month. I can only hope things get better because, like most debtors, I want to pay back my debt and have a life I’m proud of - a life of financial independence and freedom.
Marriage Counseling
My boo and I did premarital counseling this month in preparation for our October 2021 wedding. It was interesting because we are both atheists. So, we did a secular program and it was okay. As an INTJ marrying an INTP, I didn’t expect either of us to talk much about our feelings, and we didn’t. But, it helped us communicate better and think in different ways about our interactions.
Overall, worth the investment.
Valentines Day
We got each other cards and called it a year. Three years ago, I proposed to Alex on Valentine’s Day and he said “Yes.” Neither of us can really top that year. So, we just kept it casual and saved our money.
I am hoping for a better March! I am training to be an OVI/DUI attorney and am taking on more GAL cases. So, with any luck, I’ll be back to full-time hours by my March post!
