4.19.2010

Decisions, decisions

http://limkokwingmba.files.wordpress.com/2008/08/decisions.jpgI try not to get too personal on here, just cuz it is public and I do have some followers from all over that might not know me in person, but right now I just feel like I need to get out what's in my head and maybe get some input from others.

First off, I thought I would mention that Quaker's chocolate rice cakes are pretty good - I've never been one for rice cakes before, as they just seem pretty bland and tasteless, however these chocolate ones are actually pretty good and only 60 calories each too!

Anyways...
As some know, hubby's been working part-time at a kiosk out at the mall, selling cell phones for one of the major companies. It's not so much we need the income from this 2nd job of his, it's just that 1) he's paranoid about money and being able to provide and having a "buffer" is important to him and 2) he was getting bored during the daytime hours and wanted to find something to do during the late morning/early afternoon hours to fill his time so he could stop donating plasma twice a week, as it tires him out for the entire rest of the day on the days he goes. We figured he'd find something that was maybe 20hrs a week or so.

Well, his brother got him the hook-up for this job and despite him telling them he only wanted to work 3 or 4 days a week, they put him on for 5. And then, after a good first month, they started talking to him about management, even though he told them in the interview he probably wasn't interested, as they don't offer benefits and he already has a "main" job that pays salary and offers benefits. So they start prepping him to be an assistant manager at this kiosk, having him open when the manager can't and then fill in for the manager on his day off, so basically, he became the "unofficial" assistant manager.

Well, being that it's a cell phone company, all his money is made on commissions. After he had a great first month, like I said, they started talking about making him the assistant manager, saying that if their location hit x-amount of lines for the month, they'd give it to him (note, assistant manager is 55 hours a week with a starting salary of $800/mo plus 50% of what their commissions would be). Well needless to say, they had a slow month and he didn't get it, despite them still having him work as if he were the assistant.

The first half of this month he literally made $0, as business out at the mall has been that slow. And it's not that he wasn't trying - he had 1/3 of all the lines they had last month. So, frustrated at working over 40 hrs a week and not making anything (last month he made a total of $3/hr!), he quit. Ironically, the day he decided to quit, they start talking about moving him to one of the actual store locations the kiosk is affiliated with. Again though, he was getting tired of working all these hours and not even breaking minimum wage! He also gave his resume to a local temp agency who set him up with an interview today with one of the car rental companies in town, where he would be working mornings at $10/hr - it'd be about 20 hours a week.

Knowing this car rental deal was a possibility and that the temp agency has his resume, he decided just to throw in the towel. However, his boss at the cell phone place asked to have him call the next day, so he did - turns out he talked to the owner of their area stores and they wanted him to come in today and hear their offer.

So he went to his interview today with the car rental place - turns out the location he'd be at was about 30 miles away, which would be about $15/wk in gas and he didn't feel that much driving was worth it for just 20hrs of work. He went in around 2 for his meeting with the guys at the cell phone place (they told him to come in anytime after noon, as they'd be there all day), however the main guy didn't get there til after 6 so he basically worked all day for a company he technically wasn't still employed with. Basically, he told them why he quit - he already has 1 job that pays well and he hated working twice as much at a job where he wasn't making anything. And the negotiations began. Basically they told him they'd give him $800/mo plus 50% of commissions for 40hrs a week at this actual store they were planning on moving him to.

http://redkid.net/generator/8ball/yoursign.jpgI'm kinda mixed on this as this was just supposed to be his daytime part time job to cure him of boredom and give him a little extra spending money. I don't know about some, but from jobs I've worked before, 40+ hours is considered full time, not part time. I'm already annoyed as I feel like I barely get to see him - we used to have date nights every Friday evening, getting dinner together and then doing something fun... cept they have him working til 9pm on Fridays and well, aside from the bars and Walmart, not a lot of places are really open past 9/10pm... and it's not like we can really even go out late because they have him opening at 10am on Saturday, so he wants to go to bed at a decent time. And on Sundays... we used to go to church in the morning, then out for lunch with one of our families and then maybe run an errand or whatever in the afternoon, have a light dinner and then watch our shows. Well he works 10am-6pm on Sundays so there goes the majority of the day. He was talking about with them switching him to this other store having Tuesday and Thursday as his days off, citing that he could get up and donate plasma while I'm at work, and then he'd be home by the time I'm home from work and we could have all night to hang out. Except he has to leave 10pm to go to his other job, so no, he wouldn't be getting a full day off work... iono, I guess I'd be more comfortable if he had Fridays and Sundays off completely like he does at his main job so it would be like he'd have 2 actual, full days off.

The extra money would be nice, but at the same time, I miss going out and doing things and spending time with my husband in daylight. =/

Ugh, so frustrating.

I'm also thinking about quitting Mary Kay for the time being. Now don't get me wrong - it's a great company with a great foundation and basis behind it, the products are great - I love them! All the women I've met have been awesome and I've really gotten to see how this can really work in women's lives and become their main source of income. However, right now, I don't feel it's for me. I haven't been able to get the bookings I need to keep my business afloat, despite my best efforts, and like they said multiple times at the conference I went to - bookings are the lifeline to your business. And I'm just not having fun with it anymore, which is important to me - if you don't enjoy what you do, and you're not making anything from it, then why are you doing it? Don't get wrong, I love hanging out with the girls each week, but I'm not enjoying the business aspect of it. I feel like I'm not making any money with it, as it seems like everything I make either goes right back to the company or goes to pay off my inventory (which I'll admit, looking back, I shouldn't have ordered so much to start with as I did, however I really did think I'd have the bookings to sell it right away!). But ya know what, at least I can say I tried and I did it - I won't ever have to wonder what it would be like or if it's something I could do and be good at. Again though, just something I'm thinking about. There's still some people I'd have to talk to about it.

I'm thinking of just focusing on my design stuff again, as I'm good at that, know what I'm doing and tend to enjoy it when I'm given the chance to just go with it and do whatever! I actually signed up on www.zazzle.com just to see what that's all about - a friend of my mother-in-law's was telling me about it awhile back, as you can upload your graphics and designs and add them to items like t-shirts, mugs, mousepads and other stuff too that people can purchase. I also saw they have it so you can design wedding invites and other stationary and such too, which I enjoyed doing for my own wedding and for friend's businesses and such. I guess my mother-in-law's friend makes a decent amount off what she puts up on this site, and it's free too, so it's not like I lose anything either. I figure it's worth checking out.

I'm also thinking about reactivating my WoW account. Yes, it's only been 2.5 months since I quit, however hubby learned he had a 7 day free pass on his main account (he claims it has something to do with the 5th anniversary a few months back? I didn't get a free pass for it though...) so he reactivated for that, thinking that if he was working during the mornings at the car rental place, he'd just stay up from his 3rd shift job, play for a few hours in the morning, go the this other job and then sleep during the afternoon. Seeing him playing his characters again made me really want to play mine again. If he's going to be working so much though during the week, I get bored and there's only so much to do on 20sb and Facebook and in blogland, so why not? I don't intend on raiding, as I don't feel like dealing with all that right now, but iono, I think it might be fun to finally transfer one of my characters to my old roomie's server and we can do whatever when she's not raiding (only thing that sucks is that my character's name would have to have one of those weird letters in it that's near impossible to type because my name is already taken by some lowbie alt that hasn't logged in in ages!)

So there's my thoughts for today. Any input would be much appreciated!

2 comments:

  1. OMG. Wait you have a WOW account and love True Blood? :O OMG, OMG, OMG MEE TOOOOO! :P

    I am on wow leave since Feb. 4 and I cant wait to reactivate my account before Cata. comes out this summer or fall!

    And you and your husband play WOW? Perfect! :) What are your toons names and classes? I'm thinking of leveling a discipline priest when I return.

    Also of your job situation, everyone has to make decisions. I hope you guys find work that you are passionate about and can make a generous/decent income for the both of you. If your passion is design, go for it. Some people do not have time to do what they passionately want to do in life. :)

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  2. haha yep! it's actually my fault my hubby plays, as I got into it thanks to my college roommate and my bf at the time both talking me into it and then I introduced him to it, lol...

    here's the post I made a few weeks ago about all my characters:
    http://pointme2theskyabove.blogspot.com/2010/03/my-virtual-selves.html

    He's been on "leave" since December and my account expired Feb. 1, but I can't wait for the next expansion =)

    Can't wait for the next Sookie book - less than 2 weeks!!! I hope season 3 stays close to the book - the book was really good, although being an Eric fan, I *can't wait* until they do season 4 - sooooo much Eric in that one!

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