It's only temporary

Lily does not approve of any activity that messes with mealtime.

I mentioned last post that I'm temping again.

This is for several reasons.  It was a long winter, as we all know, and it isn't cheap to heat a big old drafty house, even as minimally as I choose to heat it.

Add to that the fact that Mario's house still hasn't sold -- doesn't anyone want an inexpensive, not unattractive, really convenient house in West Philadelphia? -- and things have been tight.  Shows and Etsy and in-person sales have been good, but they're no replacement for an office salary when the savings dip.

I have a line that the bank account isn't supposed to cross.  It's an arbitrary, self-imposed line, and it moves, depending on circumstances, upcoming events and knowing that I can replenish it soon.  But lately I've been drifting closer to that mark and considering whether or not I should go back to work for a while.

Which I don't want to do.  I love how my life is going, how much happier I am with less stress, less money, less reasons to have to get dressed up and make nice when all I want to do is sit home and make things.  So going back to work full time was a no go.

I've been doing some daily work, organizing and paperwork, for a neighbor.  It's okay, but it's one day a week and she drives me batty because she's so chaotic she makes me look super-organized.  And I'm not.

Annie just doesn't want to be
on the menu.

And then, after the holiday weekend, this happened:  Tuesday morning my phone rang.  It was the temp agency, and they asked if I was busy the rest of this week.  Same office I worked for last summer, and if I'm willing, they have a two-week stint later on in the month.  Add to this a scheduled week at a different office next week, and suddenly I have four weeks of employment stretching ahead of me, which is more than enough to replenish the bank account to a place where I'm comfortable again.

I wasn't thrilled about the two solid weeks, but it turns out they're willing for me to work whatever days during that two week period suit my schedule.  I'm a known quantity, and they figure I can get more work done in three days than someone unfamiliar with their systems can do in five.

So in the space of a few days, I went from fretting about finances to having more work than I'm actually willing to do.  Instead of griping about it, I found a way to make it work, and I will.  I'm grateful I have several places that are willing to ask me back, give me work I can do without thinking too hard, and pay me more than I make working at home.

It's a good thing; it helps the budget, and it reminds me that I'm really, really happiest when I'm making less (but doing what I love).