Thanks everyone for the feedback. Yes, I loved being a broker. I found a passion for the field when I worked as a temp at Alex Brown & Sons in Baltimore and then when I moved to Phoenix I temped at Schwab in institutional services and they hired me and licensed me after a few months.
And, as a financial person, I know where I'm bleeding right now. I have a champagne taste, but now I'm on a beer budget. I have already chosen where I need to cut back. I just reworked the numbers this AM and found that with the new job (provided I get it) plus the child support I'll be receiving I will be making exactly enough to cover my expenses...here's the kicker....BEFORE TAXES, lol. So, that definitely does not equate to half of my living expenses. I think the fact that I was trying to throw extra cash at my car payment every month was lowering my savings and making my budget wonky. If I leave the car payment as is, then I have a better 'view' on the budget itself. The car does need to be paid off and I have considered getting something else but I did put an extended warranty on this thing until it hits 125K miles so I was hoping to drive it for a long time. I have 49K miles on it now and haven't had one problem with it and just put new tires on last month.
I used to be so good at managing our finances, you know? I had no debt except for our house. It's hard for me to accept where I am today and I need to get smart and quick. I will have to start budgeting in to pay down the credit card debt as well, because I really don't want to see that grow any bigger than it already is. I stopped using the credit cards last month and my goal this year is to knock it all down after consolidating this year.
We do not have Aldi's around here, I have heard they are a great discount grocer. I shop at Walmart or Target using coupons. I cook in bulk on the weekends and I use my crock pot all the time. I know I was building my closet, my shoes for work and the corporate life, and then I'd buy my lunch every day, etc. I also have a Starbucks habit that I need to kick. Granted it's only a tea, but at $3 a day, it adds up in a month to about $50....for TEA!!! Ugh, I hate it when I get all math-y and start running my bottom line numbers....
And, I'm downplaying the 2 years thing. I actually could stretch my savings to 3.5 years and that's before I even think about touching retirement money which is a healthy sum right now, as well. I just know how easy it is to let money slip through our fingers so I cut that number down to 2 years just to wrap my brain around it and to push me into a scarcity mentality. I hate to do that to myself but it keeps me motivated.
Also, I have only been working for 7 months right now. CodeJob referenced the fact that I've been working for a few years. I have only been at my new job since June.