My last child is off to college this fall. He got into the school he wanted and got good financial aid too. Here is the problem--it's 1000 miles away. We decided that we needed to get ride of our clunker that got 9-13 mpg and had 114,000 miles on it. Really the only good thing about it these days was that it was paid for. It was not going to reliably drive 1000 miles and with the cash for clunkers program it was at least worth something. Plus I write articles about tree-hugging and then I had that car. What a farce. We traded it in for a Toyota RAV4. We got a low payment plan and a pretty car with good room, decent milage (a little better than twice what the clunker was getting) and 4wd. I test drove a hybrid Camry and oh I liked it. Such a smooth ride. it was used and a good price. But no trunk space at all. Maybe someday. I have to ease into my new downsized life gradually. I wished for a hybrid escape but they were so expensive. A dealer said that they were being made scarce in the Midwest to drive prices up.
Now we have college payments and car payments. I think I can make it though. Where I work business is fine but they are not giving raises and are laying people off anyway. They got rid of custodians and told us now we had to clean our own offices. You should see some of the men--they don't even keep their labs clean. I can't imagine them cleaning their offices. I might not do mine just because it seems un-American to fire people at a time like this. The bosses should be taking pay cuts to show their leadership.
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They let go several custodians where I am a few years ago, and said the secretaries were responsible for taking out the garbage etc. I've done it maybe two or three times. They come in once a week to "clean" the offices and I just let the garbage sit. We recycle anyway, and they pick that up 2-3 times a week.
We're not getting raises, but they said it was so they wouldn't have to lay off. So far, a dept. head's position has been "eliminated", an admin asst has been laid off and two part-timers let go. But yet they can pay student workers and grad assistants more than the secretaries. Go figure.
We've got a daughter in her last year of college at PSU in Portland....now we will have house payments as well, but our quality of life should be better.
Congrats on your impending empty nest!
The 4wd will come in very handy during the winters. Let me know how you handle the quiet when youngest leaves. I'm not sure I'll be able to handle that day when it comes.
ya...the bosses taking pay cuts...hahaha....
Oh, it is costly to educate children, isn't it!! We have all sorts of schemes for getting our children educated and we'll see (in about 15+ years) how that goes for us!
They are very brave to let profs clean their own offices! I would keep mine pretty spick and span, mostly because I can't embark on any major project without first cleaning my work space, but my ex-advisor's office is SCARY. Of course, I bet no one cleans her office because there really is very little space (desk or floor) that is not covered in papers!