Archives for August 2010 | The Amateur Financier

Archives for August, 2010

4 Aug

Taking a Hiatus

Posted in blogging by Roger, the Amateur Financier | 7 Comments

My friends, much as I had hoped to avoid doing anything this dramatic, my current situation compels me to do so: I’m taking a hiatus from The Amateur Financier. For the rest of August, I’m taking a break from regularly updating my blog and posting new articles.

I’m not disappearing completely (at least, not yet). I will continue to respond to comments made on the four hundred plus entries I’ve already posted, talk with any readers, and read and post on other blogs, as normal (perhaps more often than I have been doing lately, actually; I’ve been doing a lot less blog reading than I used to, one of the things I hope to change during this hiatus).

The ‘Why’

There’s several reasons I’m doing this, but most of them boil down to one thing: time. I have been feeling short on time for a while now, having trouble keeping up with everything I need and want to do. I’ve tried to cope by cutting down on what I’ve been doing; in the blogging realm, that’s meant reducing the number of blog entries I publish each week, reading fewer other blogs, and commenting much, much less than I would prefer.

Even with all of those measures, I’ve still been struggling to keep up with my blog in intact. From moving in with my fiancee in January and taking on the role of official dishwasher/laundry washer/dog walker (along with having my computer occasionally kidnapped by said fiancee, while her own is in need of repairs) to getting a job in May, I’ve been increasingly having trouble keeping up with my blog on top of everything else going on in my life. I’ve been trying my best to keep up, but as you might have noticed, there’s been more than a few times when I’ve had to back date posts or try to cram in an article during the wee hours of the morning.

August promises to make things even worse; in less than three weeks, I will be starting grad school, which means that I need to register for classes (yes, the way things have worked out, I’m not registered for classes yet), relearn organic chemistry, find a place to live, move in, visit with family members (both mine and my fiancee’s), AND finish my stint of work at Wal-Mart. There is a good chance that I will not have enough time over the next few weeks to keep up with my blog and everything else I need to do; unfortunately, when it comes to choosing between school work, family, and my blog, my blog unfortunately will always lose.

At the end of the month, things get even more complicated; that’s when I start graduate school, and will likely have even less time to spend online. (Although, I’ve had semesters during my undergraduate career where I had so much spare time it wasn’t even funny; if something similar happens, perhaps all my worries will be for naught.) There is a good chance that I might not be able to continue this blog while going to classes at the same time; part of the reason for this hiatus is to give me a chance to build up a reserve of posts for when I’m at school, or at least, figure out a way to bow out of my blog gracefully.

What Happens Next

As mentioned, I’m not trying to disappear completely, simply get a little more breathing room to get things done in the real world. I’ll still be around if you need me; if I manage to get things under control, I might even be back to posting regularly well before the end of the month. As for what happens once grad school begins…That I honestly do not know, yet. Again, if time allows, I might be able to resume blogging by the end of this month without any serious problems; on the other hand, I might not be able to continue with my blog at all, at least while I’m attending classes (a major portion of time for the next two years). In any event, this is not the last you’ll hear from me; I’ll be sure to keep everyone updated on my progress, and to provide a final answer about what will happen with The Amateur Financier soon.

Before I go, though, I’d like to say one final thank you to all my readers for spurring me on, asking thought provoking questions, and challenging my post; you’ve helped to make this blog all worthwhile. Thank you again, from the bottom of my heart.

Your Amateur Financier,

Roger Raby

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1 Aug

Net Worth Update August 2010

Posted in Net Worth Update by Roger, the Amateur Financier | 3 Comments

Ah, another month has come and gone. July was extraordinarily busy, with everything from family visits to graduate school trips taking up time. Add in the fact that I’m still working, studying for said grad school, and helping around the house, and it was a very full month.

Of course, the advantage of all that running around is that the month went pretty quickly. When it comes right down to it, I’d rather be too busy than not busy at all; in the latter case, time just seems to drag on and on, taking forever. Like most adults, though, it’s been many a year since I had absolutely nothing to do; even when I wasn’t working, there was still housework, yard work, and other domestic tasks to keep me occupied. I suppose it’s part of being an adult; the responsibility that comes along with being in control of your own life.

Speaking of responsibility, one of the biggest responsibilities we have as adults is to manage our own money. (Like the way I tied it back to personal finance?) On that note, let’s see where my finances stood at the beginning of the dog days of summer:

Not too much to report on the financial front. My investments are moving upward (July was a pretty good month in that respect). My debts would be going down, but I helped my fiancee get a used car by putting the down payment on my credit card and co-signing for her (she has a decent income, more than me right now, actually, but virtually no credit history; I’ll have to help her rectify that situation). Thanks undoubtedly to the seemingly endless extensions (and my stint at Sanofi, however brief it was), I qualified for further unemployment benefits, so that helps to keep my finances in check.