(TL;dr) Today I went to work and it actually COST me money. Doh.
I've always had a weird relationship with money. Like, weird-weird.
I never really paid money any mind- and trust me... it hasn't paid much attention to me, either. Being frugal, working hard, never seemed that difficult- and besides... It's RESPECTABLE to work hard. You see those kids who grow up and reward their single mom for working three minumum wage jobs- getting up early to walk to her job at the laundromat etc... As a single mom for the better part of 16 years, I felt it was my cross to bear. Not that anyone was particularly noticing or patting me on the back- but I trudged along working harder, not smarter.
I have always been proud that I persevered. An overcomer! But now, I just feel plain dumb.
Today, especially.
I have a side job- delivering mail for the USPS as a relief driver on the rural route out here. I got a call yesterday that I was needed to run the route today. I said Sure.. like I always do.
This morning, I was outside at 8:30am trying to start my car. Wyoming wind chill was -20 and my little car said no thank you. Got it cranked up- shoveled while it warmed up, and went to get gas.
Picked up my load... 13 whole pieces of mail and 4 OMG heavy boxes with bags of ice melt in them. Loaded the car and drove about 50 miles on really really icy roads, coded orange for no unneccesary travel to an even MORE rural post office and some ranches scattered around.
Now, USPS has a new rule... you can't back up for more than two car lengths. And I carry a scanner with GPS, so they can TELL. So every stop I made was covered with heavy, fresh snow- and hard to tell where the road started and stopped. Not conducive to my teeny little car making an 87 point turn around on, since I couldnt back up. Or worse yet.. getting stuck in the middle of nowhere with no cell service. So I packed the mail in by foot. On every stop. In "feels like -20 degree" weather.
You know.. Through rain and snow and dark of night... whatever that saying is- This junk mail had to get THROUGH!
After three hours of white knuckle, heavy praying, almost dying, certainly freezing.. scraping the windows on the INSIDE of my car... Yall. I made $30. Spent $15 of it on gas, 50 miles on my car...
$30 damn dollars.
It reminded me of the email I got the other day... about how being too frugal can cost you money. Case in Point!
Suddenly it doesn't feel so respectable any more. It feels stupid. Stupid stupid stupid. "I'll take "Anything for Money", please, Mr. Trebek." Naw. No thanks.
I'm gonna find a better way.
Thanks for listening to my Ted Talk. LOL brrr
Submitted February 13, 2021 at 06:27PM by dont_think_twice2019 https://ift.tt/3d8TMuP
