Taxes

I found filling out my taxes to be decidedly more difficult this year than last year. Today my stress paid off and my tax return was deposited to my bank account.

There's now more money in my account than there has been in almost a year. It was strange to see that much money. But even stranger because it didn't feel like the windfall I was expecting it to feel like; it's still less money than one paycheck from my old job.

Part of the reason I'm not continuing with AmeriCorps is my need to become more financially stable. See: "Study finds median wealth for single black women at $5" for the source of some of my concern. I have negative wealth right now, thanks to credit card and student loan debt. Earning money is the only way I'm going to reverse my current financial state, especially I look to return to school.

What is difficult is trying to accept that I'm entering a job market which is at a different place than it was my first time around. It's only been a few years! A lot happens in a few years. Gaining experience is my new number one priority, which means I may continue to live at near-poverty (1st World level poverty) until I finish my Masters degree and will hopefully be qualified for more well-paying jobs. I say that after a year of doing AmeriCorps, I am well prepared for living on a tight budget...I hope this is true. I hope a part of myself wasn't waiting to exhale, waiting to go and start spending money more freely again.

The times are a changin' and it may mean tightening my belt just little bit more...and not getting too comfortable with my bank balance.