Gah.

Well, I was about to tell my boss that I want to start working a four-day week and take a 20% pay cut.  That's how much I need some distance between my job and myself:  I was prepared to do without a substantial part of my income in order to have one more day away from the office every week.  I scrutinized my budget, figured out what I could cut, and I was ready!  I planned to submit my request before the end of the year.

I was really in love with the idea of having Fridays off.  I could do so many things with an extra day--volunteer work, help out in J's classroom from time to time, cook Shabbat dinner and invite friends over.  Maybe I could read a book, go to a yoga class, or do the grocery shopping without a ten-year-old dragging along behind me moaning about auuuuuuuugh the unbearable agony of shopping.

Then I got a letter from my mortgage lender.  There's a small matter of my property taxes being waaaaay higher than anyone anticipated, and now I have an escrow shortage, and the result is that my escrow payment will increase by $700 per month.  That's right:  seven hundred dollars.  Every month.

So I guess the good news is that I had already figured out how to trim the budget.  And after a year, the escrow shortage will be paid off.  And my 2008 taxes will actually be lower because I can claim the Homeowner Exemption.

The bad news is that I will continue to report for duty five days a week for another year.

I'm confused.  I felt so keenly that I was on the right path when I was planning to cut back on work.  I thought, oh, this is so genius, this is how I'm going to keep from becoming completely burned out.

Fail.

I need a new plan for the whole not-burning-out thing.  (Besides the lottery.  I'm all over that, trust me.)

Comments

[rhubelerosko]

Oh man. That is terrible. I'm so sorry. At least you were prepared with how to manage! (I know, "Br00ke, shut up with the silver lining crap.")

As for not burning out, are you ever able to leave midday for about an hour? Going for a walk in the middle of the day is such a brain melt (especially if you leave your phone/blackberry in the office). All of the craziness from the week/day seem to be less once you get back.

[Laura]

appeal the property tax assessment...They've continued to raise the assessed values even though it's not representative of the market.

[Virgo]

I checked with the township and there's nothing I can do about the 2007 assessment. Our management company will appeal the 2008 assessment for all the units in our building. (As well they should--my HELOC lender recently provided me with a new appraisal that is almost $100K less than my purchase price. Painful!)

I get out at mid-day once or twice a week. More often would be better, I agree.