#but kitties are expensive and their food costs more than ours lol

[teabutmakeitazure]

Oh my God one of the birbs is trying to cheat on her partner

[bitchesgetriches]

Hi Piggy and Kitty!

I hope I'm not bothering you by asking this, but I have a conundrum. I've read all your blog posts about asking for a raise.

I've only been at my job 6 months. Since I was hired, I've gotten more responsibility (outside of what was originally in my job description. I went from Admin assistant and medical outreach coordinator to now that and HR interview outreach and scheduling coordinator and a couple other things).

I've seen a few jobs pop up in my emails offering $3.75 or more per hour than what I'm currently making (which is a 20% increase). Where I live, gas is still basically $4/gallon, I commute almost 300 miles weekly, and the cost of food is astronomical (my husband and I spent over $700 last month, and neither of us really eat anymore lol, thanks medication! I watched a pack of chicken go from $13 to $22. And that's when it's "on sale")

I read somewhere that the average American will need $5,200 more dollars this year to live the exact same life as in 2021. I'm not sure what the "average American" is, but it probably isn't me. Combined, we make less than $60k/year. We never go on vacations or do "average American" things like have a car payment or kids

I'm not sure what to do. I really like my job and everyone I work with, but the raise and shorter commute would really help us save for the down payment on the house we are trying to buy (I'm watching our investments bottom out as we speak. It's stressful.) We are basically a single income family (my husband is on SSDI so his monthly income is fixed, so I'm basically the breadwinner), and we (he really) has a lot of debt to clear.

Would jumping ship after 6 months look bad? Or should I try to ask for a raise first? I don't know if they'd even come close to matching what other jobs are offering for my skill set (20% is a lot when we are having ridiculous staff turnover). And I know not asking is basically leaving money on the table, but is asking after 6 months too demanding? Should I even mention that I notice other jobs are offering $21/hr and up for my skill set? I can't work remote even one day a week (I mean, I can, but they wouldn't approve that. It's more for when I'm home sick but don't want to use sick time) or I'd ask for that to ease some of my gas expenses, but travel is basically a job requirement.

When I was hired, my job was committed to providing a "living wage", which in NY, is considered $18.75/hr for a single person (which is what I make). It sounds like a lot, but it evaporates quickly, even though we are nice enough to live with a family member who doesn't charge us much rent. It's by no means a "living wage" and I don't know where NY came up with that number, but that ain't it.

I just don't know what to do. I've watched my gas and grocery budget triple but am still making the same amount of money. I even cashed out my retirement early to help pay down some of our debt.

I really, really don't want to jump ship because I really do like it here and I'm always told that I'm really doing a fantastic job and am so helpful, but if praise could pay my home heating bill I'd be set for years.

Do you have any advice? I'm really waffling over what I should do here. There's a job offering $29.77/hr for basically what I do now that I'm definitely throwing a resume at (I'm like...juuuuuust enough qualified, but that would be like, the job of a lifetime), but in the meantime (or in case I don't get it) should I be asking for a raise? Or should I be looking elsewhere? How much is even an acceptable amount of raise to ask for in these, and I hate this phrase, "unprecedented time"? Do you think employers are trying to do anything possible to retain staff, or do you think they think they can just hire someone else for less?

I love this job, and I don't know what to do.

Sorry, this is just long winded as heck.

Whew, dear heart, you are Going Through It.

6 months is an a-okay time to ask about a raise. Full stop. Even without the increased responsibilities you mentioned. That said, I also wouldn't worry too much about moving on after 6 months (we are huge proponents of job hopping to leverage raises and promotions!).

If a 20% pay increase and the option to work from home sometimes would make you want to stay at your current job, bring them that info. Especially if you've got applications out or offers in. But if that same pay hike with a shorter commute sounds like a better deal to you, go for it!

How to Make Any Financial Decision, No Matter How Tough, with Maximum Swag

Job Hopping vs. Career Loyalty by the Numbers

The Fascinating Results of Our Job Hopping vs. Career Loyalty Poll

Aaaand for anyone in a similar situation who hasn't read the raise articles yet:

Salary Range: Are You Asking for Enough?

A Millennial’s Guide to Growing Your Salary

The First Time I Asked for a Raise

You Need to Ask for a Fucking Raise

[365daysofsasuhina]

[ 365 Days of SasuHina || Day Three Hundred Twenty-Two: Small Animals ] [ Uchiha Sasuke, Hyūga Hinata, Inuzuka Kiba, Yamanaka Ino, Aburame Shino ] [ SasuHina ] [ Verse: Best Years of Your Life ] [ AO3 Link ]

“All right, class...today we’re going to be talking about pets! How many of you have pets at home?”

All around her, Hinata sees hands go up.

...she can’t raise her own.

Hiashi has never approved of the notion of pets. Whenever Hinata has so much as hinted as wanting some kind of animal companion, he’s shut her down flat. They do nothing but make messes, he tells her. They cost money to buy, to feed, to shelter. And if something happens to them, you have to pet a vet to take care of them.

Of course...Hinata had always thought it an odd thing to complain about. After all...children can be said to be very much the same, and Hiashi has two! She and her sister Hanabi - as well-behaved as they are for their ages - make messes. And Hiashi has expenses in regards to them both - he has to buy food for them, pay for their doctor visits, their clothes, their school supplies…

Would a pet really be so different…?

“So many of you! Would anyone like to talk about their pet?”

Snapped from her thoughts, Hinata looks up to her kindergarten teacher. Several students raise their hands, and a boy nearby is picked.

“I’ve got a puppy! His name’s Akamaru, and he’s my bestest friend! My mom raises dogs, so I got to keep one!”

“That’s so sweet, Kiba! Does your puppy know any tricks, yet?”

“No, not yet...but he’s gonna be a real good dog!”

In spite of herself, Hinata gives a small, sad smile. It must be nice to have a dog...something to play with, and cuddle, and take care of. Kiba always talks about his mother’s dogs...Hinata asked her father once if they could get one the next time one had puppies.

He, of course, said no.

“All right, anyone else? How about you, Sasuke?”

“I have a cat…”

“Oh you do? Does your kitty have a name?”

Hinata’s attention shifts to the boy speaking. He fidgets a bit.

“Um...his name is Shadow. He has long black fur, and yellow eyes. My brother found him when he was a baby.”

“Oh, goodness! Well, I’m glad your brother found him, and now he has a good home! All right now class, here’s our next activity! We’re going to draw our pets. And if you don’t have a pet of your own, you can draw a pet that you have always wanted! Take out your crayons and some paper from your notebooks, please.”

Hinata can’t help but pause. A pet she wants…? But...she couldn’t choose! There are so many good pets...from little animals like guinea pigs and hamsters to really big ones like horses! Of course, living in the city, Hinata could never have a horse. She’s not sure she would want one, anyway. They seem a bit...scary…

“What’s that supposed to be?”

“A fox, duh!”

“A...fox?” A few seats over, a girl named Sakura perks a brow. “Foxes can’t be pets!”

“Yeah huh they can! I saw it on the internet! This guy has a pet fox, and it’s super cute! If I ever get a pet, that’s what I want!” Naruto, another student, retorts, folding his arms stubbornly.

Quietly to herself, Hinata can’t help but giggle. Naruto is always so loud...but can a person really have a fox as a pet? They do look very soft and fluffy…

“Ew, is that a bug…?!”

The whole class turns to look as another girl - Ino - shrieks in disgust.

Beside her, a boy in glasses hides behind the tall collar of his coat. “...it’s a rhinoceros beetle…”

“Why would you want a nasty bug as a pet?!”

“They’re...interesting…”

“Nuh uh! They’re super gross! You weirdo!”

“Ino!” the teacher scolds. “That’s a very mean thing to say. Apologize to Shino, please!”

“Ugh, who wants pets anyway? They’re messy - plants are way better!”

Hinata shrinks a bit as the argument continues. A bug is a...strange choice, but if it makes Shino happy, then...that’s his business. Ino is being rude…

“Leave him alone, Ino. I bet that bug is nicer than you are.”

Several people turn to look at Sasuke, who dared to speak up.

“W-what?!”

“A pet isn’t just an animal. It’s a friend. A part of your family. If you make fun of Shino’s bug, you’re making fun of his family. And that’s rude. I don’t like rude people.”

Devastation colors Ino’s face. “B...but…!”

“All right class, that’s enough. We’re going to start some quiet time until everyone is done drawing their pets.”

As the teacher puts on some soft music, Hinata looks back to her paper.

It’s still blank.

While she’s always wanted a pet...she’s really never considered what one she would like best. It would have to be something...soft. A hard thing like a turtle, or slimy like a frog, or scaly like a snake, would never do. Not for her. And she’d probably prefer something...small. If it were too big, she wouldn’t be able to pick it up and hold it! And that’s very important.

Though that...doesn’t narrow her options down much, does it? There are lots of small, soft pets. Oh, how is anyone ever supposed to be able to make a choice?!

“A few more minutes class, and we’ll show our pets!”

A flutter of panic passes through Hinata’s chest. Oh no...she’s running out of time…!

...wait...she’s got it!

Taking out a grey crayon, she starts quickly but carefully scribbling. Soft, and small, and gentle...and cute…!

Perfect!

“Okay everyone, go ahead and put your crayons away. We’re going to share our pets! Be sure to tell the class if this is a pet you have, or a pet you want! Let’s start on this side of the room.”

Anxiously fiddling with her paper - Hinata always hates when they have to get up in front of the class… - she watches as people present their real or ideal pets. Most are pretty basic. Cats, dogs, birds, fish. But a few are more rare. One has a hedgehog, another has a parrot.

“All right Hinata, your turn!”

Swallowing dryly, Hinata picks up her drawing and moves to the front of the room. “I...I don’t have a pet,” she murmurs.

“We can’t hear you!”

Her cheeks flush pink. “I don’t h...have a pet. I’m not allowed to. But if...if I could have a pet, then...I would want a bunny!” She holds up her drawing. A rather fuzzy bunny with long ears stares from her paper.

“Oh, a bunny! How cute! Do you like bunnies, Hinata?”

She nods shyly. “I...I have a bunny plushie at home. It’s...my favorite…”

“Well, that’s a very cute idea! You can sit down now. All right, next -!”

Relieved, Hinata retakes her seat, watching the other students.

“This is my cat, Shadow...he likes to lay in the window by the front door, in the sun. He caught a mouse in our basement one time.”

“So he’s a mighty hunter!” the teacher praises.

“Yeah...he likes my brother best, but he likes everyone. Except my dad.”

“Oh dear…”

“Dad doesn’t like him either. They’re enemies. But I think they secretly get along.”

“Well, I hope so!”

Once the whole class shows their pets (or dream pets), the teacher excuses them for their morning recess. And all the kindergartners can talk about is their assignment.

“You really can’t have a pet, Hinata?”

“No...Father says I can’t…”

“Aww, but pets are great! You can come play with my dog whenever you want, okay?”

“T...thank you, Kiba.”

“And you can come see my kitty.”

Hinata turns to Sasuke. They don’t speak too much, but...well, then again, Sasuke doesn’t seem to talk much at all. “...really…?”

“Yeah. And someday, when you’re a grown up, you can have a bunny if you want to.”

“I...I hope so…”

“Or maybe a friend can keep a bunny at their house.”

“W-what?!”

“My brother kept a turtle for a friend for a while. He’d come over every weekend to go see it.”

“He...I mean, your brother didn’t...mind?”

“No. His friend gave him part of his allowance, and he took care of it.” Sasuke considers her for a moment. “...maybe when I get older, I could do that for you.”

“Y...you mean…? You would…?”

“It’s not fair you don’t get to have a pet. I said it to Ino: a pet is a friend. One that will never get mad at you, or think you’re lame. They always love you, no matter what.”

...for some reason, the prick of tears threatens to build in Hinata’s eyes.

“But I gotta be older, first...my mom would probably say no, so...you’ll have to wait, okay?”

“O...okay…”

No one has ever been that...nice to her before…

But recess can’t last forever, and soon the students are called back in to begin their next activity. And yet all Hinata can think about is the chance she might have to really have a pet…! Well, maybe not the real way, but...it would be a start!

For now...she’ll have to be patient. And if Sasuke would be so nice to her, then...she has to find a way to be nice back!

Before she can have a bunny...Hinata’s going to have to make a friend…!

                                                                .oOo.

     Oh my gosh it's late, so I'll be brief!      Some wee smols SasuHina fluff. This prompt was really...odd, so hopefully this works okay lol - I think Hiashi would be that strict parents that isn't fond of pets. Cuz he's a jerk xD      But we all know the Uchiha love their cats - Sasuke understands how important a pet friend can be. So he'll come to the rescue! When...he's older and can do so on his own, haha~      Anyway, I realllllly need to get to bed, so that's all for now! Thanks for reading~

[littlepinkshark]

tagged by @goldenvarnish a while ago I’m sorry I just remembered and yeah I love myself some personal questions thanks for thinking of me

(A)ge : Twenty-seven,twenty-eight in a few weeks. Too late to do anything meaningful except procreate which I don’t want to do, and too early to die, what a shame

(B)irthplace : Bordeaux, France. I don’t remember it one bit so I have no emotional bond with the city

©urrent Time : 11:57 pm

(D)rink You Had Last : Sparkling water

(E)asiest Person To Talk To: Everyone is easy to talk to, few people actually like being talked to for no reason. I pollute my best friend all the time with nonsense and spam, and she bears with it and gives me advice even though I always complain about the same stuff. Childhood bf listens and tells me i’m stupid and it’s ok too. boyfriend listens and doesn’t care but he’s the one I come home to so yeah he has little to no choice so he just sits there and waits for me to be done.

(F)avorite Song : “take on me” by a-ha oh boy don’t get me started

(G)rossest Memory : I’ve always tried to avoid anything unpleasant and traumatizing so I don’t have anything coming to mind right now... Or was it that time when I was 9 I suddenly (BY SHEER LUCK THANK GOD) bumped into my bff on the street and a 40-ish man in a van was trying to invite her to coffee and asking where she wanted to be dropped off? She was 9 ? And we looked the part I mean we looked like babies with gigantic backpacks ? Ugh.

(H)ogwarts House : Hufflepuff. Dumb, nothing special, sweet and funny I guess ? Also I love food.

(I)n Love? : with my cat which I love more than life itself. I mean, men are not worthy. Attachment, fondness and lust is ok for men, but “Love” I’ve only ever felt for my pets and my family, and my female friends. 

(J)ealous Of People? : Oh boy. I’m a disgusting ball of jealousy. I think the only reason I’m barely functioning as an adult is that I’m so jealous of people that I try my best not to be too pathetic, because the jealousy would be unbearable. I’m hardly ever happy for other people, I mean genuinely happy, and it’s pretty sad and ugly (like me!). Every success, every happy moment, every joy someone else throws at me reminds me of how miserable I am

(K)illed Someone? : Nah, not yet !

(L)ove At First Sight or Walk By Again? : Is love at first sight even a thing in real life ?????? To me it always seemed like a cringy soapy american fantasy used in movies to avoid having to write a decent love story and gaining some precious screen time

(M)iddle Name : Gabriella

(N)umber Of Siblings : Two little sisters who I’d take a bullet for eventhough they don’t know it. 

(O)ne Wish : to be happy one day

(P)erson You Last Called : My childhood bff, because we were going to the sea so her lil baby could see the ocean for the first time.

(Q)uestions You’re Asked The Most : “are you really 27 ???????????? you look younger” yeah I know bih, no make-up, no smart conversation, pimples all over my face and no sense of fashion at 27 makes you wonder if I’m not 14 but shut up I’m a hippie feminist also I’m lazy

®easons To Smile : my cat waking me up in the morning purring in my hair with his warm little breath and his soft little paws. that’s it that’s the only thing that makes me smile. And I wish I was exaggerating.

(S)ong You Last Sang : “can’t hug every cat” by Shmoyoho. I’m a crazy cat lady alright. and then : TAAAAAKE OOOOON MEEEEE..... TAAAAKE MEEEE OOOONNNNNNNNNNNN!!!

(T)ime You Woke Up : 11:30am. Well more like 8am when my boyfriend woke me up and started sleeptalking to me and got REALLY angry at me for not understanding his gibberish ???? scared the hell outta me

(U)nderwear Color : black

(V)acation Destination : I would have loved Italy or Corsica ? But kitty cost us too much with the vet...

(W)orst Habit : Self-deprecation, pessimism, procrastination, and comfort eating. Also I can spend hours on end in the shower and it’s very expensive. Also I twist my hair like a madman ????

(X)-rays? : I HAD A LUMP AT THE BASE OF MY FINGER. I PANICKED. Then googled it. Found the exact scientific name. After the x-ray, the google research was confirmed and I just had to wait for it to disappear. Sometimes you just need to wait. Lump appeared because I fell like an idiot in the street while running on the wet sidewalk and I stopped the fall with my hand. Yeah I fall a lot. I’m a mess

(Y)our Favorite Food : Codfish brandade, organic brocoli quiche, tuna toast. My mom’s dutch cheesecake is a must.

(Z)odiac Sign : Virgo lol who even believes in this nonsense Virgos are supposed to be hard-working and charismatic and I just want to live my whole life without doing any effort WHATSOEVER while having the charisma of a dead blobfish

[adventuresabroadinasia]

6/17/17- The night we got into Bangkok we didn't really have much time to do anything since we got to our place so late. We took a bus from the airport to our hostel to save cash. It was quite an experience to say the least. We hadn't read any blogs or recommendations from the hostel about the buses from the airport but we saw it was an option in our google maps so we took a chance. There was no bus signs and no timetables anywhere. We were going by our app and just praying the bus would show up. The bus came and the bus driver waved to us no that he wasn't stopping and we never felt more defeated lol. We told ourselves we would wait it out another 15 minutes because we're so cheap and really wanted to take a bus to the hostel. The next one we saw coming around the corner we made sure to flag down and let him know we needed this bus. He pulled over and barely stopped moving for us to get on. The bus looked like it was from the 1970s and everyone was Thai and didn't speak English. But the bus only ended up costing us about .50 so we were happy and proud we figured out how to get on. Our hostel is super cool because the reception and lobby is also a pinteresty/hipster cafe to the public. The only downside is the wifi really doesn't work in our rooms but that's also a good thing because we have no incentive to be laying around our room. We woke up bright and early to start the day at the grand palace. We heard about a free English tour so we found the booth and caught the 10:30 am tour around the grand palace. It was beautiful and by far the most detailed, decorated temples we've seen. The tour guide taught us about the monkeys and the devils that are painted and placed throughout. Many traditional stories involve monkeys and Devils for the Thai culture. We learned you can tell the difference between what a statue is because the Devils have shoes and the monkeys don't. We saw the emerald Buddha which is a little Buddha made out of pure emerald and extremely valuable. It sits way up high because they believe Buddhas should be placed high up and can never be below a certain height which I think is a persons waist. The king recently died in Thailand so they are going through their mourning year still. There is black and white ribbon surrounding literally every government building throughout all of Thailand and pictures of the King are placed everywhere. We left the grand palace and walked to the famous Wat Pho. There is a huge gold reclining Buddha statue and beautiful courtyard we had a little lunch picnic at because we were dead from the heat and walking so much. Not sure you're supposed to camp out and have a picnic there but we did anyway and it was great lunch views haha. After Wat Pho we took the water taxi over to Wat Arun. It was really pretty and these Wats blew away most of the Wats we saw in Chiang Mai so it's good we saw them at the end of our trip. We then walked to the supermarket so we could get some waters and stuff but use our credit card. We wanted to be sure we wouldn't need to take out more Bahts so we wanted to load up at a place we could use cards. Later that night we went to the well known Khao San Road. It's a crazy partying backpacker street with bars, shops, and food. It was poppin and fun to walk around because there were a ton of people but got annoying because some things were overpriced since they are targeting tourists. The next day we went to Siam Paragon which is the best Bangkok shopping complex. It was unreal and better than any mall I've been to in America. We spent so much time there walking around and went to the Hello Kitty cafe that is close by. The Hello Kitty Cafe was covered in pink with bows and girly decorations everywhere. All the food involves pinks and hello kitty. It was adorable. I got the classic mango sticky rice which is the most eaten Thai dessert and Hannah got a hello kitty rainbow cake. The sticky rice was pink and the sauce you pour on top was pink too and it came with a hello kitty pancake. That night we went to Siam Niramit because we had heard such great things about it. It's a Thai cultural show that goes through the different phases of history and the culture of Thai people. We paid about $25 for our tickets so we knew it was going to be high end because that's kinda expensive for Thailand. The show was better than some Broadway shows I've seen in NYC. The set and costumes and decorations were so elaborate. It had a huge cast and tons of dances and different acts. They would show the name of the period of history they were about to perform and transformed the stage and did a skit and song and dance for each period. It was so fun and we loved it. Our third day in Bangkok, we took a trip out to go see the train market and Amphawa floating market. The train market was the craziest thing I've seen. This towns market is built around the train tracks. All their shops hover over the train tracks and you walk on top of the tracks to see the market. But the train does come multiple times a day. So each shop literally seconds before the train comes, closes up their roof and pulls back some of their stuff for the train to pass then reopens everything after it leaves. I got some really cheap mango here. There was a lot of love fish they were selling so we didn't like having to smell that the whole time though. The Amphawa market reminded me of Venice, Italy. The town is centered around the canals that run through it. There are little shops and food kitchens on boats. They make pad Thai on the boat on the canal and then a waitress climbs up the steps to hand it to you while you eat it on a stool overlooking the canal. It's so they don't have to pay to have an actual restaurant and people can buy food for super cheap because of it. We tried Durian candy for the first time and it was kinda weird but not bad. There candys here are so different from America. Most of their dessert and candy is corn, milk, or durian flavored. At sunset, we took a longtail boat up and down the canal and out onto the river to see the fireflies at night. We cruised along all the wooden Thai huts and saw fireflies glistening in the trees. I've never seen fireflies like this before. It literally looked like the tree was sparkling there were so many. It was beautiful and they were everywhere. We traveled farther than some of the other floating markets around Bangkok to go to this one but it was worth it because there weren't that many tourists and it felt like an authentic Thai experience which I loved. Only a couple more nights here :(