The Extras

I have been trying to find ways to decrease our output and increase our input of funds.  We already work two main jobs plus a couple of side jobs, so I knew another job wouldn’t be an option. I found a few areas in which I neglected to follow-up on which could mean several hundred dollars more a month to help the monthly budget.

1.        Mileage - One of job duties for one of my side jobs has be driving on errands several times a week.  They reimburse mileage but the errands were usually really close to my house or if they were in another town I usually incorporated personal errands as well so I never bothered filling out the mileage reimbursement forms.

This month, I have finding myself driving 60 miles round trip several times so I decided to fill out the expense report. I am being reimbursed $285.00!!!! Now this is an unusually high driving month so for giggles I entered an estimate of what I drive most months and there is well over $100.00 a month I have been missing out on.  Going forward, I don’t care how short a distance, If I am driving on company business I am going to be reimbursed.

2.       Babysitting – Shortly after Roommate moved in, we started a monthly rent deduction of $80.00 a month so that she would watch the kids for us every Monday while DW and I attended a meeting.  When the meetings changed to every other week, we kept the deduction at $80.00 in hopes that we could make the alternate week a ‘Date Night’.   The meetings have since ended so I spoke with Roommate about changing this to $40.00 so we still had a few times a month for date nights.  Yay for $40.00 extra a month.

3.       Subsidy – We are trying to get the monthly subsidy we receive from the state for DS2 increased for several months now. In theory, if a child has a high level of special needs the state is suppose to provider a higher subsidy.  I have had 20 kids over the past 6 years and I have never asked  for an increased level but over the past 8 months DS2 special needs have increased 10 fold.  When I realized that the income lost due missing work for meetings/appointments/behavioral issues cause by DS2's special needs exceeded the monthly subsidy we received each month, I decided I needed to really push for an increase. 

I should hopefully hear in the next few weeks on whether this is going to happen or not.