I has a happy
1) I get a $1600 tax refund this year. Normally this would all have gone towards paying for a medical transcription course I really want to take BUT!!!
2) I found a community college in North Carolina that is subsidized by the state government to offer the exact same course I wanted to take, but it only costs $350 instead of $1600. And yes, they allow out-of-state students to register. I registered and start March 1st. Normally the rest of the money would be security money that I desperately need because I quit my pretty terrible job cleaning rat/mouse poop out of cages, BUT!!!
3) I applied for two jobs on a whim yesterday not expecting to get a call back, but both called me back today asking for interviews. Because one is a weekend job and the other is a FT job with a 6 month contract, theoretically I could work both if I wanted to if I get offered the positions. Or I could have my pick.
Weekend job is a housekeeping position at a local bed and breakfast that is a few blocks away from where I live. It seems very low-stress and the hours/pay is good enough that I can pay all of my bills and not blow through my savings while I take the MT course. Con: It is on the weekend so I can't go to the monastery that I usually go to every Sunday, I'd only be able to go fridays. The job also asks for a 6 month minimum commitment.
Other job is at a major biotech company. It is through a recruiting company, pay is almost twice as much as I usually make. Not only would I not have to blow through my savings, I could buy a new laptop to replace this one that is missing an enter key (I have to press the nub). Even if I don't get this specific job, my resume will be on file at the recruiting company so there is always a good chance of me landing another similar position. Con: This job has a lot more responsibilities and if I get it I will probably be super stressed out at first. It's also a bit farther away. But still!
4) I have realized that if I truly want to live extremely frugally, I don't even have to work at all for almost a year because of how much money I have saved up. But I won't do that. But I have the option to do that if I really want to! This makes me very happy, knowing that I never HAVE to work at a job I really hate because of starving to death.
5) I am going on a trip to California in May. I will get to pet wild peacocks and probably some other animals too. :)