I may finally be able to budget!

So, after all this time, I may finally have a handle on jobs, and be getting consistent hours through just 2 part-time jobs.

So, for the first time in probably 7-8 years, I'll be able to have a monthly budget.

What with all my academic jobs, I effectively had a "boom and bust" budget cycle, where I worked a lot and gradually heaped up money throughout the academic year, and then had it deplete over the summer when I worked relatively less, and sometimes due to employment shifts I couldn't even count on having the work I thought I would have, sometimes.

So, between that and unpredictable fees and random price increases in utilities and everything, I really had no idea how to budget, except to live cheaply all the time, like literally all the time.

I'll still do that, but at least I'll be able to put a dollar amount to expenditures.

It's like I'll be fiscally disciplined or something.  Though, it's not like right now I make enough to save for a house or retirement (if I lived at absolute bare minimum with next to no recreation or travel, I could maybe save a couple thousand a year!!!!!!!!).

On another note, I'll never forget when Affordable Care Act first came down and the details of all situations hadn't quite been hashed out yet, and my monthly income at just that moment was abnormally low and seemed to qualify me for Medicaid (!), and the person on my phone said to file my income using the "seasonal farm worker" category.

Seriously.

It makes sense, though, it's "boom or bust" work tied to employment that varies by the season.