Working Girl

I can hardly believe I've gone this long with out writing a blog about my job. I guess it's because it takes up so much of my time that I grab any chance to be away from it--physically and mentally.

To support myself, I am now working full time as a waitress. I used to have this romanticized idea of what it would be like to waitress. I thought it would bring in lots of cash in a short amount of time and be mostly worry-free. I mean, how hard can it be to take someone's order and bring out their food, right? Wrong.

Maybe if I was working part time it wouldn't be that bad. 3-4 good nights a week could bring in a decent amount of money and still leave me with plenty of time to do other things. But, unfortunately, that is not the case. I work 5 days a week usually 3 double shifts (meaning lunch and dinner 11am to 10pm) and 2 single shifts (meaning only dinner 4pm to 11pm). Needless to say, it is exhausting. Still, it might be worth it if I was raking in the doe but no. Lately, things have been very slow at the restaurant and I've been bringing home less and less each day.

See, as a waitress I depend on tips to make my living. Our wages are next to nothing $2.89/hr before taxes. So really our livelihood rests on the generosity of our customers. And that is something you cannot expect to be consistent. Some people are just plain cheap no matter how good a server you are, some people don't even know what the appropriate tip should be, and some people are just jerks. It's a toss up. You have good days and bad days; hopefully they balance out and you can pay your bills.

Working a full time job and having to pay rent, utilities, groceries, transportation and all the other unexpected living expenses has forced me to be more responsible with my money. To budget and save and plan ahead. I was always pretty responsible with my money, but before I only worked part time jobs for spending cash. I didn't have all these worries and financial stresses. Now I do. It takes a toll.

One more step further into adulthood I guess. Independence is not all fun and games. So far, it has been an adventure, but not a day in the park. I'm hoping to survive this attempt and come out of it stronger and wiser. Keep your fingers crossed for me.

Until next time...