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Some days I just want to crawl into bed and let Mom fix everything for me… 🙄 Things were so much easier when my biggest worry was where my shoes were, and how I was going to clean my room in 10 minutes so I could go see a movie.
Forgive this wash of negativity…I’m usually a very positive person but a few things have piled up yesterday and today and I just need to vent. Then I’ll be back to my happy self, I promise. 😀
Issue #1 – Shipping
I shipped off my two peacocks that I sold on ebay…I charged $15 for shipping, which according to USPS’ site would have been fine for priority.
I went to the post office today…$62 in shipping costs. 😯 And the buyer only paid me $90 total for both dragons, including shipping!
I got completely ripped off in shipping today. I’m so irritated. Every time I ship something I end up loosing money.
How do you all calculate shipping? Please, I need some hints, because I’m always getting it wrong.
Issue #2 – Teaching Certificate
I’m still questioning if I want to continue being an educator, and it’s events like this that make me want to just go work in a bookstore somewhere and drop this whole profession.
I was notified in January that my teaching certificate was going to expire. But, because of stupid rules, I could not renew my certificate until I could prove I’d been teaching for two years. So I had to wait to fix this rather large issue until the end of the school year. It was, essentially, enforced procrastination.
Well, the end of the school year arrives and of course I completely forget. As does our HR person at the district office. Bless her heart, we both completely spaced the signature I needed from the Superintendent stating that I had taught for two years.
I remember this morning. I run to school and try to piece together the huge puzzle that is renewing your teaching certificate. My certificate expires on June 30th, and without a new one I obviously can not teach come August.
I want to get it fixed right away, but, of course…the district office is closed on Fridays during the summer. Arg! So I can’t fix it until Monday, and then I have to hope and pray that the application gets to Flagstaff in time to renew, or else…I don’t know what will happen. Worse case is I’m out of a job, but I’ve already signed my contract, so…I’m sure they’ll find a way to make it work. I’m still within the time limit, it was just a huge shock to remember this issue that I should have resolved a month ago. *headdesk* I’m sure it’ll work out…but arg!
Issue #3 – Husband’s Dental Work
Yesterday we found out that my hubby needs two root canals. Due to my school district’s insurance being incredibly expensive for a spouse (it costs $300 a month to add a family – regardless if that’s just a spouse or if you have ten kids) he doesn’t have insurance.
The root canals and crowns might cost as much as $4,000. Which…is a lot of money. We have it, but it will completely wipe out our savings. So we went from preparing to buy a car (and me saving for a test paint) to having to figure out how our finances are going to recover from this needed expense. *sigh* I know everyone’s got money issues right now, and I’m so frustrated. We also just found out that our district is not giving out raises this year – and maybe not for the next 3 years.
Usually you get a small raise (called a ‘step’ on the pay scale) for every year you teach, and the further you go in higher education. Not this year. Or next year…or next year. So I’m again going to take on NJHS (which is a ton of work and very little gain), and also hosting an after school club, just to try and squeeze as much money out of the district as I can.
My husband is working for my step-dad, and there’s no money there – he’s working for our rent, basically. Which is great, but it’s no added cash per month.
Grrrr. Grown-up problems are so hard!
On the plus side, being an adult I was able to have frozen yogurt with chocolate chips, Oreo bits and hot fudge for lunch…so I suppose it’s okay being a grown-up. 😀
Thanks for listening! You guys are fantastic.
*frozen yogurt all around!*
On the shipping issue… you have to weigh them. You can’t just estimate, you need to know what it weighs, AND you need to know how big the box is, because the oversized charge adds up fast.
If you put in the correct weight, and the correct size, then I suspect you just read their chart wrong, because I’ve never had it come out more than a tiny bit off of my estimates.
Stephanie wrote:I went to the post office today…$62 in shipping costs. 😯
I’m guessing this is a cubed weight issue. If your box is 10’x10’x10′ then they will charge you a minimum of 100 lbs (or something like that), even if your package only weighs 5lbs. So you have to make sure the shipping calculator takes the dimensions into effect as well as the weight.
Canada Post’s website does.. I don’t know about USPS.
Im sorry you’re having a rough time. As for shipping, that happened to me alot. I would tell them you will calculate shipping after, but less bids that way. You can invest in a small shipping scale. That might be something. As for the dental and teaching certificate, I can just say hang in there. When it rains it pours, but it does always seem to get better eventually. 🙂
Good heavens on that shipping!!! O-o That’s terrible! Pfft, I have my own little postage scale at home, it only goes up to 25lbs though so I am not sure something like that would do any good. Sounds like a pain, but maybe the next time you could pack up the piece ahead of time and haul it to the post office and have them tell you the price ahead of time?
Wow, SO sorry about your teaching cerficate! Thank goodness you remembered today instead of in a week! I hope that all works out for you and the application gets there in time! O-o
Being an adult isn’t all that great-lol. I much preferred not having to worry about anything! Though I do agree about food choices…I had pizza hut chocolate dippers for breakfast-LOL
The box was 14 x 14 x 14, because I double boxed. Silly me, trying to get the item there in one piece. 🙄
Heh. Maybe it is time to invest in a scale…I did put in the correct size, and thought I had a good guess on the weight. But obviously not.
Maybe next time I will take it down to the PO ahead of time.
Thanks for the suggestions. I just feel like a bit of an idiot to mess up the shipping estimate so badly…
Oh well, live and learn!
😀
I hope eveything gets better for you.
Give hubby my sympathy I had to have a root canal once and hop I never have to have another one.
At least you remembered about your teaching certificate before it was to late.
Oh, Stephanie, all I can offer are big hugs!
Read my books! Volume 1 and 2 of A Dragon Medley are available now.
http://www.sarahjestin.com/mybooks.htm
I host the feedback lists, which are maintained by drag0nfeathers.
http://www.sarahjestin.com/feedbacklists.htmMore HUGS from me too. Sometimes everything just seems to happen all at once.
I have dental insurance, but it only covers $1000 per year. My dental work would have cost over $5000, so it didn’t get done. I could have financed it, but it’s a good thing that I didn’t because a few months later I had to finance a new air conditioner for the house.
🙂 *hugs*
On shipping, I recommend using FedEX or UPS, especially for big boxes, they give you tracking, automatic $100 insurance, and are usually cheaper by far than the USPS.
Definately factor in weight, remember a mama dragon weighs about 9 lbs shipping wise. For an example about the difference between USPS and FedEX, today I shipped out Zym’s dragons, a male and female pair. Cost to ship was $26 with FedEx, with $200 insurance and a three to five day delivery. He paid $27 and change to mail them to me Parcel Post w/insurance, and it likely took nearly 2 weeks to get here.
Overall with the exception of international shipping, FedEX and UPS have beaten the USPS for shipping cost hands down, especially since they changed their rules on box size being a factor in cost.
As for the root canal, ask if there is a payment plan available, most dentists have something, and if they don’t, find a dentist that will. Payments are always a bit easier than one huge chunk.
I am sure you will get the teaching cert dealt with in time, so don’t panic. Send the docs overnight post with a signature required, so you know it arrived on time, that will help keep you from worrying.
*hugs* Hang in there, things will get better.
Kyrin
Thank you, everyone, for the kind thoughts and shipping suggestions. 😀
We are going to see if we can make payments for the root canals…it would be much easier to do it that way than have it all come out at once.
*hugs!*
My sympathies on the root canal. I have “fond” 😥 memories of mine.
At least you remembered about the Certificate while there is still time to take care of it. The suggestion to send the documents overnight with a signature required is a good one.
***buys second round of frozen yogurt**
Stephanie wrote:I went to the post office today…$62 in shipping costs.
Do you still have the receipt? What was the weight? You could send a 35 lb package from New York to Seattle, insured for $300.00, for about that price. On Windstones, you can’t get 35lb of statues, double boxed, into a carton measuring only 14″ on each side, unless it’s a Rock Dragon with no padding.
The other way, on heavy packages, is to find your local UPS depot (NOT a UPS Store!) and go there to ship it. That would be a whole lot less than $62.00 (unless you accidentally went to a UPS store).
The Castle [Dave wrote:“]
Stephanie wrote:I went to the post office today…$62 in shipping costs.
Do you still have the receipt? What was the weight? You could send a 35 lb package from New York to Seattle, insured for $300.00, for about that price. On Windstones, you can’t get 35lb of statues, double boxed, into a carton measuring only 14″ on each side, unless it’s a Rock Dragon with no padding.
The other way, on heavy packages, is to find your local UPS depot (NOT a UPS Store!) and go there to ship it. That would be a whole lot less than $62.00 (unless you accidentally went to a UPS store).
Each box weighed 14 lb, 2.4 oz. From Az to Ga.
Oy. I’m not going to ship a large box with USPS again.
😀 Thanks for the info! I’ll have to see if/where our UPS depot is.
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