Thu Oct 05, 2006
Saint Peter Don't You Call Me, 'Cause I Can't Go.... [Office Space]
...I owe my soul to the....401K plan.
Okay. It's probably not that bad. I know that I did the right thing, when I knew I was going to get the small increase for my new job, to sign up for the 401K plan. I did the right thing in putting away the percentage of my pay that the company will match. When I'm 90 years old, if I still have my faculties, I'll be glad I did it. And, if I don't still have my faculties then, somebody else will be glad I did it because I'll be able to afford a nursing home and not stick them with caring for me.
Still, I have to say that it was no fun to get my "new paycheck" and find that my net increase was twenty cents a week. Or, if I really try to look on the bright side, fourty cents every two weeks.....
It's only human nature to want to have some tangible reward for working so hard. In my case, we'd be talking about something many people would consider pretty minor, like a new CD or a pair of socks. Well, maybe if I save up the twenty cents for a few weeks I can get some socks.
I'm trying to focus on the idea that I certainly have been blessed to have everything I need now, and even many of the things I want. That's really true. And the contribution to the 401K plan really IS the smart thing to do.
Still, it reminds me of that verse from Ecclesiastes "He who increases in knowlege increases in sorrow". Or, at least decreases in the worldy ways of having a good time.
By the way, for those of you who didn't have the mixed blessing of growing up listening to the music of Tennesse Ernie Ford, here are the lyrics to the song I'm talking about:
"Sixteen Tons"
Some people say a man is made outta mud
A poor man's made outta muscle and blood
Muscle and blood and skin and bones
A mind that's a-weak and a back that's strong
You load sixteen tons, what do you get
Another day older and deeper in debt
Saint Peter don't you call me 'cause I can't go
I owe my soul to the company store
I was born one mornin' when the sun didn't shine
I picked up my shovel and I walked to the mine
I loaded sixteen tons of number nine coal
And the straw boss said "Well, a-bless my soul"
You load sixteen tons, what do you get
Another day older and deeper in debt
Saint Peter don't you call me 'cause I can't go
I owe my soul to the company store
I was born one mornin', it was drizzlin' rain
Fightin' and trouble are my middle name
I was raised in the canebrake by an ol' mama lion
Cain't no-a high-toned woman make me walk the line
You load sixteen tons, what do you get
Another day older and deeper in debt
Saint Peter don't you call me 'cause I can't go
I owe my soul to the company store
If you see me comin', better step aside
A lotta men didn't, a lotta men died
One fist of iron, the other of steel
If the right one don't a-get you
Then the left one will
You load sixteen tons, what do you get
Another day older and deeper in debt
Saint Peter don't you call me 'cause I can't go
I owe my soul to the company store
At least you're not perfoming back breaking coal shoveling for a living.
Posted by: Theresa at October 5, 2006 7:59 PMYou've got stability, benefits, steady income. You're not living in a company-owned shack.
And you don't have to shop at the company store. You can afford fancy toys for Kendi.
You can use your brain at work for a change.
Gas is cheaper, so that's sort of like a raise.
If money gets too tight, just contribute a little less.
gosh i haven't thought about that song for a long time. i was raised on country sunshine too.
you hit the nail on the head - all needs are met and even some wants. i have the same problem too, tho. i got a raise a few months ago but somehow we are more in debt right now than we were when i made less, and funds are even tighter than when Geren made less. go figure?
so i guess my point is that you're not alone. a raise never has quite the windfall impact i think it well. you made a good decision putting it into the 401k. a lot of financial advisors suggest doing just that, i.e., putting any raise into future savings.
my wish for you is that you will soon have more spending money after the tough last few years you've had. any raises on the schedule for sticking to the new department for some amount of time?
Posted by: donna at October 5, 2006 11:31 PM