General Adulthood, Planning for the Future: Business, College, Budgeting, Investments, etc! $$$ - General

should i be worried about human automation in the next 10/20 years taking over warehouse type jobs?

How would you guys go about minimizing paper work errors relating to customers? There's a billion and one document types and variations of transactions and when I'm sick, stressed, overworked or any combination of the three I make more errors. Do you guys have any advice on how to mitigate that? Most of what I do is the same thing over and over again but then I get unique transactions that I know how to do but occasionally(1/10 documents might have a small error on them) make errors on. Again, any advice besides the obvious "slow down"?

If the errors are primarily occurring because you're stressed out and overworked, then you've got your answer. When people are stressed and overworked, they are more error-prone, even on simple things that they can normally do no problem. It's not a problem with YOU, it's a problem with your work load or work environment. You have to find a way to reduce your workload, or at least come up with some outlets to blow off steam and recenter yourself. Allow yourself to take occasional breaks to walk around for a bit. Get some desk toys to fiddle with. Enjoy a snack. Just take a little time every now and then to take a break from the work, think about something else for a while, and then get back it once you're a bit less in the thick of it. This will hopefully let you de-stress a bit, but it will also let you see your work with fresh eyes, and make you more likely to catch mistakes you might have made. A short break can do wonders. You ever notice how many times you've written a post here on Facepunch, only to come back a few minutes later and realize you completely forgot to include a word, or some other silly mistake? You didn't notice when you wrote it, or when you read the post before hitting submit, but five minutes later...

Looking, for jobs that are the type that you work for weeks straight and weeks off ( I know some oil rigs and mining jobs do this but what els ) and I think you make so much bank you can take half a year of work or something like that ( I'd rather work super hard at one point and have a ton of time off work )

A schedule like that reminds of me of like. Crabbing or something. Where they have off seasons where they don't crab.

[QUOTE=theevilldeadII;51104932]Looking, for jobs that are the type that you work for weeks straight and weeks off ( I know some oil rigs and mining jobs do this but what els ) and I think you make so much bank you can take half a year of work or something like that ( I'd rather work super hard at one point and have a ton of time off work )[/QUOTE] Film industry. You likely have to move, but in popular filming cities like LA, NY, Vancouver, and some places in the midwest, work is constant, long hours, hard work, but kind of seasonal. You can work 6-8 months making great money and then the industry is gone for a few months, or greatly declined. Though in LA or NY, it's really year round non stop kind of shit. I hear New Orleans is the next big film city, but I'm not sure, it's all down to tax code.

My three years of service for a local school district paid off. I have a retirement account with $1300 squirreled away that I can get a refund for since I quit that job~ I don't plan on being a teacher anymore and I have some debt I can pay off with that so I'm filling out the necessary paperwork for it. Nice!

I'm moving out next week. Any budgeting advice? Decent software to help me track a budget that doesn't cost anything?

[QUOTE=theevilldeadII;51086695]should i be worried about human automation in the next 10/20 years taking over warehouse type jobs?[/QUOTE] My main thought would be the question: Is it economically viable? Now, companies would love to ditch humans as much as possible, but at what point is it cheaper to take them out of the equation? Considering most workplaces, it is pretty safe to say that paying people is actually cheaper than automating, at least for now.

[QUOTE=Terminutter;51115483]My main thought would be the question: Is it economically viable? Now, companies would love to ditch humans as much as possible, but at what point is it cheaper to take them out of the equation? Considering most workplaces, it is pretty safe to say that paying people is actually cheaper than automating, at least for now.[/QUOTE] [I]For now[/I] being the key word. The cost of technology that enables the automation of many kinds of jobs will grow exponentially less expensive as time goes on, much like computer technology now. Most types of manual or menial labor will almost certainly, in my opinion, be subject to automation in the relatively near future. Supervisory positions in warehouse style jobs probably won't go out of style, because any position that requires flexible judgment becomes considerably harder to automate. I reckon that every passing year puts your general labor positions on increasingly uncertain ground, however. [editline]27th September 2016[/editline] [QUOTE=PieClock;51114087]I'm moving out next week. Any budgeting advice? Decent software to help me track a budget that doesn't cost anything?[/QUOTE] Mint, from Intuit, has always been my favorite! It's quite powerful! It connects directly to your bank account and updates in real time, automatically categorizing and tracking your spending. You can set monthly budget goals and see a real-time progress bar that shows you how well you're doing at staying on track. I haven't used it in a couple of years however, because I've got it down pat for the most part. I just check my transactions once or twice a month, log my spending in a spreadsheet, and make adjustments as necessary.

Yep, I agree with you on the "for now" being a key part. Things are going to become cheaper, and automation will become a real threat to jobs in a the near future if the world keeps up as is. I can see things like lorries being "linked" to the lorry in front in convoys where they are effectively land trains with one person driving, for example, and manual labour is at threat too.

How do you guys market your business? Email? Door to Door Sales? Networking? Postcards? Bandit Signs? Craigslist?

Put an ad in your local phone book. Works every time.

which, is why basic income needs to become a thing,.

[QUOTE=ytr191;51118219]How do you guys market your business? Email? Door to Door Sales? Networking? Postcards? Bandit Signs? Craigslist?[/QUOTE] It's mostly targeted telemarketing and email for our brokerage, though we do a lot of community events and the occasional door knocking day. We also do a spattering of direct mail. It's worked very well for us. On track to do ~$60m in transactions this year. [editline]27th September 2016[/editline] However, they brought me in to help try some new things, and I think I just accidentally became an app developer today after one of my proposed direct mail marketing plans was revealed to have a major logistical flaw in the form of exponential labor requirements. In trying to figure out how to best solve the problem, I stumbled onto an idea for linking some of our tools and services together to make things much more hands off. My broker got pretty excited about the concept, and said she would invest! I started putting a small team together today.

Anyone knows that working on a oil rig or mine is not having you're own car = to that having you're resumed binned ?

[QUOTE=theevilldeadII;51104932]Looking, for jobs that are the type that you work for weeks straight and weeks off ( I know some oil rigs and mining jobs do this but what els ) and I think you make so much bank you can take half a year of work or something like that ( I'd rather work super hard at one point and have a ton of time off work )[/QUOTE] I'm two days late but sign up for the BLM in the summer as a wildland fire fighter. Every kind of pay you could imagine for the summer. Typically you'll make enough to live easy until next summer

Can't imagine why you would need a car for an oil rig job, the mine might make sense if they need someone with a skillset to drive lorries or bigger vehicles. Sounds interesting might give it a search to see if it turns up anything. Been thinking about trying something different or seasonal to take a break.

[QUOTE=Chopstick;51123179]Can't imagine why you would need a car for an oil rig job, the mine might make sense if they need someone with a skillset to drive lorries or bigger vehicles. Sounds interesting might give it a search to see if it turns up anything. Been thinking about trying something different or seasonal to take a break.[/QUOTE] obviously [video=youtube;KzxuEOxYSLE]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KzxuEOxYSLE[/video]

Ey folks, are questions related to living costs relevant in here? Seems like moving out is becoming a reality fairly soon but I'm still somewhat green on fees that I need to think of. Right now I've got rent, phone, a personal VPS that I pay for, a monthly game subscription, the gym, Spotify and groceries covered in my budget. I have some fees outside of that as well but those are annual payments of 30-40$ or various groceries that rarely needs refilling like spices and sugars. What else do I need to think of that will get relevant to pay when I live by myself? Electricity, internet and household items? How much do you guys spend on this? How much of a buffer should I have? I'm not sure how far I can stretch myself for rent. If I stretch to 870$ a month that'll leave me with 20$ outside of what I've budgeted. I would survive, but saving money and paying for unexpected outflows would be difficult. Luckily I earn little enough to qualify for housing allowance which adds another 340$, so 360$ for stuff outside of budget for the month. My mother says I wouldn't live a good life with only 360$ to spend on non essential stuff but my stepfather says that's a lot of money to use freely. If 360$ is a lot then I imagine I could stretch from 870$ for rent to maybe 1000$ for rent which widens my search for a home by a lot. What do you guys think? How much money should I have left over that isn't included in my budget? That can pay for luxuries, non essential stuff or unexpected fees?

[QUOTE=PredGD;51123246]Ey folks, are questions related to living costs relevant in here? Seems like moving out is becoming a reality fairly soon but I'm still somewhat green on fees that I need to think of. Right now I've got rent, phone, a personal VPS that I pay for, a monthly game subscription, the gym, Spotify and groceries covered in my budget. I have some fees outside of that as well but those are annual payments of 30-40$ or various groceries that rarely needs refilling like spices and sugars. What else do I need to think of that will get relevant to pay when I live by myself? Electricity, internet and household items? How much do you guys spend on this? How much of a buffer should I have? I'm not sure how far I can stretch myself for rent. If I stretch to 870$ a month that'll leave me with 20$ outside of what I've budgeted. I would survive, but saving money and paying for unexpected outflows would be difficult. Luckily I earn little enough to qualify for housing allowance which adds another 340$, so 360$ for stuff outside of budget for the month. My mother says I wouldn't live a good life with only 360$ to spend on non essential stuff but my stepfather says that's a lot of money to use freely. If 360$ is a lot then I imagine I could stretch from 870$ for rent to maybe 1000$ for rent which widens my search for a home by a lot. What do you guys think? How much money should I have left over that isn't included in my budget? That can pay for luxuries, non essential stuff or unexpected fees?[/QUOTE] UPDATED 50/30/20 Rule. The general rule of thumb (in the US, at least) is to balance your budget around your housing costs. [B]So, total recurring expenses ahould occupy 50% or less of income[/b]. Keeping your rent at about 1/3 of your total income should keep you in that range. [B]30% of your income is reserved for variable expenses[/B] (groceries, gas, shopping), entertainment, and the final [B]20% for saving plans and goals[/B]. Again, just a general rule of thumb, so your mileage may vary. [editline]28th September 2016[/editline] For low income people, it's not always possible to adhere to this rule of thumb. Sometimes, you simply can't find a property that meets your criteria and allows you to stay within your budget range. If you can't, look to nearby areas where housing costs may be lower, and where an affordable option may be found. If no good option exists even within the least expensive markets in your area, then your priority should be to find the least expensive possible, and/or consider roommates. If the cheapest option in your market is still exceeding 1/3 of your income, splurging for a more expensive property is not wise at all. Don't succumb to the desire for immediate gratification-- being in dire financial straits is far more unpleasant and stressful than temporarily living in less-than-ideal circumstances.

[QUOTE=Big Dumb American;51123758]The general rule of thumb (in the US, at least) is to balance your budget around your housing costs. Your rent should be about 1/3rd of your income, your recurring expenses (utility payments, car payments, insurance, phone bills, etc) should not exceed an additional 1/3. Your final 1/3 is liquid, for variable expenses (groceries, gas, shopping), entertainment, and savings. Again, just a general rule of thumb, so your mileage may vary. Also note that many rental places will have certain utility payments included with rent, so rent that exceeds 1/3 of your income is not automatically disqualified if it covers utilities. Your most expensive utilities will be energy, gas (if needed), and internet. [editline]28th September 2016[/editline] For low income people, it's not always possible to adhere to this rule of thumb. Sometimes, you simply can't find a property that meets your criteria. If you can't, then your priority should be to find the least expensive option in your market, and/or consider roommates. If the cheapest option in your market is exceeding 1/3 of your income, splurging for a more expensive property is not wise at all. Don't succumb to the desire for immediate gratification-- being in dire financial straits is far more unpleasant and stressful than temporarily living in less-than-ideal circumstances.[/QUOTE] That seems smart to follow. If I were to follow this rule, then I am only able to reserve 640$ for rent (this is with housing allowance included), ouch. 640$ in rent also drops my housing allowance which means I actually only have 600$. Though with that price in mind, the housing allowance will drop again and on it goes. I have seen rent at that price before but that is very rare, seems like 870$ is the most common. 746$ is also a price that pops up at times (this only drops the housing allowance by around 10$), I suppose this is where I have to settle. I don't have a car so I'll save plenty of money there. Seems like a place with electricity and internet included is a must to ensure I'll live comfortably. I really hope I heavily exaggerated my grocery budget, it would make it a little easier to cope with rent.

Sorry, updated my post for the 50/30/20 rule. A little bit harder to follow, especially for low income folks who are just getting started, but it is the [B]ideal[/B] budgeting model to follow in terms of maximizing quality of life while also planning for the future. [editline]28th September 2016[/editline] [QUOTE=PredGD;51123816]That seems smart to follow. If I were to follow this rule, then I am only able to reserve 640$ for rent (this is with housing allowance included), ouch. 640$ in rent also drops my housing allowance which means I actually only have 600$. Though with that price in mind, the housing allowance will drop again and on it goes. I have seen rent at that price before but that is very rare, seems like 870$ is the most common. 746$ is also a price that pops up at times (this only drops the housing allowance by around 10$), I suppose this is where I have to settle. I don't have a car so I'll save plenty of money there. Seems like a place with electricity and internet included is a must to ensure I'll live comfortably. I really hope I heavily exaggerated my grocery budget, it would make it a little easier to cope with rent.[/QUOTE] Having electricity and Internet included in rent is fairly rare, so don't let that be a deal breaker for you. Common utilities to be includes are water, sewage, and trash. Gas isn't even at every property, but when it is you usually end up having to pay for it. Energy+Gas ends up being fairly comparable to just energy, if not a little cheaper, however, since the gas bill takes over some of the heavier energy applications like heating and cooling. As for your housing allowance, if it's guaranteed and has no expiration date then I suppose you could simply qualify that as part of your income? Not sure how that works. What kinds of properties are you looking at? Your absolute cheapest solo living options are generally going to be studio apartments. Studio apartments aren't going to be glamorous, but it's something you can put up with for a year or two if need be. A less expensive, though potentially riskier, option may be to sublet a room from somebody else. So, you'd be living in someone else's house or apartment as a tenant/roommate.

[QUOTE=Big Dumb American;51123823]Sorry, updated my post for the 50/30/20 rule. A little bit harder to follow, especially for low income folks who are just getting started, but it is the [B]ideal[/B] budgeting model to follow in terms of maximizing quality of life while also planning for the future.[/QUOTE] Alright, I think that should work out then. A rent of 870$ + other recurring expenses will be 52% of my income. It's not <50% but it's close enough. 746$ + expenses will put it at 46% which is even better. Groceries puts me at 26% alone but I do think I have exaggerated it heavily so it might be less. I'll have to see once I've actually been updating this budget for over a month. With that rule in mind it seems like I am set economically. Now I just have to wait until a nice place pops up.

Groceries are always a huge pain in the ass, and the costs vary a good deal from place to place. Cut out as many meals as possible that you don't prepare yourself. Fast food and snacks from the gas station add up FAST. The poor man's best friend is a rice cooker. Rice is incredibly inexpensive, very filling, and can be quite tasty and nutritious. A can of cooked chicken, two cups of rice cooked in soup stock, and the right seasoning can feed you for a day for only a couple bucks. Tasty, cheap, and relatively nutritious. Slow cookers are also amazing. Tons of very inexpensive, bulk meals can be made. One of my favorites is getting 2-3lbs of chicken, two blocks of cream cheese, a packet of powdered ranch dressing, and chucking in some green onions and minced garlic. Let cook on low for most of the day, and shred the chicken with a fork. You've got an AMAZING pot of sandwich fixins. Slap a spoonful in a bun and enjoy. Will last you several days. [editline]28th September 2016[/editline] For proteins, white fish (Swai, Tilapia) are very inexpensive and tasty. So are eggs and chicken breast. Ground beef is also good, though a little bit more pricey. Pork chops can be quite cheap, but I'm not personally a big pork fan. A yummy chicken dinner is as easy as putting sprinkling some lemon pepper or Lawry's Seasoned Salt over a piece of chicken and cooking it in a skillet. Pretty cheap, too. A great Tilapia or Swai recipe is crispy crispy parmesan baked fish. Mix 1 part parmesan cheese with 2 parts Panko breading in one bowl. Mix 1 part Dijon mustard with 2 parts milk in another bowl. Brush the fish with the mustard paste, sprinkle with the crumbs. Get both sides. Bake until flaky. Cheap and delicious. Cooking for yourself is by the far the cheapest/healthiest way to control expenses. Of course, you can always go full "college student" mode and survive primarily on Ramen Noodles, Hit Pockets, and Pot Pies.

Electricity and internet seems to be included at most places here luckily. Not all of them, but I would say they're as common as those that don't have it. 50/50. Yeah, the housing allowance is guaranteed as long as my income is as low as it is. It'll be a reliable monthly payment towards me. The most important thing to me is that the location is close to public transport and a grocery store. Pretty hard to find unfortunately so I might have to settle with just public transport so I at least don't have to walk for an hour every time I go to the store. I live in a pretty expensive part of Norway (if I believe correctly, the most expensive municipality to live in) so I'd be lucky to find anything at 746$. Even living in a shared apartment with roommates can cost as much as 622$ and I have seen it even higher. It's highly preferable to have something of my own as well so I'd rather avoid roommates if possible. [QUOTE=Big Dumb American;51123876]Groceries are always a huge pain in the ass, and the costs vary a good deal from place to place. Cut out as many meals as possible that you don't prepare yourself. Fast food and snacks from the gas station add up FAST. The poor man's best friend is a rice cooker. Rice is incredibly inexpensive, very filling, and can be quite tasty and nutritious. A can of cooked chicken, two cups of rice cooked in soup stock, and the right seasoning can feed you for a day for only a couple bucks. Tasty, cheap, and relatively nutritious. Slow cookers are also amazing. Tons of very inexpensive, bulk meals can be made. One of my favorites is getting 2-3lbs of chicken, two blocks of cream cheese, a packet of powdered ranch dressing, and chucking in some green onions and minced garlic. Let cook on low for most of the day, and shred the chicken with a fork. You've got an AMAZING pot of sandwich fixins. Slap a spoonful in a bun and enjoy. Will last you several days. [editline]28th September 2016[/editline] For proteins, white fish (Swai, Tilapia) are very inexpensive and tasty. So are eggs and chicken breast. Ground beef is also good, though a little bit more pricey. Pork chops can be quite cheap, but I'm not personally a big pork fan. A yummy chicken dinner is as easy as putting sprinkling some lemon pepper or Lawry's Seasoned Salt over a piece of chicken and cooking it in a skillet. Pretty cheap, too. A great Tilapia or Swai recipe is crispy crispy parmesan baked fish. Mix 2 part parmesan cheese with 2 parts Pablo breading in one bowl. Mix 1 part Dijon mustard with 2 parts milk in another bowl. Brush the fish with the mustard paste, sprinkle with the crumbs. Get both sides. Bake until flaky. Cheap and delicious. Cooking for yourself is by the far the cheapest/healthiest way to control expenses. Of course, you can always go full "college student" mode and survive primarily on Ramen Noodles, Hit Pockets, and Pot Pies.[/QUOTE] I don't eat fast food or snacks, I mostly prepare everything myself and yeah, definitely a lot cheaper. My biggest expense in regards to food right now is chicken, cottage cheese and greek yoghurt. These add up insanely fast as I eat 1-2 boxes of cottage cheese a day and almost half a kilo of chicken if that's what I'm having for dinner. The greek yoghurt disappears just as fast as the cottage cheese. The chicken is alright in terms of price, but these other two are a huge drain on my grocery budget. I'm bulking and lifting weights so I am dependent on good protein sources and loads of food in general. Dinnerwise, I think I'm doing alright with cutting expenses. One thing I could do would be to buy raw vegetables instead of frozen vegetables as I think that costs a little more? I never actually checked. I've tried looking for alternatives for my breakfast (greek yoghurt) and lunch (cottage cheese) but I can't think of anything that is rich in protein and affordable. For these meals I'd rather not cook anything, especially for breakfast. Eggs could be a good solution. I don't mind cooking that as it's fairly effortless.

[QUOTE=Big Dumb American;51123876]Groceries are always a huge pain in the ass, and the costs vary a good deal from place to place. Cut out as many meals as possible that you don't prepare yourself. Fast food and snacks from the gas station add up FAST. The poor man's best friend is a rice cooker. Rice is incredibly inexpensive, very filling, and can be quite tasty and nutritious. A can of cooked chicken, two cups of rice cooked in soup stock, and the right seasoning can feed you for a day for only a couple bucks. Tasty, cheap, and relatively nutritious. Slow cookers are also amazing. Tons of very inexpensive, bulk meals can be made. One of my favorites is getting 2-3lbs of chicken, two blocks of cream cheese, a packet of powdered ranch dressing, and chucking in some green onions and minced garlic. Let cook on low for most of the day, and shred the chicken with a fork. You've got an AMAZING pot of sandwich fixins. Slap a spoonful in a bun and enjoy. Will last you several days. [editline]28th September 2016[/editline] For proteins, white fish (Swai, Tilapia) are very inexpensive and tasty. So are eggs and chicken breast. Ground beef is also good, though a little bit more pricey. Pork chops can be quite cheap, but I'm not personally a big pork fan. A yummy chicken dinner is as easy as putting sprinkling some lemon pepper or Lawry's Seasoned Salt over a piece of chicken and cooking it in a skillet. Pretty cheap, too. A great Tilapia or Swai recipe is crispy crispy parmesan baked fish. Mix 2 part parmesan cheese with 2 parts Pablo breading in one bowl. Mix 1 part Dijon mustard with 2 parts milk in another bowl. Brush the fish with the mustard paste, sprinkle with the crumbs. Get both sides. Bake until flaky. Cheap and delicious. Cooking for yourself is by the far the cheapest/healthiest way to control expenses. Of course, you can always go full "college student" mode and survive primarily on Ramen Noodles, Hit Pockets, and Pot Pies.[/QUOTE] If I remember correctly, I averaged around $110 for like two weeks worth of cookable food when I was living in Utah. Since I came home to New York, it's been a lot harder.

[QUOTE=Big Dumb American;51123876]Groceries are always a huge pain in the ass, and the costs vary a good deal from place to place. Cut out as many meals as possible that you don't prepare yourself. Fast food and snacks from the gas station add up FAST. The poor man's best friend is a rice cooker. Rice is incredibly inexpensive, very filling, and can be quite tasty and nutritious. A can of cooked chicken, two cups of rice cooked in soup stock, and the right seasoning can feed you for a day for only a couple bucks. Tasty, cheap, and relatively nutritious. Slow cookers are also amazing. Tons of very inexpensive, bulk meals can be made. One of my favorites is getting 2-3lbs of chicken, two blocks of cream cheese, a packet of powdered ranch dressing, and chucking in some green onions and minced garlic. Let cook on low for most of the day, and shred the chicken with a fork. You've got an AMAZING pot of sandwich fixins. Slap a spoonful in a bun and enjoy. Will last you several days. [editline]28th September 2016[/editline] For proteins, white fish (Swai, Tilapia) are very inexpensive and tasty. So are eggs and chicken breast. Ground beef is also good, though a little bit more pricey. Pork chops can be quite cheap, but I'm not personally a big pork fan. A yummy chicken dinner is as easy as putting sprinkling some lemon pepper or Lawry's Seasoned Salt over a piece of chicken and cooking it in a skillet. Pretty cheap, too. A great Tilapia or Swai recipe is crispy crispy parmesan baked fish. Mix 1 part parmesan cheese with 2 parts Panko breading in one bowl. Mix 1 part Dijon mustard with 2 parts milk in another bowl. Brush the fish with the mustard paste, sprinkle with the crumbs. Get both sides. Bake until flaky. Cheap and delicious. Cooking for yourself is by the far the cheapest/healthiest way to control expenses. Of course, you can always go full "college student" mode and survive primarily on Ramen Noodles, Hit Pockets, and Pot Pies.[/QUOTE] For breakfast, and this may be relatively pricey but eggs, rotisserie chicken, and frozen vegetables can make for a very filling and nutritious meal. My girlfriend took several eggs and pieces of chicken from the rotisserie and some sliced peppers from a frozen pack and put together a breakfast plate that kept me full from 10am all the way through 8:20pm. I only felt my hunger after we arrived at a TGI Fridays because of the scent of steak. Bonus points because we went on a 3 mile hike that same day just before dinner and I was still feeling full. Thanks protein! A stop to the closest grocery store or supermarket to buy a package or two of eggs, a rottisserie and a frozen pack of vegetables can keep you going on that for three days, maybe a lot longer if you're living single/alone.

On the subject of food, I've been dieting for the past ~3 weeks, because I badly need to lose weight. A few years ago, I was a very comfortable 180lbs, which was a good weight for how tall I am. But, after Emaline and I moved in together, I just start packing on the pounds. Slowly, but steadily, my clothes stopped fitting as my waistline expanded. In the past three years, I went up [I]sixty pounds[/I]. I knew I had been gaining weight, but I didn't realize how bad it had gotten! I went in for a doctor's appointment earlier this month, and had to double-take at the scale. When I looked at myself in the mirror that night it hit me: I got fat. Like, not morbidly obese, but definitely [I]fat.[/I] The first week of my diet was moderately challenging, but then (seemingly overnight) my appetite just dried up. I started waking up, and not feeling hungry at all. Thinking about eating, even, made me feel a little queasy. So, I'd skip breakfast and have a cup of coffee at work. For lunch, I'd bring a hot pocket or a pot pie, but I'd only nibble at it. About halfway through, I'd start getting that queasy feeling again. It's not quite nausea. I don't feel like throwing up or anything. I just start feeling a little grossed out by the food. Like, [I]"ech. No thanks."[/I] It's not until dinner time that I really feel [I]hungry[/I]. By then, no more queasy feeling. I'll clear my plate, and usually whatever leftovers my girlfriend has. As it gets later into the night, my appetite flares back up and I find myself badly wanting snacks. It's just odd. My appetite seems like it disappeared out of nowhere. I used to be voracious, eating three full meals and many snacks throughout the day, and now I'm basically fine until the evening, at which point it kicks back on in high gear.

Does anybody have any advice on finding a 'real' job? I've been bouncing from crappy job to crappy job because I have no idea how to find anything. I'm currently stocking overnight at a grocery store, and my boss is demanding more and more ridiculous feats from us while reducing our hours and body count. As it stands, I only have my high school diploma. Am I doomed to work fast food and grocery forever? I certainly won't be going to school on $9/hr any time soon. What I want is to find a job that won't destroy my body, and pays me enough to build up my savings so I can move on in life. But I have no idea how to find such a job. Where do I look?