Ask Working Girl

Have a work-related question? Blog-related question? Or want to know something random about one of us? Ask! Send your questions to WorkingGirlOne@gmail.com or WorkingGirlTwo@gmail.com or just post a comment here. Now, onto this week's questions...


Diane asked: Why is it so hard to find office supplies in the office? Do they really think they are going to save money by not giving me a notebook?

WG1 answered: We have a designated office supply orderer and lately he hasn't been letting anyone order the supplies they want. They all must be Office Depot brand and we can't even get tissues. I hate it. So, I go to an office supply store, purchase what I want and expense it. No questions asked.

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Mary de Bastos asked: How can you afford to live in the city on assistant salaries? How much is an assistant salary?

WG1 answered: Let me answer your second question first and before I do, let me point out that this is solely based on an informal survey of my friends who all happen to work in publishing in Manhattan. On average, sales assistants make $30,000 - $37,000 a year. Some get overtime and others get three weeks vacation a year. It all depends. Either way, it's a tough salary to live in Manhattan on. Which is why WG2 and I started our post-college lives in Hoboken, NJ and why a number of our friends are living at home to save money.

For those of us living in the city (and in Hoboken because it's only a teensy bit cheaper), we get by paycheck to paycheck. Everything from tampons to rent is expensive in New York City. I try my best to save some money after paying all my bills but I also like to shop, dine out and go out with my friends. So it's really a crap shoot because one week you have extra money to shop and the next your rent is due (and cable, and electric, and your credit card bill).

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Mich (from Canada, where everyone takes their shoes off at the door) asked: I always see people on TV and in movies wearing their shoes in the house (on American shows). Is it true or is it just on TV?

WG1 answered: I always take my shoes off when I get home. But growing up in Minnesota, I was trained well to take of my shoes in the mud room. My boyfriend, who is from Massachusetts, keeps his shoes on and doesn't know what a mud room is. Does that help?

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WG1's Mom asked: Are you still hungover, sweetie?

WG1 answered: No.