Earlier this year, a new position opened up in my department when a co-worker left for a better job within the company. The open position is similar to my current one, with some added responsibilities, a higher “salary grade,” and the same reporting lines. I decided to put my hat in the ring for the new job, so I applied for the job and “interviewed” with my boss over a month ago.

Even though this position is with my current department, the company requires everything to be processed through its recruiting (“talent acquisition”) service. Unfortunately, no one I’ve ever spoken to has had good experiences with the company’s recruiting service. They are slow and unorganized. A few years ago, they sent me on an interview at another location, but the hiring manager wasn’t expecting me because the recruiter didn’t communicate the scheduled interview date. With an open position in the same department, at least I can speak directly with my boss, bypassing the recruiter when necessary.

The hiring process at my company is incredibly slow, but I was still beginning to wonder by the end of last week. Whenever I asked about progress, I received the response that they’d have an answer soon. Earlier this week, I finally received my answer—I got the job.

The good thing about the jump in salary grade is my bonus range has changed from 0%-9% to 0%-25%. It’s an “exempt” position, so I won’t receive payment for overtime. Our department is not permitted to work paid overtime, anyway, so there is nothing lost.

I’ll be starting on Monday with a raise of 6.8% following my recent raise of about 4.5%, so in total, I will receive an increase of 11.6% this year. My attempts at salary negotiation following the newest job offer faced a dead end and the new salary is not very competitive with outside companies. I’m not as concerned with this inequity as I used to be thanks to being in a working environment that I like and the fact that most of my income no longer comes from my day job anyway.

Still, the news of the “promotion” was a good birthday present.

Earlier today, my boss at the day job informed me of my raise and bonus pursuant to the annual review process. There were no surprises; the corporate world—particularly in my non-sales-generating area of the corporate world—continues to fail to impress when it comes to monetary compensation. They say the benefits are good compared to the rest of our industry, but sometimes I feel management believes likes to perpetuate that feeling to keep good people from leaving. Before announcing compensation changes, the human resources department conducts a tour explaining the “total benefits package,” ensuring employees are looking at the whole picture when comparing their salaries to those at other companies.

Anyhow, I’ll be receiving an increase of $2,000 per year, the same as last year. My bonus reflects about 7% of my salary, and my “salary grade level” allows for an incentive range of 0% to 9%. The bonus is in line with last year’s as well. As I said, there were no surprises.

This year, I’ll have some opportunities for moving forward within the organization. If they don’t work out as planned, I have other options to consider. SmartMoney Magazine interviewed me for an article the other day (but may not cite Consumerism Commentary because I refused to give them my real name) and the conversation is getting me thinking about the viability of blogging full-time. Being able to work on Consumerism Commentary and other web projects full-time would allow me to devote much more time to writing—it’s very difficult to manage what are basically two full-time jobs right now without the quality of one suffering.

CNN is featuring five couples living on about $46,000 a year. How do they do it? The first couple is Matt and Ginger Ogle. Matt is a public school teacher and speech coach making most of the bread, and Ginger adds a couple thousand a year as as part-time assistant speech coach.

The Ogles manage fairly well on their household income but they are having trouble getting ahead. “It’s very difficult to save,” said Ginger. “I keep a mortgage payment in the bank…If there are big expenses that aren’t expected we use the credit card.”

In Salem, Oregon, they were able to find a home that fits their budget. If they were to transplant to New York City, Matt would earn a $5,000 to $10,000 raise, but Ginger wouldn’t be earning much more.

This hypothetical salary increase will definitely not making up for the cost of living difference between Salem, Oregon and New York City. To maintain their lifestyle, the couple would need a salary of $85,000.

It sounds like the Ogles are just getting by now. They don’t have an emergency fund larger than one mortgage payment and sometimes need to put unexpected big expenses on a credit card. They also want to start planning to have children. They might have to find other ways to cut back in order to take on the expenses of having kids.