Moving By Bus

Our new home is only about a twenty minute walk from the old one. Our landlord help us move the furniture, including the bed, so that's where we've been sleeping. But clothing, food, pots and pans, and even the computer are still here at the old place. We have until the 22nd of January to get it all over, and at this rate we'll need every day of it.

In the meantime, I have become the poster child of car-free living. People see a woman walking down the street in broad daylight with a backpack and dragging along a huge, heavy brown suitcase? They stop and ask if they can help. Then I have to convince them I"m not a victim of abuse or joining the Austin homeless population, just moving a half mile.

It's not easy, but everyone should try it. Maybe "Buy Nothing Day" should be changed to "Move everything you own one block without the use of a motor vehicle, and then see if you really need any more so-called 'bargains'" day.

Dropping a Line

Christmas Eve our landlord called and asked if we wanted his help moving our furniture - the next day. So Christmas morning we hauled our bed, two dressers, dining table, and several side tables to our new home. Now we just have to worry about the little stuff :) This is officially my favorite landlord ever.

Our previous apartment was right on a busy road. This new place is in a quiet suburban neighborhood, and we've been sleeping so well without the constant noise of cars and neighbors.

Posting will be sporadic as we're still moving, but I hope to be back in regular touch again soon.

Holdiay Thrift

After the success of our Thanksgiving get-together, I was expecting a huge Christmas Eve gathering. It looks like I got ahead of myself, however. My mom will be here, my brother and his wife stopping in late in the evening, and two of my friends. Otherwise Darling and I will more or less have the day to ourselves. Which is good, I guess.

Sadly, I spent a lot more on party favors/general gifts than altogether necessary. I bought holiday mugs and put little baggies of homemade spiced cocoa mix in them. I topped off the gifts with little trinkets: small pine cones, miniature ornaments, and peppermints. They probably didn't cost $2 each, but I bought enough for 16 mugs! Guess some of my work colleagues will enjoy some...

These Things Just Sneak Up On You

Wow...Why didn't anyone remind me that Christmas is the day after tomorrow?

Christmas in December

I baked sugar cookies with a friend today. We couldn't find cutters, so we used butter knives to create our own designs. We made cookies shaped like stockings and candy canes, stars and hearts. We worked our way up to a huge menorah, a car with a bow on it, and a manger with a baby, two adult figures, and an angel. Eventually we couldn't think of anything holiday-themed so there was also an elephant, octopus, and dinosaur. It was a lot of fun. You're so right, Lizzie, Darling and I can finally relax and get into the holiday spirit.

Financially? Things are a little strained. What else is new? But I tell you - THIS IS THE LAST TIME. Next year we will have Christmas ready before THANKSGIVING, I tell you!

Holiday Pick-Up

Last night Darling and I took a friend to see No Country For Old Men at The Alamo Drafthouse. I had hook-ups and a gift certificate so three tickets and the largest meal I have ever paid for (appetizers, four entrees (because Darling, tall and thin, is never full), and desserts, only cost the $15 tip.

I wish we could go live in our new home right away, but we still have a month before our current lease is up and a holiday party in a few days. Maybe we'll rent a truck next weekend. In the meantime, I have a lot of baking, scrubbing, buying, and wrapping to do.

We Signed The Lease

The community apartment is officially ours! Composting, bio-intensive gardening, and weekly vegan meals are now ours!

We bought 16 mugs for 99 cents each from Goodwill. That is phase one of our mass Christmas gift plan.


And tonight I do this month's charity work, which is my normal job done for free. All the proceeds are going to a manager whose home was robbed of nearly everything she owned two days ago.

FlyPlan is on hold while we catch up on the holidays.

FlyTread

With so much extra time on my hands, the house should either look great or at least be half-packed in preparation for our move. Lately, however, a lack of inspiration and a sense of stress has been dragging me down. I decided to check out FlyLady, which was recommended to me over a year ago. I'm not living in CHAOS, but I still crave the structure the site offers to teach.

I am not a yellow sticky note fan, so I've decided to put my daily reminders on this blog. They will probably go somewhere else before the list gets too large.

On a financial note: THERE IS $22 IN OUR CHECKING ACCOUNT!!! For the first time this month I am not concerned that someone will cash a check before I work.

Earning Now, Earning Then

Before moving, I made $900/month at my full-time job. I also worked on a farm, modeled, baked, and served with a catering company on the side. Curious that I'm so bored with my single job now, eh?

This morning, my potential landlord called about a problem. Apparently he called this establishment, and although he doesn't know who he spoke with, whoever answered the phone said I probably didn't make $900/month while working there.

I worked 40+ hours a week and made $7.25/hour. Math, anyone? Now I have to hunt down my old pay stubs to prove it.

"Why," inquired I, "Does it matter what I earned last year across the country?" Mr. Potential Landlord had a vague reply having to do with standard procedure. Despite the fact that our credit check, criminal history, and current incomes add up.

I need to stop going on negatively about this place. The guy has the right to be anxious and careful about who rents. It's more than an average apartment we'll be caring for, but a general lifestyle that is probably very difficult to cultivate in an urban community.

We'll be meeting him again Wednesday, at which point he should let us know whether or not the place is ours

In other news, Darling's insurance didn't cover all of our first dental visit, so we owe those nice folk some money. Getting to that just as soon as we send some X-mas gifts. At least I made some money this weekend...We bought groceries today!!! :)

Oh Man Am I Bored

Leah Ingram at The Lean Green Family will be introducing a 52 week "Green Boot Camp" next year designed to help readers develop Earth-friendly habits. Leah knows her stuff; I can't wait to follow along and see how Darling and I can improve our lifestyle.

By the way, I am off yet again today. It is so freaking boring not going to work and lacking a life outside the home. By the way, why don't I have a life outside the home? And a good novel read at the bus stop, or even a two hour walk alone, does not count. I don't even have any hobbies within the home to keep myself busy. This doesn't seem acceptable. There's a yoga mat in the spare room's closet, and a guitar in the bedroom closet. That's it, I'm pulling one or the other out right now...

Well, it only took ten minutes to break a D string.

No doubt there is so much I could be doing. Like cleaning upstairs, for instance. Have I mentioned I hate two-story homes? My mom, who raised us in the collapsed remains of a sand pit (practically), used to point at the big beautiful homes downtown and say "wouldn't it be awful to vacuum that much space?" I maybe saw my mom vacuum twice ever. She also frowned at homes with carpet, preferring our dirt floor. Regardless, I have a distrust of stairs and homes that have them. Split-level homes bug the heck out of me, because you get the steps without even the benefit of towering over your dirt-floored neighbors.

Anyway, upstairs is a mess because I resent having to go upstairs to clean, and the carpet is especially in need of care. I think I'll do that after this blog.

Lately I've come to appreciate the benefits of moving every year. My generation has been given a lot of pressure to buy a first home just out of college - I know several people who have. Some of these young 20-somethings still live with their parents or in their first apartment. If you've only lived in two or three houses ever, how would you know what you want in a home? Thanks to our gypsy nature, Darling and I know that tiled kitchen counters are a must, flat cabinet doors are vital, we hate baseboards, and that linoleum is mostly evil. Thanks to my first home, I know I'm willing to sacrifice energy efficiency for big windows that open. Our second apartment made me appreciate storage space and closets, and this home reminds me that I am too lazy to climb stairs and carpet is a no-no.

The best part? If millionairemommy is right, we're saving money by renting and taking time to develop our American dream.

Now, for the upstairs bedroom...

Savings vs. Debt Servicing

I've been complaining about my workplace slowing down since August, but things are getting ridiculous. I only worked 17 hours last week! And this period I'm only scheduled for three days. I appreciate the time off, but really don't want to start a second week without groceries.

Thank goodness we had that emergency food box well-stocked. I'm making fried chicken seitan with rice and steamed cabbage tonight. Yesterday it was macaroni and cheese with broccoli, the day before was chili. Tomorrow I'm calling to reschedule our dental appointments for next month. Other than that, we're doing well. the bills are paid, rent is dealt with, and our pantry will be stocked when Darling's check comes in on the 20th, if not sooner.

This month has definitely reminded me of the importance of an emergency fund. We started putting over 10% into a savings account last month. That came up to about $200. We spent three times that on debt. I think we should switch those priorities for a time, at least until we have $4,500 - about 3 months worth of our expenses - invested in a money market account. This will bring our debt servicing to a minimum-payment plan, but something tells me these "emergencies" won't stop coming until we're prepared to deal with them.

Endless Description of Our Potential New Home

In my opinion, the apartment has great space and a pretty good layout. It is on the end of the fourplex, so we only have one neighbor, with whom we share a single wall. She gave us the tour, and seemed very nice and eager to talk about community goals and challenges. The place had lots of high windows, allowing for plenty of light as well as privacy. I can't wait to put out a bird feeder near our bedroom window, which has a view of the back garden. There are large closets in both the bedroom and what I am now thinking of our office, as well as a hall closet which might be our new pantry. The kitchen has decent cabinet space, a huge sink, a larger-than-necessary fridge, and several spice shelves over the gas stove. The small bathroom doesn't have any storage space, but is so far the newest and cleanest we've ever moved into. The white paint looks new, and so does the light blue carpeting. And the outside is turquoise, which is so Austin chick. Darling was the one concerned about losing 200 sq. feet of space, even though we barely even use our spare bedroom. Downsizing is pretty hard, even for minimalists.

I have the same suspicions as Lou. There are a lot of nice older folk interested in alternative communities, with the money to buy and fix up land, but not the time and energy. I've run into more than one person who doesn't understand why nice younger "hippies" like Darling and me don't want to move onto their land and turn it into an organic sustainable farm - for free. Many people expect us to pay for the privelege. So when Darling and I read about "labor units" in a lease application, we have to be cautious.

However, the man who owns this property has been maintaining it for six years. There is a small yard, cute garden, a compost pile, and about four other people. I'm pretty sure we can handle however many labor units it requires to weed a 4x4 garden, and Darling can adjust to living in a single story home made out of wood instead of brick. In fact, I'm really looking forward to it again!

And now there will be an official hiatus on going on about this place until we actually get it. Assuming we do. And why on Earth wouldn't we?

Happy But Wary

Darling and I went to see the apartment today. It was very nice and cute, though Darling was concerned about space. The garden was smaller than we expected and the composting plan a bit haphazard. It put Darling and I in a bit of a mood, reminding us of our last less-than-pleasant attempt at community living. Some of the paperwork was a bit disconcerting as well. We were excited to read about a vegan meal trade - but apparently every menu requires a typed list of ingredients and sources, and meals are be rated on locality, sustainability, lack of GMOs and such.

I'm also a little concerned about "labor units." Every occupant is meant to devote a time and energy to improving the place, which I'm great with. But the thought of my contribution being measured and judged by people who mostly appear to work 9-to-5 and have weekends off...Well...

We've handed over the money. If we're deemed unworthy we'll get a refund. If not, we have six months to experience a type of living Darling and I have been promising ourselves for years.

I don't want to sound down on this, we are really excited, just nervous.

$100 Mistake

I've been tracking our daily income and expenses this month in a spiral notebook. It should be noted that mathematician I am not. I have been known to argue the possible existence of decimal points, microwaves, and the number twelve out of sheer bloody-mindedness and resentment that other people can understand concepts beyond my grasp.

Anyway, I was reviewing my notes and discovered an error that overlooked $100 in earnings. So we have that much more! Which means I should have the deposit check for the apartment just in time :)

Feeling Broke

If there is anything I've learned about being healthy, financially or physically, it's that the delaying of gratification is vitally important. If one is low on energy, one must tough it out until lunch or nap time, not chug a sickly sweet caffeinated beverage (even if that bev is technically "sugar-free"). If you're having a hard time sending in a debt payment or paying bills, there is no excuse for buying cheap treats for consolation. These are lessons I learned on my weight loss journey (went from size 14 to size 6) as well as on my road to financial freedom.

Friends invited me to go dancing last night. I was reading on the couch, enjoying the yummy smells of Darling cooking dinner (home-made lentil burgers, cabbage, and beans, all organic), and reported that we don't have any excess money right now. "It's only four dollars," my friend groaned, "we'll loan it to you!" I sighed and tried to explain how not having money requires not spending money. I hate to sound rude, but I've had about a million people act condescending or pitying to me this week because of my lifestyle. I'm pretty over it.

Possibly because this week Darling and I are living la viva broke. I didn't have the heart to tell my friend that we're not even going grocery shopping this week. I'm pretty embarrassed about the college thing, and the result that we are about $300 short of the deposit for the apartment. I told the landlord up front that we most likely will not have the money until the 20th, and although he was very friendly and understanding, I'm afraid someone with a credit card will swoop in and pass a background check first. I'm even considering asking my brother for a loan, which would be awful. Don't even mention our dentist appointment on the 19th...

Yuck. Thank goodness Darling and I don't have a credit card, no doubt we would have charged thousands in the past two months alone! Is it possible for a month to go by without an emergency, are we just creating them out of thin air so I don't feel obligated to spend excess funds dancing with friends or chilling at coffee shops?

Lucky Finds

I took a walk to see the apartment mentioned in yesterday's post. The fourplex is just so freaking cute it hurts. Seriously. Four little blue units with green shutters and little stone steps...Not that I'm getting my hopes up or anything...But I am crossing my fingers and hoping to make decent money this weekend so we can pay a deposit during our tour/lunch meeting next Wednesday. Because Ireallywantitsobadicouldthrowmyselfonthegroundandkickandscreamlikeatwoyearold!!! It kills me that we would have the money now if I hadn't signed up Darling for that course he can't even take (the refund will take two weeks to process).

I found a sweet little 8-pocket portfolio on the way home from work today. Actually, it's been sitting by the dumpster outside my workplace for over a week now, and I've been too fascinated to pick it up. Despite being made of cardboard, paper, and purple ribbon, it looks brand-spanking new. One would not guess that it had been out of a package, much less outside in a parking lot during a rainstorm or two. I think it is just the thing to organize our tax paperwork, charitable contribution records, pay stubs, and so on.

Everyone Has Their Joneses

The college requires Darling take the algebra course before any credit courses. He's already attempted to test out of it, and was one point short of doing so. We'll be getting a refund on his course and enjoying a semester or two off.

I found this to be horribly upsetting. Then I wondered why. What's so vitally important about Darling taking a course, any course at all, regardless of his interests or the financial impact?

It slowly dawned on me that Darling's education became top priority when my best friend's boyfriend went back to school for his degree. I remember feeling jealous, and guilty that my Darling had to work so many hours in a job he hates for us to get by. If her boyfriend got to enroll, why shouldn't my Darling? Never mind that he has a degree! I was desperate to keep up with my own personal Jones family.

Having realized that, I feel that a huge weight has been taken off my shoulders. Yes, Darling enjoyed his class. And how amazing is it that he will be a certified solar technician soon?! He will probably go back in the fall, and hopefully I'll be with him. But in the meantime, we can focus on the goals, priorities, and ambitions we've let fall to the wayside. For instance, my love still doesn't like his job: but he has an interview on Monday, and can spend some time moving on to something he enjoys more.

We also need to focus on our move, and I found a really exciting ad on Craigslist. A nearby small Austin community has a two bedroom apartment to rent. They offer organic gardening, composting, a hard-core recycling program, communal vegan meals, wireless internet, and solar energy for $100 less rent than we're currently paying. We had a phone interview with the owner today, and it sounds very promising. Darling and I have wanted to experience communal living (with privacy) for some time now, and this might be a perfect introduction! It's closer to my job than we live now, and right on our favorite bus route! We have a tour scheduled for next Wednesday. I really hope we will have the deposit saved by then, at which point it will basically be ours (pending credit and criminal background check, and assuming we don't get too over-excited and end up disappointed).

Oops...I mean Yay!...I hope...

As a result of not having a lot of time on his hands, the worse website ever, and being "new" at this American college thing, Darling didn't manage to register for his degree program in time. In fact, we came painfully close to not registering for any classes at all.

Darling has been too busy working, studying, and taking final exams to sit down with his adviser. Granted, all this should have been done last month, but I won't go into that. So we've been trying to register him online for the past couple of days, but there was a random pointless hold on his account. That hold wasn't taken off until yesterday, so we didn't get down to registering until last night.

For all we know, there was plenty of room for Darling in all of the classes he needed. But whenever we tried to add a class, we were stopped with an error message to the effect of: The class is full, maybe, or there is a computer glitch, or we hate you. Sometimes, for no apparent reason, we were interrupted by a window demanding we purchase a parking permit. When we clicked "no," it took us back to the login page! At one point we gave up trying to add specific courses and just searched for any course Darling could take this semester. He was interested in taking a Quickbooks or an AC/DC circuitry class, but both gave us the error message. We were very interested when it looked like several automotive courses were still open, but got the parking permit demand. We gave up. Darling was sitting on the couch, glumly muttering about how maybe he'll focus on the new job he'll hopefully find next week, when I interrupted him with a surprised and slightly frightened gasp! I had been idly searching and clicking, not expecting any response, when suddenly bright red letters informed me that we owed $243! I had managed to sign him up for the AC/DC class which had refused us at least twice already! Despite the fact that he doesn't have the prerequisite course, as I have just now discoered.

I HATE the ACC website!!! Now we've paid for the course, but don't know if he should risk trying to take it without the background knowledge (a maths course). But I don't want to risk him not having a course at all. And now, having paid for the course, we are officially and totally out of money.

Little Encounters, Big Impressions

I was waiting at the bus stop when a young man, probably in his early twenties, crossed the street to join me. I watched in amazed horror as he swigged the last of his chocolate milk and slung the plastic carton carelessly onto the grass next to the sidewalk. There are trash receptacles at every bus stop in town, including this one. Right next to him. Where he stood. Feet away from his garbage lying in the grass. His recyclable garbage.

We both climbed onto the same bus. His final destination was less than a ten-minute walk away. Seriously. And not an unpleasant walk, but one with sidewalks and pedestrian crossings and so on.
Not that I resent him for taking the bus to get a few blocks, the transportation department can have the guy's dollar for all I care. It was just interesting how, in the space of thirty seconds, this guy could make me dislike him so much without even realizing it.

Happy Anniversary to Us :)

Darling and I celebrated our third anniversary yesterday by sharing a cold and cuddling in bed all day. I'm not really sure what other people do on their anniversaries, but we're especially bad at buying each other gifts so that didn't really happen. After a brief bout of mutual guilt, Darling grabbed an old belt off the floor and handed it to me, saying "happy anniversary." I gave him a hat, then our couch, and he gave me his jacket, and so on.

I've been taking some time to not think of Christmas, and therefore fell behind on my gift-a-day idea. I'll catch up...eventually. I refuse to have a nervous breakdown over what should be a joyous time of year.

Speaking of nervous breakdowns, I realized that our lease term ends January 22. Not February. I don't know how we got confused on this issue. We'll need to find our new home a month ahead of schedule. The good new? We paid "last month's rent" as part of our deposit, so we don't have to worry about that $700 expense now!

Nevermind and December Priority List

My 8-Day Challenge has already fallen apart, so I will carefully sweep it under the rug and hope no one notices. It slipped my mind that Darling and I are both taking Tuesday off (Day 3 of 8) and it is yet another agonizingly slow work week. We will simply have to earn at our normal steady pace, cut down on grocery spending, and hope his scholarship comes through after all.

This is a flexible list of this month's spending priorities:

1. Darling's Exam Fee ($30) *Covered* **Oh wait, not needed :)**
2. Electric Bill ($42) *Paid*
3. Phone Bill ($55) *Paid*
4. Darling's Tuition *($800) *oops, er, nevermind*
5. Rent ($700) *Now Application Fee/Deposit on New Place*
6. Dental Exams ($500)
7. Student Loan ($200)
8. Investments (minimum $150)
9. Bus Passes ($20)
10. Prescription ($20)
11. Christmas (minimum $200)
12. Moving ($50)
13. Charity (minimum $100)
14. Family Loan ($400)
15. Tread Clothing ($50)

Total Estimated Expenses (excluding groceries): $3,317

December Net Worth

Hurray for December, I can finally put out the Christmas gifts I've wrapped and we can set up our little "tree." It's actually a small wooden statue of Santa Claus next to a tree, which has about a dozen little ornaments to decorate it with. My mom gave it to us a few weeks before our first Christmas. We set it up on the desk in the tiny room of Darling's sister's basement we were staying in during that time. Sure, there was a huge tree upstairs, but it was so nice to have something special for us.

Anyway, it's also that time of month to see where we are financially.

Total funds available, including checking accounts, savings, and cash: $293.90. As I had absolutely no money at the beginning of last month, this is a huge improvement. I also have $50 gift card for Performance Bikes.

Total Traditional Debt: $15,313.33, $410.38 less than last month.

If we stop there, as I always have in the past, our current net worth is -$15,019.43, $726.32 more than last month! And it's important to note that our net worth has, in fact, increased. But I'm going to add to the equation a new form of debt which we have only this month become aware of: our medical debt. Even though we don't owe anyone this money as of yet, we know how much it will cost to get our teeth fixed and I think it appropriate to consider this amount a form of debt. This is an expense that will not only go away, but will increase over time if ignored. One positive aspect of this type of debt is that we have insurance that will help us pay it. So $1000 worth of work may only cost us $500, but our net worth will increase by that full grand anyway. Hopefully this will encourage us to schedule and pay for monthly appointments in the hopes of getting our net worth back to where it was when I started this blog. Some goal for a financial blogger, eh?

Anyway, this is the price estimate that the dentist office gave us after our first visit. I suspect there might be more work beyond this, unfortunately, but our priority expenses come up to $3,079.

Which puts my net worth at -$18,098.43.

Yikes.