Money and Time Management Decisions

While I've been putzing around on the internet looking for good ideas for my upcoming (and definite) trip to Cambodia with Wendy Sue Rosloff: baker and drummer extraordinaire and all around awesome, fun woman, I've been trying to think more about how much money I actually have. This was also inspired by the crushing realization that Eric and I would not be able to do Thailand as I originally thought due to budgetary concerns.

This wouldn't be a problem and easy to do if I weren't concerned with getting out of credit card debt ($2,000ish) and paying off my private student loan ($5000ish), but alas, I would rather get that all cleared up so I can start living on the money I actually have and not leaking interest out every pore. So I made a rough financial plan, and I can do it--pending no extreme surprise expenses. But, I have to decide what's important to me for post contract adventuring. And that sucks.

It's just a matter of when and if I can do it all before I go back to the grind (hopefully, a more fulfilling and allowing of vacations with friends and family kind of grind). Getting an Asian Air Pass would make traveling Asia in August a do-able course of action, but I don't know if I'll get to see all the places I want to: Russia, Japan, the Philippines, Nepal, Tibet (I would settle for Nepal only), Thailand, Viet Nam (I heard a podcast on the Pho of Hanoi and the food of Saigon and I really want to go now, not to mention the natural beauty) and Bali (not really necessary) with possible Mongolia but I'm not really interested in that immediately. I have to remember that I can probably come back, as land masses and countries are usually stable (at least the ones I really want to visit).

Staying with friends and finding temp work in Tucson would make that month totally doable and make the savings requirement on my end a lot less (I could always sell my soul to a call center for the training period and then quit, again...) and while in AZ I'd have to hit up the Grand Canyon and Sedona as I've never been to either place. I'd love to do a siblings and friends camping trip while I'm in AZ--and that means planning around my brother and sister's social and school schedules. A manageable feat, I think.

As far as travelling California and Oregon, I could always break that up into mini-trips since I refuse to work another job that takes my weekends away like the Baker did. So, Yosemite gets priority on this one, since I've never been and it involves seeing a couple of wonderful people whom I haven't seen in over a year now. I can swing by Sacramento to see my Aunt Evelyn either before or after the trip then meet up with the Fiddaments (cousins, aunt, uncle and grandparents Karen and Dave) and go to Grover Beach to see my Aunt Sandy on either the way up or the way down then hit up Ridgecrest to see my grandparents (henceforth known as Nanny and Papa, not to be confused with Grandma Karen and Grandpa Dave in Northern California). I'd also want to see San Francisco as I was only there for a crappy 5ish hours before and I didn't get to do anything I was really interested in. The real hiccup would be Eric's schedule since he has a job to consider in all this, but there is always the possibility of some sort of splitting off, in which case we would have to figure out what we're bringing on the camping trip vs what Chis and Bey would be supplying (Chris is really into backpacking and has a ton of supplies--you should check out his blog on his adventures all over the West Coast, it will make you want to go Muir on the landscape). More logistics, do they ever end? Not for the travelling soul, not at all.

It's already looking pretty booked, and that's just the beginning. Maybe Oregon will have to wait for a mini-trip time later on, after I have money from a job, but who knows, maybe I'll come into a mystery surplus.

So it's a matter of figuring out the best way to get a car, if at all, really. If the whole point of coming to Korea was to get out of debt while strengthening my character, I can't really see the wisdom of signing a car loan (if I can get one), but I don't want to spend money on a crap car that I'll just have to pay on to keep running. I'm actually comfortable with the idea of not having a car upon my return, but it brings up more questions of logistics--how do I get the stuff my parents are storing in Tucson back to L.A.? I could always rent a truck, though that's pretty pricey. Or borrow a car from someone. Hmm.

I'll be living in Los Angeles which is totally car-crazy, but I'll be living in an area with more available public transit and I'll have a bike--another purchase I'll have to make.


Well, the time to go teach is nearing. I must retire these thoughts from my mind for the next four and a half hours, then I can resume working it all out on my way to Seoul. Costco card and dinner with my new vegan friend Caroline!

~Sarah