Sailing Baby Blue

We took a - rather large - step backward this month, and bought a new motorcycle! For me! I'm already having a hard time remembering how we justified this expense, but I guess selling the truck and cashing out the old 401K to pay off debt should come with some sort of reward. Right? Now we can ride together through the desert. I'm going to need some riding gear and a learner's permit.

...cause that can be so funny. It doesn't cost any money, and it always grows back. Hair grows even after you're dead." - Regina Spektor This is my new favorite way to save money. I don't know how much Jon's haircuts cost, but I do know it's way more fun when we do it at home. Observe.   The timid punk rocker. The state trooper. Oh, The Irony. Hmm...my twice a year haircuts cost $40. I suppose I'm next. Lets just hope I look good with a buzz cut.

A little taste of what Jon's been riding his bike in.  I felt guilty.   But when he got home I made him help me build a snowman anyway.

I made the first big lifestyle change and sold my truck. It's been two weeks now without my truck and this morning I woke up to a few inches of fresh snow on the ground. Not only did selling the truck instantly knock three thousand dollars off of our debt but it is also a test of my determination to achieve our dream. The sooner we can start living as cheaply and simply as possible the sooner we will be able to set sail. We can also make sure we are up to a lifestyle with far fewer conveniences. Even before deciding to start selling our belongings and saving to go cruising I had wanted to try getting by without a vehicle. I have tested the idea a few times and left the truck sitting in the driveway for a couple weeks and ridden all times of year and in all kinds of weather. Living in Colorado we definitely experience all kinds of weather. Besides the obvious money savings this will provide it is also a healthier lifestyle (no need for working out at the gym when you are biking 12...

Jon sold his truck today!

One of the quickest ways we thought we could make some extra cash without taking on second jobs, was selling stuff we no longer need (meanwhile benefiting from the feng shui of an uncluttered house). Having never had a well paying job and being very afraid of credit card debt, I don't have much of value. But I do have issues with throwing things away. I know that as soon as something is gone, I will find the perfect crafty idea to reuse it. I could get rid of some little things at a garage sale, but our last attempt didn't yield much profit. Jon on the other hand, has a smorgasbord of items that someone might actually buy. He has a little problem with buying big toys. Until recently he had: 3 kayaks, 3 or 4 bicycles, 3 skateboards, a guitar, a bass guitar, a violin, a mandolin, a truck, a motorcycle, and an old 21 foot sailboat that lives in New...

Fall is definitely here and this week I've been keeping warm in the house, devising money saving-schemes and reflecting on the past summer. For the past four months that we've been living together, our strategy has been to spend as little as possible. But since that isn't very specific, we've ended up making exceptions for home improvement projects and mini-vacations. Those things are very easy for me to justify, but they add up fast. The home projects were definitely necessary, but we have thousands of dollars of work left to do on the house and yard. We'll have to set aside money for improvements and make a plan according to which projects are most important, and will most increase the value of the house. Getting out of the city for a few days is very important to us, but there must be a way to make backpacking less expensive. In fact, it seems like it should just be free. But I guess if you don't want to freeze to death or collapse from exhaustion...