Sarasota FL
In October 2009, we decided to track every penny we spent. We started putting notes in a little notebook and accumulating a stack of receipts. We knew there would be a lot of unknowns on this trip and money was one of the biggies - could we really afford to do this? I had done some what-if analysis last winter, but neither of us was sure what this would really cost. I started posting our expenses to a spreadsheet in November, but had gotten behind.
Today, I posted our expenses, up to today. I split the month of December into two portions, showing the camping days separate from the days we’ve stayed at Pat’s house. Kelly thought we’d save a lot of money by staying here, but it wasn’t the case. It appeared the money we saved in camping we lost in eating out. I also started a spreadsheet to log our mileage and gasoline costs. Our mileage is clearly affected by geography and whether we’re towing.
As soon as I figure out the technical issues, I’ll post these spreadsheets. I’ve always held finances pretty close to my chest, but I’ll make this public so you can see what’s involved. Several folks have said they intend to take a trip like ours and have wondered about the costs. When I’m ready, I’ll dedicate a blog entry to a discussion of expenses.
Today, Kelly worked on transferring her family’s movies to DVD for archiving. It’s a slow frustrating process. Since it’s been hanging over our heads for years, I’ve asked her to finish the project before we go back on the road.
It was a slow day on the farm. Kind of a bummer. All our “neighbors” went back to work. Either some of my retired friends need to start playing this game, or I need a new addiction.
Later, we had dinner with Gary. I turned Gary and Kelly on to Torchwood. The second season, where we began watching, starts with a bang, so they both enjoyed it. Torchwood (http://www.bbcamerica.com/content/262/index.jsp) is a British science fiction TV show, a spin-off of the new Dr. Who series. It takes place in Cardiff, where there’s a rift in time and space. There are two women who really kick ass and some gay love happening, too. The evening was filled with good food, good company, and two more dogs to love.
In October 2009, we decided to track every penny we spent. We started putting notes in a little notebook and accumulating a stack of receipts. We knew there would be a lot of unknowns on this trip and money was one of the biggies - could we really afford to do this? I had done some what-if analysis last winter, but neither of us was sure what this would really cost. I started posting our expenses to a spreadsheet in November, but had gotten behind.
Today, I posted our expenses, up to today. I split the month of December into two portions, showing the camping days separate from the days we’ve stayed at Pat’s house. Kelly thought we’d save a lot of money by staying here, but it wasn’t the case. It appeared the money we saved in camping we lost in eating out. I also started a spreadsheet to log our mileage and gasoline costs. Our mileage is clearly affected by geography and whether we’re towing.
As soon as I figure out the technical issues, I’ll post these spreadsheets. I’ve always held finances pretty close to my chest, but I’ll make this public so you can see what’s involved. Several folks have said they intend to take a trip like ours and have wondered about the costs. When I’m ready, I’ll dedicate a blog entry to a discussion of expenses.
Today, Kelly worked on transferring her family’s movies to DVD for archiving. It’s a slow frustrating process. Since it’s been hanging over our heads for years, I’ve asked her to finish the project before we go back on the road.
It was a slow day on the farm. Kind of a bummer. All our “neighbors” went back to work. Either some of my retired friends need to start playing this game, or I need a new addiction.
Later, we had dinner with Gary. I turned Gary and Kelly on to Torchwood. The second season, where we began watching, starts with a bang, so they both enjoyed it. Torchwood (http://www.bbcamerica.com/content/262/index.jsp) is a British science fiction TV show, a spin-off of the new Dr. Who series. It takes place in Cardiff, where there’s a rift in time and space. There are two women who really kick ass and some gay love happening, too. The evening was filled with good food, good company, and two more dogs to love.
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