Countdown to Europe & moving: 3 months to go

by Karen on February 8, 2010

These countdowns seem to be coming more frequently now, but it’s only because time is flying. I’m not complaining, though. Everything is coming together now. I’m pretty much done planning for Europe. Unfortunately, I can’t say the same for moving. I feel like planning for that has barely even begun.

Last week, our passports arrived in the mail. It’s exciting, and it’s a relief. We applied about 8 weeks before we’ll need them for our cruise to the Bahamas, so we’re lucky they were processed so quickly (less than a month).

The only thing left for us to do is book our train tickets. We’re riding a train from London to Amsterdam and another train from Amsterdam to Paris. We can’t book tickets more than three months in advance, but next week we’ll be able to reserve our seats. Once we’ve purchased our train tickets, we’ll have everything booked!

We’ve talked a little bit about an itinerary, and I’ve asked everyone I know who’s traveled abroad to tell me what we must see. Honestly, though, I’m wary about over-planning. I want to relax while we’re there, and I don’t want to feel like we have to be doing something every second. We’ve made a list of the things we absolutely must see. Beyond that, we’re trying to keep things as loose as possible.

There’s nothing much to report as far as moving goes. To be honest, I’ve been in denial about what I need to do. The guest room where visitors used to sleep? It’s completely overrun with boxes and various items with which we don’t know what to do. I’ve been talking about clearing some of this clutter for months now, but I’ve yet to do anything. I’m sure this will be like every other time I’ve moved — I’ll put off cleaning until it’s time to pack, and then I’ll drive myself crazy trying to get rid of stuff and pack boxes simultaneously. I’ll probably never learn.

But who wants to think about packing and cleaning when I could be planning for Europe? Besides, think of how fun it will be when it’s time for me to pack and I’m going through 3 years of useless junk!

Photo by pedrosimoes7

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Over 300 hours of entertainment for $2.99

by Karen on February 5, 2010

Do you have an iPhone? Are you a fan of “This American Life“? If you’re not, you should be, and the This American Life iPhone app is a great way to become one.

“This American Life” is a public radio show that offers a glimpse into the lives of real Americans through quirky stories and interviews. Each week, they feature a theme and the radio show includes different kinds of stories about that theme. One of my favorite episodes are “Somewhere Out There,” which explores the idea of soul mates, and “Matchmakers,” which focuses on (you guessed it) matchmakers.

For just $2.99, you’ll have access to almost every episode of the show ever produced. Tony and I love to listen to the podcasts on road trips, and with this app we won’t have to burn tons of CDs every time we take a trip.

It costs 99 cents per episode to download them individually. With almost 400 episodes in the catalog, this is an incredible price for portable streaming access to all of them. For a tour of the app and all its features by host Ira Glass himself, go here.

Take it from me, this is a fantastic way to spend $2.99. “This American Life” is absolutely the most interesting and entertaining radio show on the air, and you will love it. I promise.

If you don’t have an iPhone, you can stream episodes for free online. Take some time away from the TV this weekend to check it out.

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Where we’re going & how far we’ve come

February 4, 2010
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Last week after I  mapped out financial goals for the next 3 years, I felt overwhelmed. Whenever I set a new goal, especially one as lofty as saving $20,000 for a house within three years, I go through a period where it feels impossible.
I have to remind myself of how far we’ve come. I remind [...]

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Dedicated to all seven (yes, seven) of my cars

February 3, 2010
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Yesterday, I wrote about the pros and cons of financing vs. buying a used car with cash. At the end of the post, I briefly mentioned that one of the reasons I don’t mind financing is because I’ve driven six unreliable cars since high school. While I hated most of those cars by the time [...]

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Financing a car vs. paying cash for an older vehicle

February 2, 2010
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Let’s say you have $5,000 available to purchase a car, and you need it right now. You can technically afford to add a monthly payment to your finances, but of course that will take away from the amount you’re able to save each month.
You need to decide whether you want to use that $5,000 as [...]

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How a tight budget can be a blessing

February 1, 2010

Three years ago, we moved to North Carolina with a small nest egg but no real plans. Tony had a job waiting for him (an extremely low-paying teaching assistantship), but I spent three months looking for a full-time job in my field before I starting working part-time. We were frugal out of necessity. it’s scary [...]

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