So, it’s time to start working toward my goal of leaving “suburbia” (I live in a rural area but it’s still the suburban lifestyle) behind and taking my dream on the road. And by working, I mean… working. A lot. In fact, I received a call from the local hospital (I currently work at a regional center an hour away from home) asking me to interview for a PRN position in their SICU. First of all, they don’t really have a SICU, but that’s what they’re calling it. Anywho, ideally they want the per diem nurse to be able to float to critical care. In any case, it pays up to $50 an hour, I make my own schedule, and only have to work two 8 hour shifts per month to keep the position. Since M will be in school 5 days a week in the fall, that won’t be difficult. My goal is to pay off all debt except the mortgage and student loans (meaning credit card and car loan). Since my mom will pay me rent to cover my mortgage and student loans can be differed, I’ll be set at that point to funnel all my money into our travel savings.
I’ve already been saving a ton this month and last in childcare. I spent over $1000 per month in child care in May and in June spent only $240. Private babysitters are NOT the way to go I guess. The day care she is in this summer at her school is $30 per day. Big difference. I was able to fund our trip to Niagara with that difference, and catch up on credit card debt I racked up while spending all that money on child care.
It is so hard for me to not want to just act, head off to Nepal this fall and not look back. But I think it will all be so much better if I don’t have debt to worry about and some cash to live off of for a bit. So, this year is about muscling through, working more, and keeping my eyes on the prize. It’s going to be miserable, but then we will be free!
Check out some of my heroes:
Enlightened Globetrekker: World traveler who found herself unexpectedly a single mom. She tried to settle down in suburbia but became miserable. When her daughter River was 5, she took her to Mexico to live a simple life and never came back! They now live in the Marshall Islands and lead travel expeditions.
Ditching Suburbia: This family decided they had become ships passing in the night and that formal schooling had taken over their children’s lives to the detriment of the family as a whole. They took the kids out of school, sold their house, and now roam the continent in an RV.
Mother of All Things 
Ditching surburbia is in the group! She’s great. There’s one called Gone With the Wynn’s I think. They are religious but also informative.
Ditching Suburbia are religious too… but still 🙂
She doesn’t only write about it or start every post in FtF about how God has guided their family. That gets old quick!
You know I was watching HGTV over the weekend and I thought of you. That might sound odd because we have never met, but what I mean is there is a show called Tiny Living and it’s all about ditching the big home in the suburbs for a more simplistic and perhaps nomadic life-style. Often times the families or individuals seeking a tiny home are looking for something mobile they can move anywhere and still have home with them. It seemed in keeping with your ideal life-style, although I don’t know that you could go international, unless you stick to the North and South American continents. Still, an idea… 🙂