Spending Freeze

Ayup. We are on a total spending freeze until either the end of this month (if we aren't transferred) or the end of August (if we are.)

Marty's company reimburses you moving expenses, which is great. The problem with reimbursing is that you have to have the money up front. We are following Dave Ramsey's baby steps, so we don't have a big ol' savings account or credit cards to move with. If Marty is offered this transfer, it would be such a huge career move that we want to make sure it happens. So, that leaves us with a spending freeze.

Last night we figured it out on paper and it is doable, but it is going to mean bare bones spending here for a while.

I want to try to make $1,000 by "snowflaking." What is snowflaking, you ask? Normally snowflaking is used to add to your debt snowball (snowflakes make snowballs...) but I am going to borrow the idea for our moving fund. Simply put, snowflaking is finding money wherever you can, to add to your debt snowball. For example, we canceled our community center membership, so that is an additional $87 for the month of August (and $87 for July if I can convince them to spend the 3 seconds it will take to cancel the checking account deduction), I have a few things that I bought that are waiting to be taken back to the store (about $30 total), if I can shave $100 off of our food budget, and even something like going door to door to cut grass.

If you want a better explanation, check out Snowflaking - A Primer from I’ve Paid For This Twice Already...

Last night we figured out that it will take roughly $250 in gas for our van to get there. (That s assuming 15 miles to the gallon, which I would die if we only got, but I want to be sure.) I have no idea what it will take for the moving truck and I am afraid to know.

So far, all of the apartments I have looked at require a $200-$300 deposit, which would be a huge help.

Speaking of apartments - I talked to my friend Debi yesterday and she said that the apartments are not in a bad part of town, or subsidized or falling down. That is just the price of housing in the area. One of the worst economies + military bases close by means cheap housing for all. She has said before that there aren't any neighborhoods that she would feel unsafe in, but as soon as she gets back into town I am going to ask her to call her family in Meridian and make sure that hasn't changed overnight. lol

So, there we are. Not spending, saving and trying to make some extra cash.

Any ideas?