With this being our first real post, we are going to be covering a bit more than a week. We will be discussing our struggles and experiences over the last three weeks. Afterwards it’ll be covering just the prior week.

Turtle and I have been away from home from April 1st until September 5th. The work that I do requires that I travel all across the country. While it is a lot of fun and the experiences that I am allowed to enjoy are priceless there is nothing like getting home and laying down on your bed.

The past three weeks have been spent building up to that moment of pure bliss. However, every golden road when examined closer is missing bits and chunks of stone where the wagon wheel decided to fall off. What I mean is that no matter how joyfully I will look at the path home in hindsight it did have its fair share of aches and pains along the way.

Putting the Summer to a Close

Let’s face this head on; Sloth hates packing. What’s more; Sloth hates cleaning. Now I am not a slob by most standards. I keep a tidy work-space and everything is organized in my very chaotic way. (pictured below) However when it comes to deep cleaning and packing I truly loathe it.

By contrast Turtle is amazing at it. She spent the better part of her childhood and early teenage years moving from house to house. So more often than not when it comes to us packing up to head to the summer work area or back home she is the one who takes charge.

As we closed the summer we had the task of cleaning our inventory warehouse, itemizing all of the product and handing off the keys to the next team who was moving in. Meanwhile we had to pack all of our belongings and start deep cleaning our company apartment so that we could leave on time.

You might be wondering what all of that has to do with the Mindset and Struggles of Financial Independence. Simple; it shows what we were dealing with and lets you know the kind of stress we were dealing with when the unthinkable happened.

The Pre-Drive Scare

It was at this moment when I realized that without full commitment we wouldn’t be able to make our goals a reality. If a single Check Engine Light could halt us, what would something bigger do?

Our stress level had been red lining for the past week but we were so close to being done. The check list was nearly completed and we were leaving the next morning. All we had to do was some last-minute cleaning and load the truck with all of our belongings.

Our work buddy Joe invited us to visit him in Houston to enjoy a few days of relaxation after the crazy hectic summer we had. Normally we don’t do last second trips because we like to structure things down to the minute and impromptu trips don’t let us do it. However, Joe is a really nice guy and I was feeling spontaneous so we were going!

We were going to be in the Houston area for three days and then start our two-day drive home to Arizona. It felt so good being just one night away from departing.

Until the unthinkable happened. We had just finished handing over the keys to the Castle to the new team when I got in my truck and started it. My heart dropped as one by one the lights on the dash went out like normal – except the Check Engine Light.

I decided it wasn’t worth starting what would be a 1,400-mile drive home (including the diversion to Houston) with this light on and risking being stuck on the side of a road in the middle of Texas.

My savings account only released funds after a three (business) day wait and it was Friday. I only had enough money in usable funds to get us to Houston and then to Arizona. To be honest; even if my savings were instantly available that account had been dwindling down for the past month and a half as I slowly replaced problematic parts on my truck.

It was at this moment when I realized that without full commitment we wouldn’t be able to make our goals a reality. If a single Check Engine Light could halt us, what would something bigger do?

So, I drove to an auto parts store to have them check why the light was on. I get inside and explain my long drive coming the next morning and nervously I followed him out to my truck to plug in his device. A few beeps and boops later we walk inside and he prints out the results.

Finally, the results came back and the auto parts guy and I had a good laugh. It was the gas cap that had thrown the code. I didn’t screw it on all the way when I had last filled up and a sensor picked up that there was a pressure difference in the tank. A simple gas cap caused all of that stress!

I literally just walked out to my truck and gave the cap an extra twist and it was fixed. No pricey part or offering to clean the mechanics shop toilet for a discount. The weight lifted from my shoulders and I was able to calm down. Houston here we come!

Houston, we have a Vacation

As I stepped up to the stage I wondered how much liquid courage was too much for singing Karaoke? Because I think I bypassed courage…

That next morning was a whirlwind of emotions as we loaded the truck and cleaned our way out of the apartment. We were finally done and on the road! With an audio book playing in the background we were barreling towards Houston with excitement. Every once in a while, we would pause the book to have a couple minute discussion about what was just said before going back to the book.

We made good time to Houston and arrived safely around eight at night. After a tour of the house and bringing our travel bag in we put ourselves at Joe’s mercy. When we decided to make the trip and forego our normal planning structure Turtle and I agreed that Joe would make the plans for the vacation.

So, we went to the bar. Joe is a drinker and when he isn’t working he typically has a drink in his hand. There isn’t anything wrong with that but it isn’t really who we are. But hey! We are on vacation! So, Joe grabs us all an Uber and we go to the bar. I open a tab and grab Turtle and I some drinks.

It is at this time that Joe explains that he chose this bar for its Karaoke and that he wants him and I to sing “In Color” By Jamey Johnson. Which to my sober mind was a great idea because I love that song however I have never sung Karaoke and definitely not in front of a crowd!

Joe went up and booked our slot while I go and order another round of drinks. I need some liquid courage for this endeavor. While I am getting drunk there are several people who got up on stage and start singing and eventually I get to the point where I remember saying to myself “I am going to ace this!” Then I get called up to the stage and I tell Joe to stay at the table, “I got this!” As I stepped up to the stage I wondered how much liquid courage was too much for singing Karaoke? Because I think I bypassed courage.

I tried to say “Thanks for having me, this is my first time doing Karaoke!” and it didn’t come out anywhere near that. My legs shaking and my mind stumbling over words I started to sing the song. I felt so foolish because this is a song that I have sung dozens of times and I am murdering it.

Out of left field Joe comes running up on stage and grabs the other microphone and starts singing with me, giving me the courage that I needed to step up my game and finish strong.

On the last day we went to see NASA Space Center! Even though money was weighing heavily on my mind; Joe was able to keep me in the moment. From the Mars exhibit to the Astronauts space suits and even the Shuttle parked outside it was such a fun experience.

It was the perfect ending to an impromptu trip to see my buddy in Houston. It is an experience I won’t soon forget.

If you want me to post a video of me singing “In Color” by Jamey Johnson let me know in the comments!

The Trip Home

I have money in that account… Why did my card just decline?

At eight in the morning on a gray and dismal looking Tuesday we said bye to Joe and started our ten-and-a-half-hour drive to Las Cruces New Mexico. We would be staying in a hotel for the night there and then finish the last five-and-a-half-hours of driving the next morning.

We had finished our audio book by the end of the second hour so we turned on Spotify and we were cruising right along. Turtle and I are long drive warriors so we only stop for fuel or emergency bathroom stops.

That first day was long and very boring however we were able to make it on time and without issue. The 700-some-odd-miles between us and our destination flew by and we only had to stop twice for fuel.

After a restless night of semi-sleeping we woke up again at eight the next morning and ate at the hotels breakfast bar #Frugal.

We got on the road and started driving again by nine and all was going well. This leg of the trip was just under 400-miles and I felt confident that we would be able to close that distance without stopping for fuel. However, about three and a half hours into the drive our stomachs weren’t agreeing with that assessment. So, we stopped at a small town outside of Tucson and used their bathrooms.

I decided to grit my teeth and fuel up (the gas station was charging $2.98 a gallon!) I swiped my card at the pump and I was declined. I have money in that account… Why did my card just decline? I tried again and once more was declined.

I had just been paid that morning so the money was definitely there. I tried again and this time it said “See Cashier.” I was sitting at half a tank and didn’t need to fill up. So, we drove away without purchasing fuel and with more questions than answers.

The miles dwindled along with my fuel gauge and though I was confident in my trucks ability to get me where I was going; I started doubting myself. But mile after mile my truck cruised on and we made it home. Once we were back I pulled into the gas station that we always go to. I swiped my card only to be declined again.

Turtle decided to swipe her card this time because we needed fuel at this point and couldn’t just be stubborn about it. Her card worked and upon closer inspection my card had expired the day prior and I hadn’t noticed. All of that stress over a simple expiration date.

We made it home though! We walked through our door and felt immediately better. Turtles mom had done a great job at keeping the place up while we were gone and now we are unpacking and winding down.

Off Season Budget

We have one of those right?

Everyone has a little black book, right? Mostly it contains contact information for people they’ve had flings with or some other shameful subject matter that they want to keep private. My little black book isn’t quite little but it is definitely private. It contains my finances.

It has every little bit of information for my finances. From how much I get paid and when to how much I will put into my retirement accounts down to the penny and when. So, it should come to no surprise that on one of its pages it has the number that I am required to have in my savings account for us to comfortably live during the winter and spring season before we get back to summer where I make the bulk of my income.

During that winter and spring season (which we call the Off Season) I make very little income so having a well-developed savings account by the end of the summer (On Season) is very important to our way of life.

However, over the last quarter my team underperformed and the money I was relying on to fill that savings account turned out to be a lot less than I expected. So as parts decided to keep going bad on the truck and I was forced to replace them the savings we did have started dwindling lower and lower.

We are currently sitting at enough savings to last us this month if we are very careful with our money. Going forward you’ll see Turtle and I re-establish our budget and work on lowering our Off-Season expenses substantially while preparing for Summer 2019.

Thanks for reading and I look forward to seeing you next week!