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My weekend was great, but extremely unproductive, considering how much work I have.
T and I had a small birthday party at our apartment Saturday, and spent most of Friday night cleaning and shopping for it. We probably spent $150 on snacks, alcohol, cake and other supplies, but ended up with 3 more bottles of wine than we started with, and quite a bit of snacks and alcohol left. And a lot more cake than two people should eat by themselves. And lots of beer left (I made T buy decent stuff because I figured there would be leftovers). We definitely won’t be needing any alcohol for a long time!
I knew hosting a party was going to cost about that much. We didn’t say BYOB, but most people did anyway. Our neighborhood is pretty quiet, so we wrapped things up around 10:30 and most people joined us for a night out to the bars/clubs nearby. I think we still annoyed the neighbors a bit, but we warned them, said we’d get everyone out early, and we don’t plan to make it a regular thing.
The other exciting event was a trapeze class on the Santa Monica Pier! It was my parent’s birthday gift to me and T, and it was really fun. It was quite expensive for what it is ($60/class!), but something I’d been wanting to do ever since I saw it on Sex in The City and found out there was one in town. It’s actually a pretty good ab workout, and it was pretty exciting to fly through the air next to the ocean. Loved it!
I’m going to pay for all the slacking off I did this week.
nytregsuckme
I spent one night and two full days in the central coast of California with some (mostly new) girl friends and wine. I’ve really been taking advantage of my month off of school, to the point where I feel busier than ever!
Here’s where my $212 got spent on this mini-vacation:
- Chipped in for gas: $12
- Charity Wine thing: $75
- Meals Out: $55
- Night out: $20
- Chipped in for hotel: $50
It is hard to believe we did a whole multi-day backpacking trip for less than that! I have a pretty interesting week ahead at work, and then home for a long weekend with my family — can’t wait!
Good: Going home this month to see my family!
Bad: Unless I want to use my precious vacation hours, I’m going to have to work 9-10 hour days all month long.
Good: My manager is (finally) putting me in for a promotion, roughly 10 months after it was first discussed.
Bad: I’m still “behind” where I should be. When I complete my M.S., I’m going to ask to be considered for another one. It will be fully justified by education and experience, but I’ll have to step up and do well on this program as well, and show that I’m valuable. Which I intend to do anyway! I hate that I’ve had to switch around so much, and I still feel like a newbie. I don’t know if it will work (two promotions in two years) but I don’t think it is absurd, and I need to try for it. I’m quite confident that (with MS in hand next spring) I could get a job elsewhere and be hired in at the higher pay grade without trouble. That isn’t what I want to do, but it has to be on the table.
Good: Accomplished two things on my “to do for fun in L.A.” list this weekend: Went to the rooftop bar at the Standard downtown, and went to a performance at the Hollywood Bowl (with fireworks!).
Bad: Oooo, this was all very expensive!!!! Next time I’ll get even cheaper seats for the Hollywood Bowl — you can hear from the back just as well. Also, you can bring your own wine (we didn’t drink) and picnic (we brought food) — it’s really a pretty good deal.
Good: My new blue sundress I bought for my engagement photos was successfully tailored (a complete dress size, at least) and I found shoes to wear with it. I’m excited!
Bad: My newish shoes (August?) are already coming apart on the bottom. I’m annoyed. They aren’t cheap-o shoes and even with daily wear, I’d expect them to last much much longer. I’m going to bring them to a shoe repair place and see what happens. It’s mostly just the soles.
T and I spent the past 6 days on vacation. The first day was a travel day, the next four were spent in the glorious high Sierra doing Rae Lakes Loop in Kings Canyon National park. Today was another travel day (sort of) — we drove to Visalia after exiting the trail around 10:30, and spent the night relaxing in a hotel. We finished the drive this morning, and spent the rest of the day getting adjusted back to reality.
Here is a small snippet of the beauty.
Hike summary (hey, I don’t have a backpacking/hiking blog, so this pf blog will have to host these tidbits):
Day 1: A brutal day, we hiked 14-15 miles from Roads End to Castle Domes Meadow, starting at 8 am. We saw four bears (they are actually not very dangerous at all, though we were very cautious) and some beautiful waterfalls and mountains. We were super tired by the time we got to camp around 5.
Day 2: A “rest day” according to T, we hiked “only” 8-9 miles and the elevation gain was manageable. Starting around 7, we made it to Rae Lakes around 1 pm and had the rest of day to relax. I attempted to swim in the gorgeous alpine lake — I made it up to my waist before retreating. It was ice cold, freshly melted glacier! We had the best campsite in the world, right on the lake.
Day 3: We started the day with some serious elevation gain, hitting nearly 12000 ft in elevation at the top of Glenn Pass. It was all downhill from there, which was much easier, but hard on our feet. This was another stunning day, filled with panoramic vistas. We went something like 13 miles and camped at Charlotte Creek Meadow. The steep downhill hiking wasn’t exactly tiring, but our feet were really really sore.
Day 4: This was a shorter 7 mile day, mostly flat with a couple steep sections. I alternated from being anxious to be out, to savouring the last few hours in the beautiful backcountry. We made it out by 10 a.m. We drove to Visalia, CA and took long long showers, then soaked our tired muscles in the hot tub.
Personal finance? Budget was posted a few days ago and the trip cost just under $200 each. I think we were slightly over.
Camping Budget: $392 for two
Lodging: $177
- Overpriced tent cabin near trail: $62
- Hotel for final night: $100
- Wilderness Permit for camping 3 nights: $15
Transportation: $90
- Vehicle Entrance Fee: $20
- Gas: $70
Food: $125
- Backpacking Food: $65 for two for 4 days. (includes 3 freeze dried meals at $6/each, jerky, oatmeal, dried fruit, peanut M&Ms w/nuts, flat bread and peanut butter, lots of Cliff/Luna bars, cheeze-its, Gatorade mix, energy sport beans, Cliff shot blocks). All stuffed into a (rented) bear canister.
- Food on the road: $60 (?) One meal while driving up, plus another dinner after we get off the trail, plus some food on the way home. Likely nothing fancy, so could be much less.
Total (per person): $196
Compare that to last years summer vacation, per person: $540
Of course, this is a totally different kind of trip than last years trip to Vegas/Grand Canyon (and I want to go back to both!). We could have cut costs by not staying in a hotel, or making the drive back to L.A. the day after we finish hiking, or even just camping the first night. But this is our main summer vacation for this year and the most challenging trip we’ve ever done — 4 days, 3 nights, 44 miles, loads of elevation. After all that, I think a night in a decent hotel is well worth it!
It is too bad that a lot of the really great backpacking trips require 5+ hours driving — it makes them hard to do, even on a long weekend. Just wait for the photos — this place is beautiful!
We might take a a fall mini-vacation to Vegas too — my cousin is supposedly planning something for my uncle’s birthday there, and it would be silly to skip a chance to see my relatives/parents/siblings or whoever comes. I haven’t heard any details. Vegas is ultra cheap lately, so I’m not worried about it yet.
I remember it vividly. It was just last summer. I had ordered two California hiking books from Amazon, and T and I were sitting on the balcony in my old apartment going through them, drinking white wine. Trekking California captured us. I’m certain I didn’t realize how hard core a lot of the hikes in this book were when I purchased it, but the pictures were SO stunning I couldn’t get it out of my mind. Something inside me said “I need to do that”.
We’d only hiked very casually and had virtually no gear. I always liked hiking in theory, but there were more corn/wheat fields than forested nature trails and mountains where I’m from. “Can we do this?!?” I asked.
I doubt I would’ve had the guts to take the plunge and buy all the necessary gear if it weren’t for T’s excitement about the idea. He had the same feeling, the same desire to trek out into the woods, away from cars, away from the internet, away. There’s something absolutely romantic/adventurous/exciting/thrilling to us about carrying everything we need on our backs, going to the tops of mountains, and seeing some of the most stunning vistas in the country.
So, we decided to do it. The book (which now seems to be available for much more) was only $12.89. But it was the driving force behind the thousands of dollars worth of equipment, and ideally, a lifetime of adventures and memories.
Have you ever purchased something, seemingly small, that ended up being very very expensive (and maybe, that ended up changing your life)?
[Photo by Mat Honan]
There were no injuries this time and we made it on our first overnight backpacking trip of the summer!! Finally! We climbed the highest mountain in Southern California, Mount San Gorgonio, about 2 hours east of Los Angeles to the trail head. Mount San Gorgonio, 11,503 feet. Our hike was 23.2 miles with 4620 feet of elevation gain.
Day 1: We hiked 9 miles to camp in about 5.5 hours with ~25 lb packs. We stopped at mile 5 or so to load up on water on at the spring (water is HEAVY). We spent the afternoon and early evening relaxing around camp (realizing the only card game we knew the rules to was “war”!) and fell asleep shortly after running around taking pictures at sunset.
Day 2: Up at dawn, went 2.5 miles at the summit at 7:00. We hung out a bit, went back to camp, had breakfast, then packed up. We hiked the 9 miles out in 4.5 hours, then stopped at In-n-Out to replenish some of the calories we used up that day. Yum yum! Our favorite meal is two burgers and one order of fries to share, and if we are feeling like a treat, a Coke. And we are always feeling like a treat.
Here is a collage I quickly created in Picasa (which is an annoying collage program, btw — why can’t I drag pictures around?)
Cost: Gas and food, pretty much. Sunscreen and a map. The permit was free and we already had a parking pass. And like I’ve said, lots and lots of gear.
It was a great hike — challenging, but not so exhausting that it wasn’t fun. Very good training for our Big Hike coming up late this month.
We have an overnight camping trip planned for this weekend! Finally! Just for one night this time.
We weren’t able to get away at all last quarter due to school stress + moving + me freaking out about my job + getting engaged. So, it is our first chance using our new sleeping bags (after we froze our butts off camping in the desert in March). Though it isn’t supposed to be less than high 50’s so I probably could get away with my summer bag.
Estimated Costs (for two)
- Food: We bought $75 worth of stuff at the store, but at least $20 was non-food items, and a little wasn’t for camping. I’ll estimate $45, but we definitely won’t eat it all this weekend. Extra Cliff bars, extra peanuts, extra bread…
- Gas: ~200 miles round trip, ~22 mpg, $3.10/gal… about $30
We already have:
- Map
- Adventure Pass (basically a parking permit for parks in SoCal)
- Thousands of dollars worth of backpacking gear.
I just have to put that out there.
We’ve spent a lot of money on this hobby, most if it on stuff that is generally considered necessary for an overnight trip. It all adds up and I’d say we’ve spent over $1500. Each. We have pretty much everything we need, and occasionally fill in wants (new bra, new shirt, better pants). We usually only need to buy a map, food and gas, then we are good to go. Plus we use some of it for day hikes on weekends when we can’t get away. (Day hiking is a much less expensive hobby to get into.)
This year we’re focusing on camping trips for our vacations. It is a shame since plane ticket deals are OUTRAGEOUS for late summer/fall. We could easily swing a trip to Hawaii or spend a bit more and make it to Europe. But we want to get use out of our stuff, we want to enjoy all California has to offer, and we want to save our money for a wedding and an amazing honeymoon (location TBD) next Spring.
Some days, despite all the stress, I can’t help but feel so incredibly lucky.
I sneaked onto my roof to take a photo (I’m not posting that one, in case I have an really brilliant stalker who can pinpoint my location based on it), then skipped down to the beach for a quick walk and to capture some beauty. Even in June Gloom, evenings can be gorgeous!
Next month is the first month of fully shared rent, since T wasn’t able to get out of his lease (but he’s been subsidizing our rent). I need to pay $900 on July 1st, so instead of setting aside nearly $725 each paycheck, I have to set aside just $450. Finally! What a huge improvement for my cash flow! The extra money is going straight into the wedding fund for now.
If in a year or so we decide we’d like to save more cash, we can move to a less awesome location and probably get our rent down to $1200 or so and still be on the westside in a 1 bdrm.
This weekend I have my final exam for school, then I have a couple weeks off, in which I hope my stress level goes down. I think we’re (finally) going to plan a hike on Sunday. Good things are in sight!
I’ve not really been “feeling” the blogging lately. Besides realizing that most of my blog ideas can fit into 140 characters (thus, I just Twitter them), things have not been good lately. When things are not good, I like to quietly gather my thoughts and try to figure out how I can make them good again. And, you know, I still haven’t figured it out.
I can muster up lists of expenses, monthly goals, and net worth calculations. I just about killed the whole “yay, I have a new apartment!” topic. I’d apologize, but there are a million blogs out there, and I’m not going to pretend that anyone is sitting at my blog page incessantly hitting refresh waiting for new content to appear.
Whether or not I should be (logically, I deduce “no”… or “maybe”. Emotionally, I come up with “yes!!!”), I’m terrified of getting laid off in the next 1-6 months. Though I did the math, and it will be ok no matter what, I am the kind of girl who likes a sense of security. Even if it is a false one.
Mostly due to that alone (but also due to school, moving, and general work issues), I’ve been very stressed out the past couple weeks. Not in that obvious “I want to burst into tears” way, but in this “millions of doubts gnawing at my soul” sort of way. Which I think is worse, but I’m not really sure.
To change the subject from stress to goodness, I’ll talk about the good things I can think of right now. When we first started dating, we would play the “Tell me something good” game and talk cloyingly about how great it was to be in love, how amazing life was, and how lucky we were. I’m sure the conversations would have been naseauting to an observer (not that there were observers), but you know, I could kind of go for some of that “I’m so lucky!” feeling right now.
So, Good Things:
- We’ve got plans to celebrate a friends birthday this weekend with some good good beer.
- Things with T have been nothing but fabulous, and he’s super supportive and helpful and awesome.
- Despite the crazy moving expenses, I’m going to be able to contribute to savings this month (only because of 3 paycheck month and some cash back bonus, but still).
- Plane tickets are so ridiculously cheap that I might be able to sneak back home to see my family this summer/fall for under $200. I had a ticket booked for $50 (round trip, no joke!), but the site crapped out, had an inventory error, and I gave up.
- My little nephew is all potty-trained.
- I have a new apartment even closer to the beach than I was before.
- I have a dishwasher.
- I have a bedroom with a door and more than one kitchen cabinet to store my food. Even the silverware drawer seems spacious!
- It is Friday! Even if I have a lot of school work to do this weekend, it is still the weekend!
- My dad, who has been affected by the recession the past couple months, told me he has not one, but two, job offers.
- I have a nice bottle of Pinot Nior sitting on my wine shelf.
- I’ll be done taking classes for my M.S. by the end of this year.
- Maybe next weekend, we can go camping. If not, we probably can at least go for a good hike.
- No matter what happens, I’ve spent 2.5 years living carefully and it will be ok.
So, your turn. Tell me something good!
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