Hello everyone — happy Monday! My vacation doesn’t officially start until 5 p.m. today, but I’m already in that relaxed, pre-trip mood. I have the rest of the week off and we’re heading to New Orleans with W and another couple. None of us have been before, so your recommendations have been hugely helpful — thank you! We’ve got a long list of restaurants to try and can’t wait to explore.
Did anyone catch True Blood last night? It was intense. I’m also excited for Boardwalk Empire and The Walking Dead to return. What are you watching these days — any favorite shows?
After the episode, W and I decided to get ice cream. We left the house to go to Dairy Queen, which is only about two miles away. At first I didn’t think much when W warned that a nearby driver was swerving and getting too close — W tends to be cautious and I shrugged it off. Then the driver nearly clipped us, just inches away. W swerved to avoid him and the truck suddenly veered across four lanes, slammed into two large telephone poles and knocked them down. The poles were lying across the road and the lines were down. The truck then went down a hill into a ditch. Miraculously, the driver managed to drive away, apparently intoxicated, even though the truck looked totaled and it’s hard to understand how he escaped without serious injury.
On a lighter note, thank you so much to everyone who left kind words about my blogiversary and the blog in general. I really appreciate the support. The giveaway is still open for over a week, so make sure to submit your entries if you haven’t — there are lots of ways to enter, and you can pick as many methods as you like.
Spending
We did have some spending this past week, mainly on bike supplies for maintenance and emergency repairs in case something goes wrong during a long ride. A couple of weeks ago my bike broke while I was riding; it was frustrating because we’d spent a fair amount on it. Fortunately it wasn’t catastrophic: the pedal came loose and fell off, and I fell hard while riding on a trail at a decent speed. It hurt, but thankfully I wasn’t seriously injured.
A construction crew nearby was on their lunch break and kindly helped us fix the bike. They even offered us beers while they repaired it — which was a little unnerving given they were working on a busy bridge that hundreds of thousands of people use every day. That definitely gave us pause.
Extra Income (does not include income from our main jobs)
Extra income was solid over the past week — nothing extraordinary, but I’m grateful. I have a good feeling about September; I’m already getting several freelancing leads, which is encouraging. A lot of readers have asked about taxes: roughly 35% of my extra income goes toward taxes. I’ll post more details on my other site, Diversified Finances, soon.
I’m still deciding when to switch to 100% self-employment. The stable paycheck from my day job is comforting, and I won’t pretend I’m not worried about failing or something going wrong. Those fears are smaller now than they used to be, though, and I feel more prepared. Right now our priority is building up the emergency fund so we’re in the best position possible before making the leap.
Recent posts from my sites:
- What Not to Do When Leaving Your Job — There will always be bizarre ways people quit. What’s the craziest quitting story you’ve heard?
- 2 Year Blogiversary — I still can’t believe it’s been two years. I jumped into blogging without fully knowing what to expect, and now I’m completely hooked.
Being healthy
Overall health has been improving lately. The weather has been beautiful, so it’s been hard to stay indoors. I’ve taken long walks with my dog, used the treadmill a few times, and ridden my bike. Our meals have been somewhat healthier, though we did eat out too much last week. This upcoming week in New Orleans won’t be great for healthy eating, but that’s part of travel — enjoy now and get back on track later.
Yesterday we rode about 15 miles. It could have been longer, but we foolishly set out without eating first. Around seven miles in I got really hungry, so we turned back and called it a day.
How are you doing with extra income, spending, and staying healthy?
Share how your week went — any wins, setbacks, or tips you’ve picked up lately? I’d love to hear what’s working for you.