Abram's Journal

Where are you and where are you going?
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barbarossafitness
Posts: 6
Joined: Sun Dec 25, 2022 2:19 pm
Location: WNC

Abram's Journal

Post by barbarossafitness »

Entry One: A budding habit of ERE Consciousness begins its cataloging

What inspired me to start journaling on today of all days on the ERE Forum is that I no longer have access to my debit card while I am abroad. This means that between the 5000 Thai Baht in cash I have on hand and the $-184 balance on my credit card, any other method of acquiring cash while I am in the very cash based society of north Thailand is going to be a huge pain in the butt. I have always been financially conscious, budgeting and planning obsessively since I was 21 in college, and now this development has pushed me over the edge to begin journaling.

A recap from my intro post found here: viewtopic.php?t=12719
24 years old. Some college debt. Decent savings. Moving back to Western North Carolina in April.
Read ERE in the Fall of 2022. Began lurking the website in January 2023. Finally posting now in March of 2023.
Starting two new jobs in April, one in person and one online, with Uber Driving on the side.
Purchasing a NEW car next month. Potential disaster? Follow here to find out!

Goals for the next five years (by the time I turn 30 in August 2028) include:
  • Buying land in the mountains of Carolina and building a small home on it (potential rental income, no mortgage)
  • Going to graduate school (The master's program I am interested in is fully funded and on the edge of the world)
  • Joining the Military Reserves after school is concluded. I was really dead set on this path when I was 21 but have been having doubts as I grow older. Only the coast guard, as an officer, remains appealing.
  • Starting a family. This I imagine to be more difficult than anything else.
  • The financial independence to do whatever I want for work. I believe work that we WANT to do is fundamentally good, especially if we have a WHY behind it. Unfortunately that type of work usually doesn't pay enough to support your WHY if you're not following ERE principles.
I am very new to using forums in general, and I ask of you to please share any feedback you have on my posts and their structure!

ertyu
Posts: 2893
Joined: Sun Nov 13, 2016 2:31 am

Re: Abram's Journal

Post by ertyu »

barbarossafitness wrote:
Mon Mar 13, 2023 3:49 am
I no longer have access to my debit card while I am abroad.
been there. it's an absolute pain in the butt

OutOfTheBlue
Posts: 295
Joined: Thu Mar 03, 2022 9:59 am

Re: Abram's Journal

Post by OutOfTheBlue »

Hey Abram, welcome here!

Losing access to your debit card is a bummer, but you seem to be turning that around by starting an ERE journal! Smart move.

You know what? I too, I am in Pai right now! Just came in today, will stay until the 18th. Hit me up if you want to meet :-)

Crusader
Posts: 342
Joined: Wed Aug 19, 2020 11:16 pm
Location: Toronto, Canada

Re: Abram's Journal

Post by Crusader »

If you cannot use your debit card any more, surely you can log into your bank's app or website and put money on your credit card. You can also withdraw cash using your credit card (there is a cash advance fee and the interest starts immediately but not if you had a negative balance to start with).

barbarossafitness
Posts: 6
Joined: Sun Dec 25, 2022 2:19 pm
Location: WNC

Re: Abram's Journal

Post by barbarossafitness »

Crusader wrote:
Mon Mar 13, 2023 8:23 am
If you cannot use your debit card any more, surely you can log into your bank's app or website and put money on your credit card. You can also withdraw cash using your credit card (there is a cash advance fee and the interest starts immediately but not if you had a negative balance to start with).
Thankfully I have enough cash on hand to last. Most businesses here in rural Thailand are cash only which becomes a problem.
OutOfTheBlue wrote:
Mon Mar 13, 2023 6:18 am
Hey Abram, welcome here!

Losing access to your debit card is a bummer, but you seem to be turning that around by starting an ERE journal! Smart move.

You know what? I too, I am in Pai right now! Just came in today, will stay until the 18th. Hit me up if you want to meet :-)
Oh sweet! I hope the smoke isn't bothering you too bad. Come up to Charn Chai Muay Thai on Wednesday or Thursday if you like, classes are held at 8am and 3pm, I am training here obsessively.

OutOfTheBlue
Posts: 295
Joined: Thu Mar 03, 2022 9:59 am

Re: Abram's Journal

Post by OutOfTheBlue »

Nice! Will probably come by today. I sent you a PM.

barbarossafitness
Posts: 6
Joined: Sun Dec 25, 2022 2:19 pm
Location: WNC

Re: Abram's Journal

Post by barbarossafitness »

Entry Two: Two weeks left in Thailand

3630 Thai baht left and w/ -$129 on my credit card to last me 12 days. Testing my frugal muscles here! Speaking of muscles, I have been dealing with injuries in my shoulders, due to a combination of over training and poor sleep. My bed especially is a culprit, I have had to transition from side sleeping to back sleeping to correct the issue. Mattress quality was something I always took for granted living stateside.

Being an eternal planner, and with some time off due to injury, I've begun coming up with ideas for fixing my screen addiction. Considering that I'll need a smart phone plan in order to drive UBER, ditching the smart phone I have (a google pixel 6A) won't be an option. I'm debating getting a dumb phone that I can carry around on a cheap, talk and text only plan, and leaving the smart phone in the car. I have messed around with limiting apps and features on my smart phone before however having the option of turning the features back on and limits off always has proven tempting, so I believe the only way to remedy this issue will be a functional change of lifestyle. Between the smart phone and the car, perhaps UBER driving as a part time profession isn't worth the effort.

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grundomatic
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Re: Abram's Journal

Post by grundomatic »

I would do an ROI calculation on the whole Uber thing. I drove for Uber between jobs a decade ago, and when I did the calculations, it was merely paying for the depreciation on my car--making the value of my time driving for Uber $0 per hour. I certainly wouldn't buy a new car in order to drive for Uber. There may be a way to make it profitable, like if you buy a 10 year old car that you find for a deal, put a ton of miles on it, then sell it in a year before it depreciates too much, if you luck out and don't have any major repairs this maywork out ok. In general, however, around here a car is typically looked at as an expense to be avoided, or at the very least minimized.

As far as the military goes, if service to country is in your web of goals - good for you. I know plenty of people that have had a blast seeing the world on Uncle Sam's dime. If personal freedom is in your web of goals, make sure you Google stop loss and really know what you're getting yourself into.

Western Red Cedar
Posts: 1205
Joined: Tue Sep 01, 2020 2:15 pm

Re: Abram's Journal

Post by Western Red Cedar »

Welcome to the forum!

Enjoy your time in Thailand. At the end of my last trip in SE Asia I left my debit card in a taxi and had to spend my last week in Bangkok with a pretty limited budget. I ended up getting a really cheap room, walking around and exploring the city, visiting temples, reading a lot in parks, eating street food, and even managed a trip to Ayutthaya on the local train. Everything worked out and it was a fun way to finish off the trip. Good luck!
barbarossafitness wrote:
Mon Mar 20, 2023 4:13 am
Between the smart phone and the car, perhaps UBER driving as a part time profession isn't worth the effort.
I'd also encourage you to run the numbers and think twice about driving for Uber/Lyft if it requires you to purchase a vehicle. There are probably some other opportunities for part-time work that might fit better with your goals and lifestyle (dog-walking, pet-sitting, housesitting, handyman/woman, etc.). Think about opportunities with no/low startup costs and that hit on multiple goals like learning new skills or exercise/physical health.

barbarossafitness
Posts: 6
Joined: Sun Dec 25, 2022 2:19 pm
Location: WNC

Re: Abram's Journal

Post by barbarossafitness »

JUNE UPDATE
Hi Forum, been a while. Here's a fun list of the things I've been up to:

    Fought a professional boxing match in Thailand. Lost. Earned the local equivalent of a week's minimum wages ($70)
      Flew back to the US and purchased a Ford Maverick Hybrid. After driving it for two months and having several check engine lights, I sold it for $1000 profit back to the dealer. Back to the ole corolla for me!
        Began training to be a professional raft guide. This has been very slow going. After 9 weeks I still have only made $130 total from this endeavor and have yet to become a fully certified guide.
          Moved into a room in April for only $200 a month, utilities included.
            Worked in a saw mill for two weeks. I think it may have made my hearing worse, despite wearing hearing protection. Made $700 in that time.
              Quit drinking (again), today marks 40 days. Thought I was only going to take a month off but now I don't really feel the desire to start again.
                Went to a recruiting officer for the Coast Guard. Found out for the job function I want (Officer Reserves) I'm looking at a two year wait to get off to boot camp. In the mean time I'll have to figure out what to do with myself.


                Now I stand looking at two options:
                • Stay and continue to take a crack at being a raft guide through the rest of the summer
                • Move on to greener pastures, perhaps volunteering on a farm, perhaps moving in with family and getting a serious job
                Decisions, Decisions!

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