One month left.

Well, here we are. In exactly a month from this very minute I’m writing this, I’ll be touching down in Roatan and leaving Vancouver behind for…who knows how long. Shits getting REAL around here right now!


I am knocking stuff off my to-do list and I feel better about that, but the enormity of thinking about leaving my life here and moving to a tiny island with a few bags of stuff is starting to sink in. People keep asking me if I’m nervous or scared. Not really, because I am the kind of person who makes stuff work out whether it wants to or not (I prefer the term “determined” rather than “stubborn”), so I’m not worried about whether I’ll get my stuff sold in time or if I’ll pass my diving courses. I am, however, worried about my finances because the last thing I want to do is get down there and spend all this money on courses and then have to come home because I ran out of money and can’t afford to wait a few weeks to find work.


Here’s what the budget is looking like right now….

You can see I’m getting pretty close, but remember as I’ve mentioned this is a bare minimum budget. I haven’t accounted for any extras or things I need to buy before I go. I only have two more full paycheques from my jobs and then one sort of half paycheque from each for about a week of work, which should also include the payout for my unused vacation days. I will feel a lot better if I can get some sort of cushion in there. I am hoping that once I get settled in West End I can start working with my online business again to generate a little income.


I had an incredible stroke of luck with renting my apartment – when the landlord told me she was starting to show the suite I kept it in impeccable condition (no small feat when you work 80 hours a week) and put sticky notes saying “FOR SALE” on all the furniture I wanted to sell. I figured someone might want the ease of having something already there rather than buying it and moving it in. Or even not want the apartment but want the furniture. And it worked!!! A really lovely girl is going to rent the place AND buy my couch, dresser and vintage vanity from me. It looks like I will be able to get my damage deposit back as well now, which I’m thrilled about. I still have a few more items to sell but it’s a relief to get a few big ones out of the way.


I almost had a meltdown when I called the storage company to arrange for them to drop the storage container off so I can fill it at the end of the month… they don’t me they don’t deliver on weekends!! Who the hell doesn’t deliver moving stuff on weekends?  So I had to take a day off work and get it delivered on a Friday. Then I started panicking as all my friends will be at work too…who’s going to help me move my stuff out? I started looking up movers and they were all $135+/hr for 2 men with two hours minimums. Ackkkkkkk….did not budget for paying $300 for movers! Luckily I remembered who doesn’t work on Friday morning…. the kids (most of them are 17-19, I get to call them kids) at the gelato shop I’m working at! I emailed them and offered $50 each to the first two who wanted to come help and within 3 minutes I had two guys to help, for only $100. I got an insane deal on the storage fees too, 5 months at $65/month and the 6th month free! I had to prepay up front but still a way better deal than most places as the rest were around the $90/month mark!


Now the only conundrums I have left are:


1. I have to move all my stuff out July 27th…and stay in an empty house? My beautiful best friend offered to let me stay with her from August 1 to 11 but I don’t want to be an ass and ask to stay another 5 days there. My other friends who offered to let me stay with them are awesome for offering, but with trying to work out two jobs downtown I need to stay somewhere easily accessible to downtown late at night, and they are all wayyyyyy out in the suburbs. I have faith that this too will get sorted out!
2. Still trying to figure out the best way to deal with my cell phone contract. I owe $397 on the phone still, and have over two years left in the contract so getting out of it is not really an option. Because I have an iPhone I have to have a rate plan worth at least $50/month or else I pay a penalty of half of what I owe on the phone (currently that’s $200!). I am trying to find someone to take it over but if I can’t I am going to be in trouble.


So things are starting to come together and it’s crazy and stressful right now, and at times I can’t even believe this is what I’m doing. But I know the payoff will be huge and if nothing else, it will be hilarious later in life to be like, “hey, do you guys remember when I moved to Honduras for awhile to be a dive instructor?”