A Fool and His Money

I’m kind of lazy. Well, I’m really lazy sometimes. Ever since I graduated from high school I’ve had a hard time managing my time, so I don’t have a job while I’m in school. I hardly get my schoolwork done as it is, I can’t imagine trying to organize it alongside even part-time working hours. Needless to say, I have no source of income. My parents are more than kind enough that they cover my gas money and general living expenses, so my savings shouldn’t go anywhere, right? I also have a spending problem. I’m a little bit of a shopping addict, mostly as a response to stress or depression. What stress? Who knows. I’m in an almost perpetual state of wanting a vacation, sometimes even while I’m on vacation.

So why is any of this relevant? Because I should be saving money for this trip. I should’ve been saving money for at least a year now, but when I had a decent amount saved up and got some paid film work it seemed like I had money to spare. Wrong. So in late September, my savings almost completely depleted, I turned to the one place I could get help.

eBay.

Since then I’ve sold five CDs, nine DVDs, two Playstation 3 games, three Gamecube games, a computer program, and a Silver Surfer compilation book. This raked in $288.71, but after deducting shipping and fees from both eBay and PayPal, I got a net profit of a little more than $100.

It’s not much but every little bit helps, right? Especially since I’ve still been spending money needlessly. Having an eBay account is a double-edged sword, since while I’m making money by venting my unwanted and unneeded possessions, I’ve also been inducted into a new spending venue.

So I’ve got almost $250, and the trip is less than five months away. Am I boned? How much money will I need for three months anyway?

I’m boned, aren’t I.

Quick Update Video


From earlier this week, Ned and I went to go visit Joe at Cheney Tech. We’re almost ready to start construction, and Joe walked us through how it will look once it’s done. Thanks to Ned for bringing a real camera to take some decent video.
If the above video is taking too long to load, try the version on YouTube.

Diesel 101

Dan and I dropped by Cheney today to see if we could get some video with the students working on the various projects related to the bus. Unfortunately, I’m really dissatisfied with the video on my cellphone, and we came by close to the end of school on a Friday, so not much of the video was any good. I’m hoping to return and interview them again later, with a better camera and more time. But for now, here is a little video of Joe explaining some basic workings of a diesel engine.