I am going to Australia. I don't know when, but I will. I am currently saving up enough money to get there. I've figured that it will take me about $3000 to get up out of the USA and over to Oz. There's the $495 registration fee that I will need to pay BUNAC, the program through which I will be traveling. Next, there's the $700 minimum that I will need to prove that I have in the bank in order for the nice people in Australia to grant me a visa. Finally, I will need to buy a plane ticket, and the cheapest one I've found so far was $900. Okay, so that only adds up to $2100. I didn't imagine my need for the other $900. I just want to have some wiggle room when it comes living several continents away from most of my family and friends. Although I do plan to meet some cool people/lifelong friends in Australia, it would be rather stupid to go there expecting immediately to find people who will let me bum money off of them. Also, it's just too risky.
So to date, I have exactly $10.00 in my savings account, and a combined $44.00 in my three checking accounts. The money is divided in such a way that I can only actually do ATM withdrawals from one of those accounts. No bigs. That particular bank has the most ATMs anyway. I have a full-time job that pays a little better than starvation wages, but I have expenses: credit cards and student loans. Neither is unmanageable, but they're pains. Plus, I have very little self-control when it comes to stopping myself from shopping. I'll get it together eventually, but for now, I feel like I'm going to be stuck in my parents' home for the rest of my life. I love my parents and they're the best, but that thought alone is enough to make me want to weep.
I don't think that funding my trip to Australia will be the focus of this blog, or even play a huge part in it, but this biznitch needed a name. Also, I am aware that I am in desperate need of a new template, but that will have to be addressed tomorrow. I'm sick of looking at this particular screen (yeah, yeah, yeah, I know...and so are you).
8.11.2003
