Hello from Missouri, my dear blog readers.
The past few days have been a tranquil madhouse of learning to Be Home for the first time in two months. Bits of cactus still working out of my skin— worried conversations with my mom— endless wardrobe choices— lunch dishes— the guts of my backpack spilled across my room— impossibly lush trees and grass— catching up get-togethers with best friends— muggy heat, distant Midwestern sun— all signs that I’m back home, if only for a couple weeks.
In these whirlwind days, I’ve taken the time to sort through my receipts and give you a run-down on my budget for my Epic Trip Out West. If you’ll remember, I had decided not to count the plane tickets to Denver and then Utah in my overall budget, but I’ve added them in just to give a fair account of the entire trip. Also take into consideration that I was given $36 from kind people on my trip, and I spent only about $10 of it.
As you read these stats, keep in mind what I got to see for free: Zion Canyon, Antelope Island, Temple Square, Flaming Gorge Recreational Area, several concerts and a dance recital, a seminar on suburban gardening, Saguaro National Forest, Grand Canyon, Petrified National Forest, the Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum, and the OU History of Science Library. That’s only listing the places and events— it didn’t cost anything to meet the awesome people who shaped my life forever.
So, with that in mind, here are the final stats for my Epic Trip Out West.
Number of days on the road: 59
Total money spent on this trip: $841.91
Transportation: $523.50 (mostly Greyhound tickets: I walked where I could and only used the city bus once)
Food and supplies: $315.41 (I had trail mix, energy bars and a whole jar of peanut butter left over, and next trip I shall be sure to avoid the budget-breaking purchase of a book of stamps. Also, much of this is food that I bought Amanda to thank her for carpool in her RV.)
Entertainment: $3 (workshop on healthy cooking. Everything else was free or given to me.)
Lodging: $0
Average per day on transportation: $8.88
Average per day on food and supplies: $5.35
Average per day on lodging and entertainment: 5¢
Final average per day: $14.28
The point? I got to see the great American west on only $15 a day, including every single expense, with a few bucks to spare. I didn’t starve myself, I didn’t sleep in homeless shelters, I didn’t beg for money, and I didn’t put myself in danger. I was smart, sensible, hard-working, and accepting of the incredible gifts given to me on the road (with the intention of paying this generosity forward). I leave it up for you to decide: What could you do with $15 a day?
~Lisa Shafter
Me on $15 a day? I'd be homeless...
ReplyDeleteNow that it is over you might have been in a little danger the night you spent in the I-Hop--but nothing happened so Life is Good!
Congrats on your achievement -- I enjoyed reading about it from the safety of my chair in front of the laptop.