The Re-Admission committee met yesterday and decided not to let me return to law school this semester. The good news is I haven’t been dismissed from law school and have a chance to return next semester. There are some things they want to see me do before I will be readmitted. In the meantime I’ll continue working and try to improve my financial situation before returning to school.
Looking for a New GPT Site
Kira of PennyFoolish is closing her GPT site Cashduck. This bummed me out for a couple of reasons. First, I was beginning to build up a lot of referrals there that looked like they could lead to steady, passive income. Secondly, I’m thinking of starting my own GPT site and have already bought the software. If Kira couldn’t make money with Cashduck I’m doubtful whether my site could make money. I’d like to get some recommendations of other GPT sites that people have found to be reliable. If I don’t start my own site I’ll be promoting a new GPT site if I find one I like.
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My Super Cheap International Vacation
In 2000 I saw an advertisement in the local paper offering $99 airfares to Costa Rica. This seemed to good to be true but it wasn’t and I booked an airfare for the next week. The total was about $150 with taxes and fees. This was a charter flight and was landing in Liberia rather than the usual destination of San Jose.
My next step was to head to the library and check out the cheap travel books. The “Lonely Planet” and “Let’s Go” books are the ones that seem most useful to me for those on a shoestring budget. I located a small beach town nearby that had several budget accommodations. I also talked my friend into going with me which would allow us to share some travel expenses and also make the travel experience more enjoyable.
Everyone else on the flight was going to the destination resort which was sold as a package with the airfare. That option was much more money than we planned to spend. After arriving at the airport we negotiated on a taxi ride to the village for $10. This was the same price people were paying to go to the resort which was in another town. After arriving in the village we checked out several hotels before making a decision. My limited Spanish was helpful here. The hotel cost was $14 a night so we only had to pay $7 a night each. This was a very basic room but it was all we needed.
Meals were very cheap. We paid no more than $2 to $3 a meal and often even less. Beer was only 75 cents. These were all local restaurants. This village had no major hotel and had limited tourist activity so prices were low compared to resort towns.
Our activities consisted mostly of hanging out at the beach and hanging out at one of the bars. The beach was free and the bar was inexpensive. We also went on a zip line tour which was $50 each but well worth the price and cheaper than usual since we were visiting in the off-season. Hanging out at the bar was a great experience because we were usually the only Americans there and it was interesting conversing with the locals and the European tourists. It is much easier to experience a foreign culture if you are not surrounded by people from your own culture.
My total cost for this vacation was under $300. Although I took this trip in 2000 it could still be done for not much more money today. The company I booked the flight through, Worry-Free Vacations still has $99 airfares on a regular basis. The taxes and fees will be higher though. Meals and rooms can still be had for roughly the same money. If you are willing to go off the beaten path and travel off-peak you can enjoy an international vacation on the cheap.
Alternative Income:Bank Bonuses and other Sign-Up Bonuses
This is another way to make some extra money. Banks often offer cash bonuses for opening a free checking account. I opened a free checking account last month at a local bank and received a $50 bonus. It only took about twenty minutes so I consider it well worth the effort. You can also receive bonuses for signing up for new credit cards and some services. Just make sure that you don’t end up spending more than the bonus. Read the details carefully to make sure the bonus is as good as it seems.
Another example of a bonus I received is the $150 bonus I received for signing up for the Sony card in January. It also came with a 0% balance transfer offer which I used and put into a savings account at Emigrant Direct earning me another roughly $20 a month.
If you are interested in bank bonuses a good place to find them is my other blog Bank Bonuses. You can also find information on bank bonuses and a variety of other types of bonuses at FatWallet and Slickdeals.
My Baby Emergency Fund is Now Fully Funded
I set up a transfer from my checking account to my Emigrant Direct account yesterday that will finish the funding of my baby emergency fund. I’ve had a goal of saving $1000 for an emergency fund since I started working in late April but it has taken me much longer than I anticipated to complete it. Extensive dental work and car repairs hampered my ability to save money. Now that I have this emergency fund established I am going to concentrate on paying off my credit card before my 0% interest expires and possibly increasing my Roth IRA contribution.