Hi, everyone! So... after a series of unhappy surprises, I have run out of road financially and need to go back to New Jersey so I can get on my feet again. Central New Jersey is not known for its incredible public transportation, so I'd like to bring my car. And a few belongings--including books (if anyone has ever tried to move with books, you know exactly what I'm talking about)-- would be ideal.

So the plan is to drive! But I need a little help with a few repairs, gas, food, and maybe a couple motels. The repairs I know I need are two front tires (in case you haven't seen them, mine are bald and one is borderline flat), an alignment, and an oil change. I have a Ford Escape hybrid, and at this stage in its life it gets probably around 20 mpg. I'll probably take the southern route in order to avoid winter weather, but it doesn't look like it adds much time.

I like to drive and I think it will cheer me up to see the countryside and take a peek at "middle America". If you can help, I would greatly appreciate it! And let me know if you want to see travel photos or chat while I'm driving... if we don't talk much and you'd like to, now is a great time :)

Lol (lots of love) ❤️

Sarah

Here's a rough breakdown of costs:

- 2 new (or new to me) tires + spare + alignment + some random issue the mechanic finds because my car is old: $500

- oil change: $40

- gas: $500 (source: AAA--straight shot plus a little bit because I'll have to stop)

- motels: $50/night on average, so $150-$200... most likely $200 because I don't know how well I'll take to driving 12 hrs/day.

- food: 1 basic sit-down meal per day, plus grocery store or gas station lunch and dinner (and maybe a couple coffees) $200

All that comes to $1,440, then an extra $60 for emergencies.

❤️❤️❤️