Surviving Seattle

So this is a good story, mostly...

In January, I was offered a grand opportunity to expand my role and increase my workload at The Shanti Bhavan Children's Project. It was contingent on moving to Seattle (well, Bellevue, to be technical), though.

That, in and of itself, is a good thing! I've always wanted to explore the world. And this opportunity didn't come without consideration for my financial needs—Shanti Bhavan values me as a person and provided as much help as they could for relocation. 

Nonetheless, you can't just hop across the country without dipping into your personal finances, which have been better lately, but still, there's no real buffer. No margin for error. And, of course, things started to pop up that couldn't be helped...

The only apartment that made sense was about $500 a month more expensive than I wanted, which I can afford, but first month is going to be tight.

Then my cat, Rufus, who has been fighting cancer, took a turn for the worse this week. He has a vet appointment today (Friday), which is going to eat at some of the money I have saved for the trip. I don't know if he's going to be able to travel with me, but if he does, cat deposit is another $500 when I get there. If he doesn't, I'm still going to do everything I can to make sure he lives the longest, happiest life possible here in Michigan. 

And there are other little things, some of which I've prioritized and have accounted for, but I find myself looking at my list trying to decide which ones I can go without if I have to. The list looks something like...

- First month's rent.
- Gotta have enough of a buffer to set up a bank account before I can even pay rent.
- Cable and internet hook-up, because a third of my income is remote and I can't afford to miss work days.
- Van rental, for moving my body and some boxes to Washington. 
- A bed and maybe other select furniture when I get there, since I literally can't afford to move more than a handful of boxes across country right now. 
- Possibly shipping a few boxes to my new doorstep, depending on how much I can fit in the van.
- Food and other necessities for that first month there.
- Who knows what else comes up in the meantime?

So yeah, this isn't a life or death plea. But this is a big opportunity for me, a huge chance to see the world and maybe make my life a little bit better. It's just that the coffers are going to be light, maybe too light, and having some kind of a buffer would be great. 

Much love friends!