I'm Leaving on a Jet Plane

Technically, we aren't leaving until summer of 2010, but I thought that would be a cute title.

Since moving to Idaho in 2001, we have traveled home to Central Florida every other year.  2010 is our year to fly home.  And while we are all very excited, there is one part to the trip I dread.....around town transportation.  We are a large family which always causes a problem with getting around while we are visiting.  We have to rely on our family to taxi us around which always means at least 2 cars.  And if they aren't playing bus driver for us, they are graciously lending us a vehicle or two.  I always feel guilty.  So for our next trip I have decided a rental car, or in our case a rental van, is the way to go.

We usually stay 10 days, and rentals for that amount of time don't come cheap, especially not vans.  Our vacation funds are usually pretty stretched from the airfare, amusement parks, souvenirs, and spending cash so I am setting a goal to pay for the rental from the money I earn taking surveys.  For the next 7 months, I am going to track my earnings and see if I can't pay for that rental with what essentially amounts to my time.

I have a current starting balance of $100.  That's amount left over from survey money I was using to pay for Nick's birthday party.  The surveys I take usually pay in 1 of 3 ways, Paypal (which I use to fund the older kids' lunch accounts), Amazon codes (which fund...well shopping sprees, like Nick's new Adidas that are on the way), and checks.  Now, while I could transfer the Paypal funds to our checking account, I am not going to do that.  I am only going to count cash payments.

Wish me luck!

11/10/09: $100