I just checked my credit card statement, and had to take several deep breaths.  Once I was sure I wouldn’t hyperventilate, I opened my eyes again to look at the carnage: Amazon, Apple, Expedia … repeat.  Whoa.

How naive I was, thinking we’d just stuff a backpack with some bathing suits and a camera, and head off into the sunset.  Turns out our packing list is LONG, and we actually don’t own half the shit we need.

In the past 3 weeks, Rob and I have been spending a LOT of money.  It feels really weird.  Forbidden, taboo, and counter-intuitive to our previous scrimping.

 

Over the last 2 years we’ve been saving like crazy to quit our jobs and go on this sailing voyage.  I can count on one hand the number of times I went out to lunch in 2012.  I rarely order a second beer, and refrain from buying a mid-afternoon cookie at the local bakery.  I shopped far and wide for new homeowners insurance this year to save a whopping $150/year.

Then, quite suddenly, we went from being penny-pinchers to high-rollers.  Our spending spree started before Christmas, when we took advantage of holiday sales to start buying necessities.  The good news: we’ve done it all online!  Since I hate shopping, this seems like a miracle.  In fact, I almost want to write Amazon.com a thank-you note for how easy they’ve made our prep work.

It was inevitable that we’d start spending money for our trip — that’s the point of saving, right? — but I’m still a little overwhelmed at the quantity of random stuff we need.

Like what, you ask?  Here’s a record of a few items we’ve bought.  ADDED BONUS: if you see something you like, buy it from the link below and we get a small percentage for our sailing kitty! (NOTE: email subscribers will have to click the link to our website to view the slideshow.)