The Plan

 Due to the thriving economy and numerous financial hits over the recent years, I plan to-

* Downgrade my living, 1 bedroom apartment, less nice
* Minimalism. I'm pretty minimal as is, but anything I don't use is going away before my next move.
* Ditch my car once I can break even on it
* Meal planning
* Move abroad
* Start getting more aggressive in upping my income, getting a business going
* Assume I'm on my own
* Surgery

Downgrade my Living. One bedroom apartment in a different area could save me 200-300 bucks. Up to 1000 in a different state, minus the about 3k cost of moving/new apartments.

Minimalism. I take up less space, I have less to organize, and if something happens there is less stuff for others who don't care about any of it to sort and toss. Plus I'm nimble, I can move in a uhaul load or if abroad pack everything I need into 3 bags + my dog.

Ditch my Car. With uber and food delivery services, not having a car is less of a hit (as long as I work from home) than it used to be. I figure with insurance, gas, maintenance, car payments, the real cost of my car is about 1k a month. I can do a lot of uber rides and delivers for 1k a month. And I can scale, not use a lot some of the time, so I'd save maybe 300 bucks a month there. It would also force me to walk more which is good.

Meal planning. Got to devote half a weekend day to meal prep and freezing so I won't have the temptation to eat out and waste money.

Move abroad. This could save me up to 20K a year in taxes and non-debt payments by almost half. There are complications with living away from family and friends, and moving D back and forth between his Mom and I, but for a variety of reasons this is looking more and more appealing to me. America is a great deal for most of you, but for me due to some missteps and financial hits, it isn't the best deal for me anymore. The dream has taken wings and flown away from me.

Income Upping: I wouldn't say I'm lazy, but I wouldn't say I'm the most hard working person either. I've got to be more aggressive about studying and getting business ideas going. This will involve much better time management. I like to brood and surf late into the evenings, and in some ways it is a good thing, but I gotta be more productive with that time.

Assume I'm on my Own. I love having a support network, but it won't be there forever, I've got to get ahead of my problems before that support network is gone / diminished.

Surgery. I could have at least one surgery that would make my life better, but I avoid it because it would be a brutal recovery process. I might, if I can swing it, just get it done. It only has about a 50% chance of being successful and could make things worse, so I mull this one.

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All I'm doing now is treading water till the next crisis hits, which it surely well. I need to get ahead of things, reduce cost and increase cash. 101 ideas, but I actually have to do them now rather than just think of them. I'm tired of money being an issue. If I have to live in a cave I will.

If I do all of the above I think I could potentially save about 3000 a month, which would get me out of debt fast in a few years, get D better squared away with some funds for the future, and squirl away a little bit for retirement (which for me will not be that long).

Sad, I make good money, work for a fortune 500 company in the AI space, and I'm still in a precarious position due to big hits over the last five years that I can't seem to get out of. Time to get radical.

So how do I make this fun and not a chore? Gamify it. Make it an adventure. That is why the living overseas is really appealing. Pack my bags and take off. Maybe establish myself in Bulgaria so D can come back to his homeland. But it puts me away from a lot of people, but in reality I can be back in 2-3 days if I need be. Less than the 24 hours if I was in the states, but it is what it is.

Another option is to just say frack it, lead it ride, and watch everything implode, and pick up the pieces. I'd probably just move overseas after that happened anyway, so why not do it in an ethical manner where everyone gets paid, I meet my obligations, and possibly get ahead.

My thoughts for now.