where do we go from here?

Here is an open letter we sent to family and friends around the country via email. I think it speaks for itself. If you didn’t get an email from us but still have a suggestion for where we should move in September, please let me know!

Dear family and friends of Todd and Beth,

We’re leaving Colorado on September 7, but we haven’t decided where to go. What we need is a place in the continental US where we can affordably live for the next 6 months that also has good jobs and fun things to do and see. So we are calling on our network of friends to help us find a decent but low-cost place to move.

Here’s some background on why. In June of 2011, we left Broomfield, Colorado on a project called 12 Cities, 1 Year. The goal was to live in 12 different cities over the course of a year, developing a sustainable location-independent lifestyle. That plan got derailed when we had to return to Colorado for 9 months starting in December, so Beth could undergo cancer treatment. The lease on our apartment in Denver is now ending, and we want to move along. But we decided to abandon our 12 Cities, 1 Year project. Instead of moving from city to city each month – as we had been doing – we want to try living in a place about 6 months before moving on. Our eventual goal is to take this overseas, and be able to work and live in different countries for a few months at a time. But Beth needs to return to Denver for regular medical checkups over the next couple of years. So for now we’re sticking to America.

But where should we start? Between our 2011 travel expenses, medical expenses, and severely reduced income, we’ve depleted our savings “cushion”. We need to spend a lot less money. Our three biggest monthly expenses are rent, medical insurance, and food. It shouldn’t surprise you that our insurance costs (and other medical expenses) are going way up in 2013, and we have no control over that. But we can control the other two, which is where you come in. We need to find a place to live that costs significantly less than the furnished apartments that we’ve been renting for most of the past year.

Do you know of a decent but inexpensive apartment? Do you have a friend who is trying to sublet their basement? Have you heard of anyone who needs a reliable, long-term house sitter? Given our hundreds of friends around the country, we’re hoping somebody has a good deal or a good idea for a place to live while we stabilize our finances and build back some of the cushion.

We intend to continue to develop our location-independent businesses. While Beth does book editing, she’s also creating a fine art photography business. While Todd does contract software development, he’s also expanding his videography clientele. So we’d love to live in a place where there are good opportunities for those, but housing is our top priority at the moment.

Thanks for your help,
Todd and Beth