New Plan

I had previously reported on our plan to leave here in April and go on to another KOA near the coast in South Carolina.

We've changed our plans. We're going to stay here until approximately mid-June. Between now and then we'll look for a job somewhere between here and Haslett, TX (our Amazon location) to fill in until we report to Amazon, probably sometime in September.

Why the change of plans? A few reasons. First, Chris works as a tour manager in Washington, DC in the spring. His schedule changes constantly during April, May and June. The KOA in SC was willing to work around the trips that were already scheduled but had been very clear that there was no flexibility beyond that. At the time, we assumed he wouldn't get any more trips. Then he found out the schedules were not yet completed and it was likely he'd get more work.

From a simple dollars and cents perspective, Chris makes as much on one 3-4 day trip as the two of us would make in a month working about 18 hours each per week at the KOA. If one of the trips got changed by even a day and it suddenly conflicted with the KOA schedule, would he have to give up the trip?

Again we are not retirees or vacationers, so we need to keep a close eye on the bottom line.

By staying here, I can guard the KOA (vigorously) while Chris travels. Plus, the Charlotte airport is less than an hour away with plenty of direct flights to the DC area.

Another major consideration was the timing of the commitment in SC. We agreed (foolishly) to stay there until November 1. That would mean getting to Amazon about three weeks later than we did in 2014, which would mean a significant difference in our net earnings there.

Admittedly, neither of us loved the idea of not following through on our commitment, but doing so would have put us in a bad spot financially. We made a decision in a hurry, regretted it and have done our best to mitigate the damage.

Live and learn.