Good afternoon, guys! I’m back with another update on our living situation. As many of you know, our time at our current rental in Daanbantayan was coming to an end, and with the electricity in the mountains still months away from being restored after the typhoon, we’ve had to figure out our next move. Living on top of a mountain is a very low priority for the power companies, so we’re looking at another two or three months of waiting.
Today’s mission was all about finding a "Plan B." We headed out toward Medellín—not the one in Colombia, but the one here in northern Cebu! It’s about a 40-to 60-minute drive from where we are. Jessa was contacted by a fan who mentioned they had a room for rent, so we wanted to check it out in case we couldn't extend our current stay. Every time we head out now, it’s a whole production. Packing for Liam takes 20 minutes for even a short trip, and we always bring our laptops because we’re constantly hunting for coffee shops with decent internet to get some work done.
Medellín is a beautiful area, and we actually visited someone I’d met before who was celebrating a birthday. We looked at a couple of options there. The first was a small apartment for about 4,000 pesos (including electricity and water). It was basic—just a bed, a table, a toilet, and a tiny balcony—but at that price, it would allow us to save more money for travel and fuel to explore the area.
We also looked at a second place that was even cheaper—only 2,500 pesos a month! It was a very "local" style of living, which is something Jessa and I have talked about trying. It had a nice shaded area outside where I could sit and work on my computer, which is really all I need as long as I have a bit of shade. We even tested the manual water pump outside, which brought back some memories of the typhoon days when we were constantly hauling water.
However, after looking at our options, we had some good news from our current "home." The owners were fine with us staying for one more month! We decided to stay put and offered to pay 6,000 pesos—1,000 more than last month—because we’ve been using quite a bit of electricity. It’s worth it for the extra space, the balcony, and the great relationship we have with the caretaker.
The main reason we are choosing to live this "cheap" life right now, rather than renting a fancy condo in the city, is because of a promise I made to my mom. Between the car payments, my medical operations, and the typhoon damage, we owe some money, and I promised to pay it back as quickly as possible. It would feel irresponsible to live a "high-class" life in a city condo using money that should be going toward clearing our debts. We’re committed to staying humble and paying our way back to financial freedom.
Now that the housing drama is sorted for another month, the plan is simple: head to the local market, stock up on some meat and vegetables for a big soup (or maybe a barbecue if Jessa gets her way), and take it easy for a couple of days. We’re all feeling a bit run down, so a little less work and a lot more swimming with Liam is exactly what the doctor ordered.
Thanks for watching, and I’ll see you in the next one!
