October Expense Report

Rather a gloomy title, from my point of view, but since we are a non-profit organization, it is important to keep expenses in perspective. In this month's edition, we have two sets of expenses - one for expenses incurred, and one for projected expenses.

Let's start with what I have already incurred: my move to Wyoming. This move was a result of our need to staff our office in Torrington. Being the most mobile, I was chosen to move up north and help set things up. As I have normal monthly living expenses I pay for out of my regular salary, expenses such as food, rent, etc. will be excluded from this list. The primary expenses, then, are:

1. Hotel expenses (during the trip north) - $243
2. Gas costs (for the car) - $111
3. Startup costs (setup costs for a new internet connection, utilities setup, etc.) - $252
4. Shipping costs (for the things I could not fit in my car) - $240

Total:  $846

Overall, not taking much with me proved to be a good way to save money on the trip. The cost was far less than I anticipated, which is great for my savings.

Now for the projected expenses. As part of my work with Safari Insight Mission (Insight International's parent organization), I am working at the National Missionary Convention. This year, it is in Lexington, Kentucky. So far, I have estimated my expenses as follows:

1. Lodging (confirmed): $449
2. Air travel (confirmed): $368
3. Food (estimated): $150
4. No car rental (walking is healthy, I hear): $0

Total: $967

So there's the bad news. The good news is that we are planning seminars for San Antonio, TX (February), South Africa (March), Mozambique (April), and are now starting planning for another seminar in Haiti (June). So far, we are adding a new seminar every couple of months. Let's hope we can keep this up!

As we determine the costs of seminar presentations in these different areas, I will post the estimates. I think it is important to see how we are spending our money, and it useful for those who want to contribute. On that note, we have not fully established our system for accepting contributions yet, but plan to have that complete in November. I'll keep you posted.