I had originally intended on making many more posts as the challenge grew older. Life has a funny little way of throwing curve balls at even your best prepared plans, and as such, my attention had to be paid to more pressing concerns.

Background

First, a little context. A huge government contractor has been paying my bills for the past 2 1/2 years, and has given me multiple opportunities to excel, learn, and grow my career in many areas of engineering and project management.

When I first set out to find my next rotation back in April, I had one very specific requirement: unclassified. Working in the division of my company that dealt specifically with spooks meant there were few easy transitions available. In fact, there were none. I was forced to look into different divisions, cold calling, and cover letter writing to get my foot in the door.

I found a rotation that seemed great. It was with the National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI), part of the National Institutes of Health. Joining the team meant I had to switch managers, locations, and accounting ledger systems. I was completely removed from ELDP, and off to finish out the program in Bethesda.

Legal Mumbo Jumbo

The NCBI contract is on a 5 year basis. Around 3 years ago, my company had bought the company that won this contract. Ever since, the company has been turning over management personnel every few months, to the point that everyone from the original management team had moved on.

I was made aware of this within my first week or two, and had known prior to rotating that the contract was coming up for rebid this fall. I wasn’t too concerned at the time, because I had (finally!) found a non-secret rotation!

Unexpected Outcomes

I was reminded by a coworker of the impending rebid decision the Monday before the contract was supposed to end. It had completely slipped my mind, but I started preparing immediately for both good and bad outcomes. I can’t honestly tell you which outcome I thought was the “good” one and the “bad” one, as they flip-flopped for the next several days.

My company has not impressed me with winning contracts important to me. Sure, they can win humongous, multi-billion dollar proposals, but smaller contractors win the smaller contracts by being cheaper and more cost effective. That Thursday afternoon’s email announcement proved no exception. Our company lost, and I was stunned. Not with excitement, not with sadness, but with a haze of the unknown and uncertain futures for me and my colleagues.

What now?

In the email, it mentioned that the winning team of contractors would take on all current employees as their own, so as to not disrupt the NCBI operations. Well, that’s great. Nobody would be out of a job unless they chose to be.

The first and foremost thing I thought about was how did this affect my tuition reimbursement. There was absolutely no way I would be able to pay back $10,000+ in tuition assistance I had received in the prior 12 months, so until I got that question answered, I was completely in the dark.

And then there were those thoughts …

… those thoughts I had been ignoring …

… those thoughts that lead me to job postings with other companies …

… those thoughts that asked, “Why, if you’re so attached to the tech and consumer electronic industry, don’t you work in that area?” …

… those thoughts that asked, “What are the hotspots for tech jobs right now? Where would I be willing to move?” That one was easy to answer: New York City.

The Miraculously Good News

It took a while, but I finally heard back from our Human Resources department. Because our company did not win the contract, all employees were being terminated in the “End of Assignment” category, which is considered involuntary. Because it is involuntary, I would not have to pay back any tuition assistance money!

To the hunt!

While waiting to hear back from HR, I had written at least 6 cover letters and tailored my resume to a handful of companies. Perhaps it was a combination of my impatience and anxiety of not knowing my short-term future, I posted a generic Java Developer resume on Monster.com and CyberCoders.com.

Filling out their standard forms for candidates, I didn’t think twice about the information I was entering. I started receiving emails from tech recruiters noticing my contracting background and wanting me for DC jobs. I asked why I was receiving DC jobs when I had indicated I wanted to move somewhere else, to which I received one lonely reply: “Because the zip code in your profile is in the DC area.”

The BOOM

That’s pretty easy to fix. I picked out a zip code in the heart of Manhattan, and clicked save on Monster’s profile. This was at about 8:30 in the morning.

I went back to finishing up a cover letter I was working on, only to be interrupted about an hour later by a NYC based technical recruiter. And then another. AND THEN ANOTHER! I had three calls coming it at the same time at one point that morning.

I was so overwhelmed by the end of the day, it was hard to fall asleep that night.

Homecoming Weekend

All of this happening around me almost made me forget that Rose-Hulman’s homecoming was that upcoming weekend. I had taken several online coding tests by request of the recruiter’s clients and had a handful of phone interviews. Some companies I liked, some I didn’t. I was even supposed to have phone interviews while I was in Terre Haute, but those ended up falling through.

I told many people that weekend about my upcoming plans for NYC and the background about the company losing the contract. It wasn’t the most ideal way of spreading the message, but I was so excited for the opportunity it didn’t matter.

Interview-a-thon

The following week was a total blur. On Monday, I told all of the recruiters I was working with about my plans for being in NYC that Thursday and Friday, and I needed to fill up my time with interviews. They didn’t disappoint. From that Monday to the end of Friday, I had a total of 11 technical interviews and 1 HR interview. My brain was absolute mush, and I’m glad I had my girlfriend to keep me from getting too overwhelmed and going crazy about the whole thing.

Results

In the end, I signed an offer with a small company called Sociocast, a behavior analytics startup in the heart of the Flatiron District in Manhattan.  I chose them for a number of reasons:

1. Great rapport with the two other developers, boss, and CEO. I am employee #5.
2. They analyze behavior (HUGE interest in this) on websites and try to predict it algorithmically.
3. I’ll be challenged to learn state-of-the-art technologies and supporting build/test/deploy/integration technologies.
4. They’re going to pay me well to do #1-3.

Next Steps

I’m heading up to NYC tomorrow to search for apartments. I’ve enlisted the aid of a real estate broker, who is handling all of the scheduling and monitoring of available apartments near work. After an hour-long commute to and from Bethesda every day for the past 5 months, I’m really looking forward to walking to work again.

I’m focusing my search to the Chelsea area of the city, which would be west of 5th Ave, between 20th and 30th streets. The area is a bit pricey compared to similarly sized and equipped apartments in other parts of the city and other boroughs, but I’m willing to pay for the convenience and ability to have a short commute, close to Penn Station, no roommate, and not live in a dump. At least, that’s the idea… I’ll let you know how the search goes

The other big factor is selling the things I don’t need. The whole point of the Carless Challenge was to see if I could get around this town without the need of automotive transportation, and I’d say it was a huge success. I got my car appraised at CarMax for $15,000, which is the minimum I would have accepted from anywhere else.

If you’re interested in my home theater stereo system and have a way of getting it from the DC area, here’s the Craigslist posting. The price was a starting point, so I am very willing to negotiate.

All in all, I’ll be starting the next chapter of my life around November 1st. I’m a lot excited, a little scared, and ready to roll with the punches of the Big Apple.

Observations

Things have been going quite swimmingly for the past week and half. I feel less tense when I arrive at work or home, I finished up reading Slaughterhouse-Five by Kurt Vonnegut at the end of last week, and I’ve jumpstarted my brain every morning with the morning paper’s Sudoku puzzle.

I’ve observed something about the whole commute though: It feels like the afternoon trip is shorter, but it’s all in my perception. See, I look at my watch when I leave my apartment in the morning and predict, with stunning reproducibility, that it will take 65 minutes until I reach the door of my building at work. In the evening, it always feels shorter because it feels like I’ve ended my trip once I’ve stepped off the escalators at the metro station, even though I still have about 10 minutes more walking.

Questions and Answers

Keacher posed an interesting question in the comments section a few days ago. He asks:

What will be your strategy for non-work errands, like going to the grocery store? Planning to do any cycling?

Luckily, a fairly large grocery store is literally on the opposite side of the block from my apartment building. Had I chosen an apartment on the other side of the building, I could look out my window into its parking lot.

As for other errands, there are a good number of shops in the immediate area, and I could always bite the bullet and pay the more expensive prices for things like laundry detergent and household stuff at the grocery store.

One thing I looked into last week was a car sharing service called ZipCar. It starts a $7/hour, but includes all gas, insurance, and 180 miles per day.  Also, part of the perks of working at a large corporation include a waived annual fee, no application fee, and no minimum monthly usage.

There are at least a dozen “home” spots for ZipCars surrounding the Metro station. They work through a reservation system, but I haven’t heard any reviews on how available or easy it is to get one. Still, a nice and cheap alternative to taxicabs or bugging friends to borrow their car.

Biking is another good alternative, but not one I’ve really considered. Work is about 13 miles away via bike trails, according to Google Maps’ beta. I consider that a bit far, especially since I’m considering the mere increase in walking to be a step up in physical activity.  I really should get back to a gym :-/

Applicability

Looking at my chosen 30 day window and my upcoming calendar, I’m torn.

On one hand, any 30 day window will be just as applicable in terms of 5 of 7 days of no car. That’s the majority of my week, and it feels like many other errands can be done immediately after work on my way home. For example, I detoured tonight to cash a few checks at the bank.

However, my weekends are filled with out-of-town plans. I have no representation of what a carless, non-guest-hosting weekend will be like by the end of the 30 days. Now please, don’t chalk this up to any kind of complaint. I love being busy and having things to do on the weekend, especially now that grad school is over. My current plans and situation are just not conducive to an accurate test. So it goes.

Today started like every other normal work day, except when I finally got out of bed, I realized I would not be traveling on my normal DC beltway commute. Today was the first day of the carless challenge.

Good Morning, Sunshine

It was nice to know that no matter what time I left, I would still have a relatively static travel time. For the non-locals, there can be up to a 45 minute difference in the time it takes to get to work if leaving at 8:00 rather than 7:30.

Only a few minutes before I walked out my door did I remove my car key from my keychain.  After a quick check of my podcasts on Google Listen, I walked out the door and down the street.

It was beautifully cool at 7:45 this morning. I made the ever familiar walk between my apartment and the nearest metro station, pausing slightly as I crossed the busy Glebe Rd. for cars turning left, having been one of those drivers for several months now. Dozens of people from all races, genders, and socio-economic levels joined me at the station, snagging a free copy of the Washington Post Express, and riding down the escalator.

The trains run ever 3-5 minutes through my station, and opposite the two other times I’ve ridden to work, the temperature in the station was not swelteringly hot. The car I chose to enter was pretty much packed, and remained that way for my entire trip on the Orange line.

One thing I did notice – my core muscles are weak.  Had I not had a bar to hold onto, I would have fallen flat on my face many times.  I hope that by the end of this challenge I’ll at least be able to change the page in my paper without fear of face planting.

As timed on my other two runs, this mornings door-to-door commute was around 65 minutes.  At this rate, I’ll either need more podcasts, or I might even start buying books from the Kindle store on my phone. (Has anyone used the Kindle App for Android?)

Interestingly, upon opening my email, I was greeted with a message from the Washington Metropolitan Council of Governments (WMCOG) to celebrate the third annual “Car Free Day” on September 22nd. What a fancy idea…

Nightfall Navigation

I packed up and skedaddled at a quarter of 5, and waiting a mere 2 minutes before a nearly empty train arrived. I enjoyed my partnerless seat for the entire duration to Metro Center, where there was a mass scramble to get down to the Orange line. I wasn’t in any hurry until I saw a train waiting going in my direction. I scurried into the closest car and was met with a smack in the face from about a 20 degree temperature increase.

I made my way towards the front of the car, noting oddly the doors had been open longer than normal.  Risking the chance that I would lose the train I raced to get on, I dashed to the next car to feel the cool air and an open seat welcome me to the final leg of my commute.

By the Numbers

Morning cost: ($4.35)
Evening cost: ($4.35)
IRS-calculated car maintenance savings (19 miles * 2 * $0.50/mi): $19

In total, I spent about 115 minutes commuting to Bethesda this morning, in comparison to approximately 95 it would have taken to drive it.  In that time, I read several articles in the local paper, completed the daily Sudoku puzzle, finished 3 podcasts, and walked more than a mile more than I would have otherwise. It’s small, but it’s the tiny, daily repetition of good habits can bring out some great changes. I only hope I can resist passing both Potbelly’s and Chipotle on my way home every night.

Part of the reason I restarted this blog was to make a challenge for myself. I would use it to chronicle my observations and thoughts, and receive input from my friends, family, and readers.

The challenge: Go 1 month without driving my car.

Motivations

There have been several motivating factors behind deciding that this would be my challenge.

First and foremost, my main motivation is based on my personal finance goal to get out of debt.  I’ve been reading a lot of things from Get Rich Slowly and various other  financial lifestyle articles. They all have the same underlying theme: make more than you spend.

There are two ways of accomplishing this:

1. Increase income
2. Decrease spending

I was doing very well with #2 up until a few months ago when I moved to Arlington.  I was paying $900/mo. to a $311 car payment, which significantly cut into the highest interest debt I owe on my Nissan. After the move, I was forced to cut back on my debt reduction strategy to $600/mo.  That’s still about double the monthly payment, and all things considered, is still a great way to bring down my overall total.

Like many things in life, the only thing that stays the same is change. I received a letter a few weeks ago saying my student loans were coming out of their deferment period, and that I would have to start making payments starting in October.  This was yet another thing that was going to force a schedule slip for my car debt plan.

Reflecting on things I’ve learned from GRS & others, I looked at the master formula.  My general go-to approach has always been cut expenses, but I’ve reduced all of my expenses to what I feel I could comfortably achieve already.  The only other option was to increase income.

This obviously meant some sort of second job. My one requirement: nothing that requires me to “request off” work.  I am a fully independent adult, and can make my own choices. One thing I strongly value is never asking permission to live my own life. That post will be saved for another day.

I tried to apply to be a Teachers Assistant at Hopkins.  Having just recently graduated, I thought it would be a great transition to become a grader. I was a TA once back in undergrad, and it was a pretty good gig. I sent a few emails to my favorite professors, but never heard back from most. The one I did hear back from decided to not use a grader.

I looked into freelance work. Not having a strong network of outside clients and without a portfolio of unclassified work, I don’t think freelance work would net me much money for the time commitment, although I’m still looking into this.

I considered becoming a high school tutor, like my roommate. He does this work as a second job, and seems to rake in a good amount of cash from it. I’m told I can set my availability, as long as I’m willing to drive to the student’s home. In metro DC traffic, that could vary from 10 minutes to an hour or more.

The Ah ha! Moment

The straw that broke the camel’s back and made the light bulb turn on came from dear old Uncle Sam in the form of a pair of property tax bills. One from Fairfax County, and one from Arlington County. A whopping $350 I should have been expecting.

“$350 so I can sit in traffic? Jeesh,” I thought to myself. “Saving time is expensive.” And that’s when it clicked.

All the while I was looking for a second job, I was willing to trade the extra time I have for extra money. But if you look at a car not as an essential piece of transportation, like most Midwesterners and those who live in cities without decent public transport, but as a time saver, it becomes a way to save time in exchange for money.

Looking at my monthly budget, I pay or save the following for car related expenses:

• Car payment – $600
• Car insurance – $555 every 6 months
• Gas – $100 (growing – figure hasn’t been adjusted for new commute)
• Maintenance – $25
• Taxes – $350/yr

This amounts to just under $850 month I’m spending to drive to work. On average I spend 35 minutes door-to-door in the morning, and about 50 minutes on the return home. That’s 85 minutes per day.

On the contrast, the two days I’ve taken the DC metro to Bethesda, I’ve gotten there and back in 65 minutes each way.

Extrapolating that out for the whole month, I save, on average 15 hours per month driving instead of taking the metro.

The DC Metro is not cheap, either. With recent rate hikes, each trip would cost $4.15, totaling about $166 per month.  My company also offers to pay that with pre-tax dollars if I sign up for a special program. That would add some not-insignificant gains, but we’ll ignore that for this calculation.

Total time: 15 hours
Total cost: $850 – $166 = $684
Effective Hourly Wage: $45.60

I’m not so naive to think the cost is only time. Other benefits sacrificed includes comfort, convenience, and utility. Some metro cars have broken AC units, are packed like sardine cans, and I can no longer go on a Target run at a moment’s notice if I need something.

Ultimately though, each of those are traded by the added benefits of walking everywhere (very important for my sedentary work load), reduced environmental footprint, and less impulse spending.

The first step is always the hardest

With all of this in mind, I will start my new challenge on September 13th, and see where it takes me. Chances are, I’ll find some things I like, some things I don’t, and will have gained a valuable experience in the process.