It seems like we’re always fighting off a cold, managing work stress, or holding down the fort at home. The level of anxiety in every day life is pretty high, so when life lobs a big stress-ball at you, it can be overwhelming.

Photo by Jchetan via Flickr

But we’ve got stuff to do, and people who count on us, and bills to pay. So we suck it up and keep going.

The effects of long-term stress are pretty intense. Your body is basically releasing “fight or flight” chemicals in response to danger on a regular basis, which means your body never goes into “safe” mode. Your brain thinks the dinosaurs are always after you.

One thing we advocate on this blog is pursuing your dreams, which gives you the life you want. But it takes work and time to get there, and there is plenty of stress along the way. Hey, even when you get there you’ll still have stress.

So I have devised a 24-hour “managed meltdown” that allows you to give in to your stress – wallow, cry, yell, eat, sleep, drink, veg, etc. – and then get back to life. Try it once and you’ll never do the stiff upper lip thing again.

Your mind and your body will thank you (and probably those innocent bystanders, too).

How to manage your meltdown

1. First things first, you have to have a reason for your meltdown. Are you sick, heartbroken, mad, upset, crazed or just physically exhausted? Good. These are perfect conditions for a 24-hour meltdown.
2. Next you have to pick a time and a place for your meltdown. If you can do it on your day off, all the better. But hey, this is also what sick days are for. Pick a day where you have no obligations, or cancel the ones you do. You are not doing anything for anyone this day, and if you can be alone, even better.
3. Stock your meltdown appropriately with the things that bring you comfort – rent movies, buy foods you don’t have to prepare (unless cooking relaxes you), make sure your comfy clothes are washed, get some gossip magazines, buy tissue, get a nice bottle of wine (or rotgut, if that seems more appropriate), etc.
4. Prepare your environment by locking the front door, closing the shades, turning off the phone, and letting your nearest and dearest know you are in lockdown for 24 hours.
5. Finally, you succumb to your stress/sickness and wallow in it. Completely. In fact, go overboard with it. Wail if you want, watch terrible movies, sleep the whole day, or stuff yourself silly.

Why it works

I’ve been using this method a couple of times a year for a while now, and it works beautifully. When you run out of steam feeling sorry for yourself, you’ll start to feel a little ridiculous. And then you’ll start thinking of solutions or just start working yourself out of it. (I’m not speaking of clinical depression or chemical imbalances here, just everyday life stress and setbacks.)

Time really does heal all wounds. Or at least stops them from hemorrhaging.

We push so hard to take it all in stride without ever stopping to think what it does to our overall stress load. By letting it out on a regular basis, you can keep your equilibrium and handle the joys and stresses of life.

How I’ve used it

The last 24-hour meltdown I had was just before I left to take my cat to New Mexico to her new home. My cat has been with me since my divorce, and she’s seen me through a big solo move, career advances, failed romances, a new marriage, and a couple of moves since. She’s more than just a cat; she’s the only permanent thing I’ve had in my life for the last 10 years.

Parting with her caused me a lot of angst about our trip, this stage of my life, and wondering if I am just bat-shit crazy for wanting to do this thing. You can see that this is pretty fertile ground for a 24-hour breakdown.

Your meltdown could be due to anything that is meaningful to you – you are the only one it has to make sense for. But the meltdown should not be overused or it will lose its significance. I only do it a couple of times a year and find that it helps me get back to life faster than I would by keeping it all in, and that’s what we’re all after, isn’t it?

Can you see yourself using this strategy? Have you done something like this before? Let’s talk about it in the comments.

Damn, he’s done it. Adam Baker of Man vs. Debt has written the book I meant to write and never did. He’s gung-ho like that, never letting a good idea sit for too long. In fact, he’s included interviews with big names in personal finance and simplicity like JD Roth of Get Rich Slowly as well as a forward by Leo Babauta of Zen Habits.

If you want to find out how Adam and his family “unautomated” their finances to pay off significant debt and travel around the world, click here to visit ManVsDebt.

(Yes, this is an affiliate link.  I paid full price for the product, because I wouldn’t recommend you do it if I didn’t.  Plus he hasn’t yet realized that $17 is WAY underpriced for the amount of info and resources in this guide, which means you get a screaming deal.)

The Man vs. Debt Story

Adam and his wife Courtney hit the same wall we did a few years ago – is this it? Instead of thinking of all the reasons they couldn’t immediately live their happily ever after – a new baby, student loans, credit card debt – they put a plan in place to make it happen.

Fast forward to now, and they are currently traveling in Thailand after several months in New Zealand. In addition, they’ve paid off their credit card debt, have a manageable student loan debt, and have been completely transparent to their readers about their successes, setbacks, and lessons learned.

If you have an interest in gaining control of your money – and if you are reading this blog you probably do – then check out Adam’s Unautomate Your Finances guide. At the very least check out his blog for some great advice from someone walking the talk.

This is part of our ongoing series called “Of course you can do it!”

No matter what your lifestyle goal, it probably doesn’t include being overweight or out of shape. This is a struggle very near and dear to me, and I was amazed and inspired on my last visit to mom’s to see how great she looked after a 60-pound weight loss. Mom has struggled with her weight all her adult life, and she shares 3 tips in this video that finally pushed her from wanting to lose weight to actually doing it.

I learned a few things and think you will, too. (if you are reading this via email you may need to click through to the post to view the video)

Video 1 Summary:

1:21 What Mom thinks made it work for her this time

2:20 How to get back on track when you fall off the wagon

3:40 Is there ever a good time to start a diet? How do you handle stressful events?

5:00 How Mom deals with emotional food cravings.

Video 2 Summary:

0:00 Where does exercise fit in, and how important is it in the overall scheme of things?

1:28 Benefits of working out with a partner

2:58 How the weight loss has impacted her previous health problems.

3:35 Three lessons for successful weight loss

4:30 Bonus lesson on patience

A big thanks to my mom, Connie Gray, for being so agreeable to a 10 p.m. interview after a long day of activity. My apologies for the bad angle on the camera – I forgot the tripod. Done is better than perfect, right?

My commitment to weight loss is renewed, and I’ll be reporting back to you all on my weight loss over the coming months. Want to join me? Just say so in the comments.

Photo by Warren Talbot

(Ed. Note: In honor of our house officially going on the market this week, here is the post where we hashed out whether we should sell or not.)

One of the myriad of questions we had to confront in our planning is whether we want to sell our house in Seattle before we leave on our trip. This issue has both financial and emotional considerations so coming to a decision requires a great deal of openness and an honest assessments of ourselves.  This is a highly personal decision, but I will give you insights into how we approached the problem to see the various implications.

The financial perspective:

We bought our place in June 2006 for $540,000 after getting into bidding war.  Yes, this was back in the day of a seller’s market and relatively limited supply.  We have about $130,000 in equity and our mortgage is ~$3,000/month + $200 in HOA dues.  Today we estimate that the house is worth $450,000 (it hurts me to type that) and we could rent it out for $2000/month.  So, on an annual basis we would be paying somewhere between $14,400 and $20,000additional (depending on repairs, insurance, etc).  Assuming that the house appreciates at 5%/year (obviously this is like gazing into a crystal ball, but that is the fun of this decision) we would be “making” $22,500/year in the increased value of the home.

As you consider your own situation, you will also want to take into account the following:

• Housing market – is it a buyer’s or a seller’s market?
• Tax implications – your mortgage interest is tax deductible and selling will eliminate this deduction
• Capital gains – check out IRS publication 523 on home sales for details on when you can avoid paying capital gains taxes
• House equity – how much do you have and are you looking to preserve it?
• Costs of selling the house – do not underestimate the high fees it takes to sell a home (taxes, real estate agents, legal fees, etc…it adds up quickly)
• Property management – would hiring a property management firm be worth it?

Our Financial Summary:  On a pure numbers perspective, assuming we can keep it rented the entire time and no major repairs, it makes sense to keep the house.

The emotional challenges:
We absolutely love our home.  We fell in love with the view the moment we walked onto the deck.  The Fremont neighborhood of Seattle is wonderful and we never have to get in the car because we can walk to everything.  Of all the homes we have owned (this is number 8 in 6 different states) this is by far our favorite and the smallest.  As the old adage goes, buying a home is about 3 things  location, location, location.

However, what is important is to step back from the emotional ties to the house house.  As we have pointed out before, the ties you have to the memories of your house or things never fades even if you sell it.  The key is to determine how owning a how will impact you on your trip. Ask yourself some key questions:

• Are you going to be comfortable with other people living in your house?
• Will you be thinking about the place while you should be enjoying your trip?
• How will you feel when there are repairs needed on the place?
• Will you constantly be worried that something may go wrong?
• What if we cannot rent it for a few months?  Will this ruin our trip?

Our emotional summary:  When we decided to go on this trip the goal is to embrace a new lifestyle and experience the wonders of long term travel.  We both know that if we keep the house we will be constantly worries about what might happen back in Seattle, instead of what might we will experience in our next location.

Ultimately we made the decision to sell by being honest about who we are.   We both understand the financial impacts of our decision, but by selling we can make a complete mental break and just focus on the life in front of us and our trip.  We are not able to avoid the worry that comes from owning property while we are away.  Besides, if money was really what we found motivated all our decisions I certainly would not be quitting a great paying job to step into the unknown and travel the world.  To us, and we realize this will not apply to everyone, selling the house and making a clean break just feels right.

Here are some sites we used in the decision process:

• Check home values from Zillow
• Home sale cost calculator
• National Association of Residential Property Managers
• New York Times article on the “accidental landlord”
• One family’s experience we learned from

Have you gone through a similar process?  How did you make the decision?  What advice would you have to others?

This week I took a trip from Seattle to New Mexico with my cat, Roo. She is going to live with my mom before we head off on our adventure, and I thought I had planned everything perfectly:

• Food and water with containers in my backpack
• A checkup and health certificate from Roo’s vet
• The appropriate carryon carrier for a pet

Photo by polandeze via Flickr

When I got to the airport I went to the desk to pay Roo’s fare. (If you were not aware, you still have to pay for airfare if you take your pet with you as your “carryon” luggage. The last time I paid $75 for a domestic flight, and this time it was $100. I’ve read that it can go as high as $300).

My ticket was booked through Alaska Airlines, though my connection from Dallas to Midland, TX was with American Eagle. Alaska doesn’t fly to Midland. The agent told me that the airlines no longer have reciprocal agreements with each other in the matter of pets and it was likely that I would have to pay another pet fee to American Airlines when I got to Dallas.

The agent told me I was “lucky” that my pet was traveling with me, because if she were in cargo I would have to go to baggage claim in Dallas, retrieve her, and then check her in again to American’s cargo before going through security again and boarding my next flight.

She told me this was a recent move by the airlines to make extra money since the airlines are in such dire straits.  She indicated that all of the airlines were doing this, though I have found it hard to find documentation online.  I found the policy on Alaska Airline’s website.

In my case, I just threw my jacket over the carrier as I was boarding at my connection and didn’t ask for clarification on the policy. No one stopped me, and Roo and I arrived safely in Midland without spending the extra $100. Of course you can’t try this method if your pet is in cargo.

I found out a few other things while doing research for this article:

• Many airlines only allow 2-4 animals in the cabin per flight
• Some airlines require that in-cabin pets be seated at the window
• Most airlines accept a health certificate from a vet within the last 30 days, but some require it within 10 depending on destination
• When you take your pet through security you will not be allowed to keep a harness or leash on them – you have to carry them through with you.  If you are traveling alone with a cat this can be feat of strength, especially if the jerk in front of you who left his computer in his bag goes through extended screening while you wait for the pet carrier to come through.

The main thing to be aware of is that airlines are changing their policies all the time. What worked for you when traveling a year ago may not be the same today, so please be sure to check with your airline before you go.

PS – Roo is doing fine in her new home and adjusting to the resident cat, Squeaky. I did a lot of research to make this a smooth transfer, so if you need advice on putting two cats together just let me know.

Every once in a while we venture out from our little blog to various points on the interwebs. Today we are guest posting on one of our favorite blogs, Free Pursuits. If you are a new reader clicking over from there, welcome. You can find out a little more about our story and why the heck we are doing this by clicking here.  And of course we’d love it if you decided to join our happy little tribe by coming back to visit or getting the feed. If you are a regular reader, I encourage you to check out Corbett’s excellent blog about lifestyle design.

Photo by laszlo-photo via Flickr

Last week I did a really fun audio interview with Janet Vasil of Your Media Moment. We talked about lifestyle design, saving money, and how we use media to tell our story. You can listen in here.

And then just a few weeks ago we landed on another favorite blog, Marc and Angel Hack Life. We talked about 5 creative ways to upsize your life by downsizing.  (I know I’m preaching to the choir on this one.)

I’ll be back on Friday with an update on airline rules for traveling with pets based on my experience this week transferring Roo Kitty to her new home.

And then next week I have a great video interview for you from someone who has lost 60 pounds the old-fashioned way, through diet and exercise. She’s going to share with us what she learned about making permanent lifestyle changes for a healthy body, and I for one am ready to hear it. No matter what your lifestyle goal, you need a healthy body to do it. (Bonus: it’s my mom! Yes, you get to finally see the cute “mamacita” who leaves such great comments on the blog).

I’m still traveling this week in New Mexico and plan to visit the UFO Museum in Roswell this week. Stay tuned for a post on that and any government conspiracies I can dig up while I’m here. 

Okay, now back to your regularly scheduled programming…

In 1991 I was a sophomore at Texas A&M University when I made the decision I did not want to grow up.  The concern was, maybe if I did, I would not be a Toys R Us kid.  Now, how in the world could I let that happen?

My passion for the toy industry began in earnest in 1988, at the end of 104 minutes which would change my life forever.  The experience that so rocked my world was my 1st viewing of Tom Hanks’ movie “Big”; and I readily admit I may be the only person to be able to trace my life path back to this movie.  However, at the end of this simple story I knew that all I wanted to do with my life was to work in the toy business and design toys for a living.  This desire was so overwhelming that in my senior year of high school I started putting a plan in place to achieve this dream.  I researched everything I could about the toy business, the supply chain, the major players, and how toys made it from concept to under the Christmas tree.  This being 1989-1991, it meant I could not just jump online and get my answers in minutes.  Instead I spent hours find and reading books from the library and perusing any magazine that I felt might remotely mention the toy industry.

By February 1991, with my goal of getting of job with toys firmly set, the business school at Texas A&M had a career fair. Besides just visiting booths, there was an opportunity for students to attend a dinner with one of the companies recruiting on campus.  Given the opening I leaped at the opportunity to dine with the team from Toys R Us, the dominant force in toy retail.  I had no idea what to expect, but I was determined to find out everything I could about the company, how to get a job in the industry, and where was the best place to start my future career as a toy designer.

At dinner there were 10 students and 2 recruiters.  We each introduced ourselves and I rapidly knew something was odd.  I was the last student to introduce myself and realized that everyone else was graduating within the next 6 months.  When they got to me I said, “Hi, my name is Warren.  I am an Accounting Major and I will be graduating in 2.5 years.”  Rather surprised, one of the recruiters immediately asked why I was here if I was not graduating soon.  I quickly responded “I have spent the last 2 years researching the toy industry and I am here to learn more about it and get to know you all.”

After dinner one of the recruiters gave me his card and told me to call him when I got closer to graduation.  In addition he recommended a book, which turned out to be the best thing I had read to date on the industry.  By the end of the evening I was convinced that the best place to start my toy career was on the retail end where I could learn how toys are marketed and sold.  And where better than the largest toy retailer in the world?

So, a week after dinner I called the recruiter to thank him for the time and the book recommendation.   We spoke for almost an hour about the company, the structure, and life at Toys R Us.  It was at this moment that I first learned the importance of persistence.  Every single month for the next 2+ years,  I called the team at Toys R Us to say hello and just touch base.  Sometimes these were quick 5 minute discussions, other times they exceeded an hour with different people in the organization.  I really knew I wanted to work there and never found anything odd about placing all these calls.  My thought was always that this is how you get a job, so each month I picked up the phone and rang the team in Houston.

By May 1993, 3 months before graduation, Toys R Us invited me to the office in Houston for an interview.  Once I reached the office it was less an interview and more like greeting old friends. For over 2 years I had gotten to know these people and learn about their families.  I went from office to office shaking hands and hugging people that up until then I knew only by voice.  By the end of the “interview” drove back to school with a job offer in hand and the first step in my goal achieved.

Looking back almost 20 years I realize that this experience profoundly shaped who I am today.  To this day, whenever anyone asks me about how I ended up on the path to quit my job to travel the world I quickly trace it back to the movie “Big” and the first major life goal I set out to achieve.  The road has not led where I expected, and there have been many down times, but I could not be happier with the life I have today thanks to the first steps I took in 1988.

What where the early steps on your life path?  I would love to hear your story as well.

The first stop on our big adventure is Ecuador at 9,186 feet. We currently live in Seattle, which ranges from sea level to 520 feet. Pretty big difference, huh? Well, that difference can make a person really sick.

Photo by Warren Talbot

A few years ago I flew in to Telluride, Colorado for a hiking trip in the fall. It was gorgeous, and we exerted ourselves a little bit too much (plus had margaritas with dinner), and my first night and second day there were a blur. I had terrible dreams when I did manage to catch some sleep, and the rest of the time I was tossing and turning with a raging headache. By morning, I was in a fog and had the lowest energy I’ve ever felt in my life. Oh, and there was the vomiting.

Thankfully we were staying at a lodge and there was an oxygen bar on hand. After 30 minutes of inhaling it, I was as good as new. In fact, I couldn’t believe how sick I had been just a few minutes earlier. It made me a firm believer in altitude sickness and how it can derail a body so fast.

Disclaimer: I am not a doctor, and the information in this post was gained through a visit to a travel clinic and at a seminar on high-altitude travel given by a cardiologist. The information is general and does not cover to any specific health problems you may have. If you have questions about high-altitude travel and your health, you should check with your physician. This information is for information purposes only.

Since our first stop on the trip is at such high elevation, we have been asking a lot of questions. Our nurse Anne at the UW Travel Clinic gave us a prescription for acetazolamide 125 mg tablets to take twice daily starting 12-24 hours before our ascent and continue 24-48 hours after ascent as needed.

This will help us with the adjustment when we land. In an ideal scenario, we would ascend gradually, giving ourselves 3-5 days to get to that level. When hiking this is easier to do than when flying.

The information and warning signs about high altitude sickness are below and are taken from our visit with the UW Travel Clinic, a seminar on high altitude travel by Dr. Andrew Luks at REI, and the CDC website.

What is altitude sickness?

We get sick at altitude (above 8000 feet or 2400 m) because there is less oxygen in the air. Our bodies can adapt to these changes over time, and ascending slowly with plenty of time to rest is key. With flying and shorter vacations, though, we don’t always do that.

The main risk factor is going to high, too fast. It doesn’t matter what kind of shape you are in, your age, or your gender – anyone can get altitude sickness (though not everyone does).

There are normal body changes at altitude:

• High heart rate – this will return to normal after a few days at the same altitude. One thing to test is that you have a quick recovery from exercise. If so, you are just adjusting to the normal symptoms of being at altitude.
• Faster, deeper breathing – you will huff and puff, but at rest your breathing should return to normal. You will notice more sighing and taking deeper breaths.
• Increased frequency of urination – this is part of your body adapting to the altitude.
• Poor sleep – this can even include irregular breathing and sleep apnea, though it will get better with time.
• Swelling of hands, feet and eyes is normal. This will go away when you descend.

Risk factors for becoming sick:

• Ascending too quickly. No matter how healthy you are, ascending to heights over 8000 feet with no rest days is more likely to make you sick. If you feel bad, stop or descend.
• Smoking and drinking alcohol. Seriously, if these will impair your body at low altitude, can you imagine what they will do at high altitude?
• Cockiness. If you are in great shape you are just as likely to get altitude sickness as your couch potato travel partner. Don’t assume because you are a marathon runner that you will not get sick.

The main high altitude illnesses

Acute Mountain Sickness (AMS) is the most common. This usually starts 6-10 hours after arrival at elevations above 8500 feet. Common symptoms are headache, dizziness, poor appetite, nausea, vomiting, fatigue or poor sleep. Headaches can also come from dehydration, so make sure you are hydrated. To officially have AMS you need a headache plus at least one other symptom. In my case, having the alcohol with dinner on my first night probably didn’t help. If the symptoms include vomiting and the other symptoms get really bad, the patient could have severe AMS. The patient usually recognizes he or she is sick. Do not go higher until your AMS symptoms have stopped.

High Altitude Cerebral Edema (HACE) is the next level from severe AMS. This includes swelling of the brain. It is not nearly as common as AMS. It rarely occurs just out of the blue, and the patient will have likely had AMS symptoms. It usually doesn’t happen until 13,000 feet, but not always. To test for this, ask your companion to walk a straight line heel-to-toe. If they can’t do it, they likely have HACE. They often have mental status changes as well (withdrawn, acting confused, and just not themselves). Travel companions are usually first to notice this illness and not the sick person themselves. It is really important to monitor for these changes in each other. If not treated, a person can go into a coma and die.

High Altitude Pulmonary Edema (HAPE) is a fluid build-up in the lungs. It makes it hard to breathe. Unlike HACE, this illness can occur on its own without a prior HAPE or HACE diagnosis. It occurs at altitudes above 8000 feet and usually starts within 1-4 days of reaching altitude. They can develop a dry cough (though coughing is also considered normal at high altitude), and they may cough up a pink frothy-looking material. They can also develop blue lips and fingertips. People with HAPE have a very slow recovery to exercise and are very fatigued. Like HACE, this one can also be fatal and needs to be treated immediately.

Treatment and Prevention

Rule #1 in both treatment and prevention of altitude sickness is to control your ascent. Going to fast or climbing in spite of your symptoms will only increase your chances of severe illness. Control the ascent.

Mild AMS: No need to descend, but you should stop your ascent. Aspirin, Tylenol, and and ibuprofen can be taken for headache, but you should NOT take any narcotics such as Valium. You can also take acetazolamide (requires a prescription). If your symptoms improve, you can climb. If not, stay put or descend.

Severe AMS or HACE: Descend. If descent is not possible, you need supplemental oxygen or a Gamow bag (trust me, you likely won’t have one of these on your trip). You can also take acetazolamide or dexamethasone for treatment (requires a prescription). You should not re-ascend until you are symptom-free without medication, but if you are this sick you should probably just enjoy the current altitude. Why risk it?

HAPE: Descend. If descent is not possible, you need supplemental oxygen or a Gamow bag. Nifedepine (requires a prescription) in the long-acting version twice a day. You should not re-ascend until you are symptom-free without medication. Like the treatment above, though, why push it? Just enjoy the altitude you are on.

If you are planning to travel at a high altitude, planning is everything. Make sure you know the warning signs and pay attention to yourself and your travel companions. Bring appropriate medications with you for treatment, and use common sense when deciding how far and how fast to go.

(Photo by Warren Talbot)

Up until now, getting rid of stuff has been fairly easy. Even the reverse birthday party was only hard for a day or two beforehand. I’ve been pretty good about learning the difference between my memories and the objects that remind me of those feelings.

But lately I’m up against something I can’t easily overcome. You see, my cat is going to live with my mom in New Mexico this weekend.

Roo has been with me since my divorce, and she’s been the only real constant in my life the past 10 years. It is going to be very hard to see her go, even though I know she’ll be in a good home.

I’ve been thinking about it a lot lately (thanks to a 24-hour meltdown), and I’ve come to the realization that you can’t have everything, at least all at once.

So I’m here to admit to you that the preparations for this trip are not all roses and sunshine. There are real tears now about the cat, and I’m sure there will be more when the house is sold and the dog moves to his new home. And buckets more when I see my friends and family before we go.

Does this mean I don’t want to go? Of course not. But I do recognize how rich my life has become that I can feel this way about leaving it behind. And I think it will help me appreciate what I’m going to even more.

Have you ever had to give up something dear to accomplish a goal? Were you able to get it back later? Did you even want to?

I feel like this post should have a soundtrack because it is Very Important to our trip.

The Final Countdown by Europe, perhaps?

Photo by Warren Talbot

The last big step – financially and materially – is to sell our house. It goes on the market in 2 weeks, and we have a bit of competition from other townhouses in the area as well as a recovering but still down market overall.

Our house is in great shape, and we have some perks that are not common, especially the private rooftop deck with views of Mt. Ranier, downtown Seattle, and Lake Union. It really is stunning.

But how to get people in the door to see the house when so many others are for sale? How can we make our house stand out online so people will put it on their list of homes to see?

We’re asking for your help, readers.

Below is a list of what we are doing and considering. What would you add (low-tech, high tech, staging, advertising, etc.)? We are open to every single sane/crazy/brilliant/stupid idea you’ve got to sell quickly and for a reasonable price.  We’ve already made peace with the fact that we’ll be losing money no matter what. <sigh>

• Warren put together a website (you know he does this on the side, right?) with videos, pictures, and fun facts about the house.  You can see it here.
• We made videos from each room in the house with our Flip camera.
• Warren posted it at work.
• Our house is on Twitter, and she’s a saucy little tweeter. You can follow her @fremonthome if you are into the Twitter thang.
• I’m putting together a Facebook page for the house.
• We have a banner on our homepage that says “help us sell our house.”
• We are considering partnering with some of the great restaurants in our neighborhood for “year of meals” kind of deal for the new buyer. Luckily we have some great restaurants in our neighborhood.
• We currently have a $1000 bonus to someone who refers a final buyer to us before the house officially goes on the market.
• A Feng Shui expert has gone through the house and made a few recommendations to get it show-ready and improve the flow.
• We will have professional pictures taken.
• We have a Realtor and plan to list it on March 10.
• We have a loan officer on the website to help buyers with any mortgage questions.
• The cat is moving to my mom’s house in New Mexico next week.
• We are approaching Microsoft, Google, and Adobe’s human resources departments to see if they are interested in publicizing the house to their employees. Google and Adobe are within walking distance, and Microsoft offers an employee shuttle run that picks up across the street.

What else can we add to the list?