Yeah that contingency fund is key. When we hit horsehair plaster in our kitchen reno, we ended up having to sister new studs to the old ones to get a solid base for drywall. Added like two weeks and a couple grand we hadn't planned on.

Exactly. That face framing trick is everything. @gibson.elizabeth has the right idea with those slices. My stylist did the same for me last year and it was a total game changer.

Three years of moving every single month? That's not travel, that's just a really long and expensive commute. How do you even get to know a place when you're always looking at the calendar for your next move? I get tired just thinking about unpacking that many times. What finally made you realize it wasn't working?

Totally get that "hacking together a planner" feeling. I felt the same way when everything got so fancy. What worked for me was going back to a simple notebook and just using three colored pens for different tasks. It keeps that DIY spirit alive without needing to buy a whole system. The less stuff I have to buy, the more I actually get done.

Switched to a walk-up permit at the Inyo office and got on trail the next morning. The ranger told me mid-week starts have way better odds. Sometimes you just need a flexible plan.