Each month we provide a monthly summary of our expenses as we travel around the world. We’ve documented every dollar, yuan, and bhat spent on our journey to help you see how affordable around-the-word travel can be by showing you how we break down our expenses.
We started the month off in temporary new “home” of Guanajuato, Mexico. We decided to come to Mexico for a few months to focus on improving our Spanish, start on a new project, and absorb the culture. This is our first time in Mexico and we have are loving the experience. The people are warm and always ready to return a smile or to help as we struggle to converse above the level of a 5 year old.
We settled into a beautiful 4 bedroom home here in the city (the picture above is from our roof-top deck), with views of los cerros (bigger than hills but smaller than mountains) just outside our window. Since this will be our home for the next several months we’ve decided to invite fellow artists to stay with us as part of an effort to create an artists’ retreat. Like the Paris salons of old we want to surround ourselves with people who love to create during the day and then exchange stories and conversation in the evenings. It will be a great new experience for us.
February was a big month as we had a fantastic reaction to the launch of the 2nd edition of Dream Save Do: An Action Plan for Dreamers. This new edition contains 33% more content, case studies from people who have used the book to change their lives, and more practical advice to help you live the life you crave. If you know someone struggling to take the first step towards their dream life, forward this link over to them.
February in Review
When we chose to come to Mexico we did very little research on the cost of living, so this first full month in the country was a bit of an experiment. We have a kitchen again so I’ve been cooking like mad. After 4 giant pots of pozolé I think I finally found the secret and now this is my “go to” dish. By shopping at the markets, and buying the fresh tortillas every few days we’ve been able to control our food spending.
The 2 biggest expenses for the month were housing ($624) and Spanish lessons ($399). As mentioned above we rented a huge place here because we want to surround ourselves with creative people and to try something new. We were able to find a stunning property and work with the owner to get a rate that would fit with our budget while allow us to have the space to invite people.
On the Spanish front we took 2 weeks of classes for 2 hours/day. This was the jump-start we wanted to get back into the language. While we would love to continue them we know that the best resource for learning is to just get out there and start talking. I feel sorry for the woman who owns the tienda across the street as she has become our go to Spanish punching bag. On the positive side we spent the bulk of our $188 alcohol line item in her store so hopefully that helps ease the need to talk so slowly with us each day.
Let’s Get to The Numbers:
- Total spending for February 2013: $1,707
- Daily average for February 2013: $60.97
- Total spending to date (for entire trip) through February 2013: $59,400
- Overall daily average (881 days on the road): $67.42
Expense Breakdown:
FAQ:
Over the course of providing these monthly spending reports, we’ve received a lot of questions and requests for clarification on our spending and finances. In order to spread the answers to more of you we’ll start including one here each month.
What suggestions do you have for saving money on cultural events while you travel?
In virtually every city we always begin our stay by stopping by the tourist information center. They are always a great resource for insights into what is going on in the city as well as able to provide you with great maps. In each location we ask specifically for a calendar of events to help map out different alternatives for our time. It is also good to ask when the free/discount days are for the museums or shows you want to attend. We have found that in most of the world there are days each week or month where the main museums of the city are available for free, or a significant discount. This is a great way to continue to take in the culture you may desire while saving more money for your travels.
Great report as usual! I am using your reports as a guideline to plan for our own trip starting this fall. One thing I’d like to see is consideration for when you’ve received significant no-cost services that saved you off your bottom line but normally would have cost you, e.g. free accomodation, comp train tickets, etc. I think it would provide more context, as your very low daily rate may be difficult to achieve with even the best of planning if your business is drawing more freebies than one could normally expect.
Also, I would also love to know the tool you’re using to track your expenses. Did you create your own excel spreadsheet or pull one off as site?
Many thanks,
Tonya
(Only seven months to go for us!)
Hi Tonya,
It is great to hear from you. It’s nice to hear that all our reports can help you all in planning your adventure. Good idea to add in the no-cost resources we’ve provided. I have included these with each individual month’s report to highlight if we are housesitting, staying with family/friends, and when we receive a sponsored gift (which we accept quite rarely). In truth we accept very few of the offers provided as we focus only on services we would use otherwise (i.e. Eurail) so there are relatively few of these. Most of our savings come through housesitting.
We track all our expenses via a Google Documents spreadsheet. Here is a template for you to use which is precisely what I use daily to keep track. We’ve tried a number of different resources but found that none fit well with our extended style of travel to so many countries. Alas, this form has worked well for over 2 years.
Have a great time with your last 7 months and keep us updated. It is going to fly by.