Spending Recap: January 30-February 5, 2012
Monday 30th
$19.78 (€15,10) food for train ride
$170.32 (€130) hostel (5 nights)
$103.49 (€78,99) Macbook Pro power adapter
Tuesday 31st
$2.40 (€1,83) snacks
$26.53 (€20,25) groceries
$13.82 (€10,55) 2x sim cards – one for Nic
$39.30 (€30) cell phone credit
$3.40 (€2,60) transit
Wednesday 1st
No Spend Day!
Thursday 2nd
+ $700 freelance income
$25.26 (€19,40) groceries
Friday 3rd
No Spend Day!
Saturday 4th – Esslingen
$9.11 (€7) transit
$9.11 (€7) transit
$14.32 (€12) Mercedes-Benz Museum
Sunday 5th
$14.97 (€11.50) lunch
WEEKLY EXPENSES: - $632.59
WEEKLY INCOME: + $700
TOTAL: + $67.41
Well it was a pretty expensive week for me. But I knew it was coming – it’s not cheap picking up and moving to a different city. There are always unexpected costs, such as having to spend $100+ on a Macbook Pro power adapter. We had the travel converter/adapter, but it was only powering the laptop and not actually charging the battery. We didn’t realize until days after that we didn’t need to buy the adapter, only the plug. But, the package came with an adapter and a plug, so we’re able to power both of our laptops with one purchase. So far, everything else works with the travel converter – except for my flat iron. I haven’t tested everything though, so fingers crossed that’s the only thing that doesn’t work.
We are trying to cut costs by walking most places, and only taking transit occasionally. In fact, the only time we took transit was the evening we went to view our apartment – it was really cold! And on Saturday we went to visit the town of Esslingen – not too far outside of Stuttgart.
Also, we’ve been cooking most of our meals in the hostel. It’s a bit of a nightmare because the grocery store that’s close to the hostel seems expensive, and the kitchen is small. But since restaurants are pretty expensive (and I keep thinking the prices are in dollars), we’re still cutting down our expenses significantly. But on the bright side, huge 1/2 litre beers are only €0,70 (about $1) at the grocery store, so we’re loving that. :)
As for the food here, it’s been pretty good. But I’m always craving vegetables and fruit. My body isn’t used to consuming so much bread and meat. And apparently we came during the coldest part of the winter, so all I can think of is eating a huge, hot bowl of pho or ramen. We actually did find a Japanese place that serves ramen, but a bowl cost €15 ($19.53)!!! No thanks.
Here are a few pictures from the last week:
8 Responses to “Spending Recap: January 30-February 5, 2012”
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I’ve had the same luck with flat irons and blow dryers!
The outside photo of the apartment looks great — how are the room sizes/kitchen/bathroom? It’s always a treat to see how different they are from what we’re used to in Canada!
Big City Beer Budget´s latest post —> 30-Day Price Guarantee!
Expensive week, but like you said, that is expected. Great pictures, I’m still jealous!
It’s great that you’re still keeping expenses under your income!!
Sooooo- did you get the apartment?
Renee´s latest post —> Progress on My Goals:
Yes we sure did. :) I’ve got a post scheduled about it later this week.
I am extremely impressed that you’ve managed to turn a profit this week, albeit tiny. It means that your time in Europe is a sustainable lifestyle, rather than an indulgence.
Joe´s latest post —> Credit Card Deal Alert – $40 in FREE Groceries
Thanks. I definitely wouldn’t have decided to come to Europe if I knew I’d be running a deficit. Hopefully I will start to see a bigger profit margin as the weeks go by, because I still have a mortgage to pay for at home. :)
$19 for ramen!? You’ll give in one day… when you’re homesick… ;)