This is my first full month back on the road and I was moving much more slowly which is much more my style. I did, however, spend an unexpected weekend in London and I went out for drinks with friends several nights which drastically added to my budget. Had I followed my original plan, my budget would be about $425 lower than it was. But, I had a great time and I still came in under my $1k monthly target so I don’t begrudge the extra spending.
This summary covers travel related expenses for 1-31 October 2015.
Location(s) Visited This Month
- Southampton, UK
- London, UK
- Amsterdam, Netherlands
Transportation – $103.81
- This includes all transportation between cities as well as public transport within cities. It is higher than it might otherwise be because I used Uber in London a couple times.
Lodging – $112.54
- I was scheduled to house sit for the entire month, however, my home owners returned early so I decided to spend a weekend in London. This was for 2 nights in a hostel.
Food – $386.71
- I ate out quite a bit in Amsterdam and all the time in London which had a pretty big impact on this number. Eating at home definitely is cheaper and, generally, I try to do that most often.
Entertainment – $249.46
- I spent several great nights out with friends this month. Unfortunately they were usually at cocktail bars where I was spending $10-15 per drink vs my usual $5 glasses of wine. That made a big impact on my entertainment costs but I had a great time so I wouldn’t change anything.
Miscellaneous – $3.25
- I need to find a good cash tracking app. Honestly, this $3.25 is probably jingling around in the bottom of my bag right now.
Monthly Total: $855.77
Average monthly spend: $1350.75 ($350.75)*
I’m happy with my expenses for this month. The would have been less than half had I not done my weekend in London and been so social in Amsterdam, but all work and no play makes Mandy a dull girl. Besides, it’s below my monthly target, so I’m happy.
* My average monthly spending target is $1k/mo. This number is the average for the months I’ve been working remotely so far. The amount in parentheses is the amount I’m over or under my goal.
Hi Mandy,
Interesting article! Was just wondering what you use to keep track of your expenses?
Regards,
Max
Hey Max!
I need to find an app to track the cash I get from the ATM, but for everything else I use Mint.
Thanks!
Mandy
I found a really good app in the meanwhile, it’s called “Wallet’. You just have to make it a habbit to put in all your expenses by the end of the day.