The south end of the beach at Hua Hin, Thailand.
Where are Kevin and Ruth now? Hua Hin, Thailand.

Where are Kevin and Ruth going next? Maldives on March 23rd.

Saturday, September 1, 2012

August expenses

Our August costs came in at a total of $1,087.28 and while that sounds very good (and really, it is!) it's also about $200 over our budget for the month. Almost everything else was pretty much within the range that we expected it to be, but accommodation was the category that put us over the $1,000 mark.

Grocery: Considering that we did eat quite a few meals out that are included in the "Entertainment" category, our grocery bill was slightly higher than we expected, coming in at $254.15. We found groceries, and just about everything, are more expensive in Slovakia than they are in Czech Republic.

Alcohol: Cheapest month ever! Beer is very inexpensive in Czech Republic and Slovakia, and our total bill for the month was $85.41.

Miscellaneous: Did well here too, with nothing unexpected. If we can keep this category below $100 a month, we're happy. August came in at $70.70. A lot of that was local buses and trains to get to hiking areas or attractions.

Entertainment: About where we expected, at $219.94. This includes meals out and attraction fees for visiting castles and caves and things like that. Interestingly, $86 of this was in the last 3 days of the month!

Overnight: This was the killer, and it was ALL in the last two weeks of the month. We simply couldn't organize any couchsurfing hosts for this area of Slovakia and so we had to pay for accommodation. Total was $388.75 for 15 nights. Not bad at an average of $25.92 per night but it was the last three nights that took up $120 of that! Thanks to all the couchsurfing hosts who supported us during the first two weeks of the month!

Travel: Total of $68.33, and this is all for buses and trains getting to our different overnight destinations.

We have a budget of only $700 for the month of September, however that doesn't include any travel expenses that might be incurred if we end up going back to Canada at the end of September. It may be early October when that happens, we're not sure yet. We're going to be the first week of the month in Budapest, and the we will be almost three weeks housesitting in England near the border of Wales.

6 comments:

  1. Amazing! You see travel guides that say, "Europe, 14 days, 3500 dollars. That's what puts people off about world travel.

    Good job! Based on what you posted, you stayed in nice places, ate in good restaurants, and didn't ride any mules or horses to get where you were going.

    Cheaper to be traveling in Europe than sitting at home.

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    1. When we had our house we definitely spent way more than this and didn't see much other than our daily commute back and forth to work. Definitely love this life much better.

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  2. Great figures! Sure the overnight expenses were higher but it is a less populated area. I think you did fantastic!! You tow might be the next Frommer for X # of $ by writing an online book!

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    1. Overall we are very happy with the numbers, especially when we look at everything we did and saw.

      As for writing a book, not sure when we would have the time but you never know.

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  3. Good budgetting and you sure had a lot of great experiences, keep up the good work and enjoy it while you can!

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