Mint.com

As part of our financial learnings we signed up for mint.com. Does anyone else out there use it? I don't think it's very easy to use/user friendly. We actually signed up for it back in Ecuador but because we weren't using our cards EVER it didn't really do anything. We're trying to use cash for things back here in the States too, so I don't know how practical it is for us. I do like that it reminds me when payments are due, when accounts are low, and the goal feature. But I don't like that I can't set up payments with it. Anyways, does anyone out there have a good budget tool for cash purchases too? I wish I had a smart phone that could download those cool apps, because I've seen some good ones for budgeting cash!

Financial Freedom

I've gotten quite the response about the money post and I must say this is a topic that people my age are really thinking through. I guess a couple of other observations that I've had after talking with people are...

At some point in our lives we are all going to have to learn the lessons of financial freedom. Financial freedom will look differently for everyone. I would rather start to figure it out now, when it's just Ryan and I, instead of in the future when there are so many more consequences.

Saying no to things is different for everyone. For me and Ryan right now, we're eliminating buying stuff because that's the place we're in. But I have friends that are making decent money and they might have to say no to international vacations but not to buying stuff. Does that make sense? It's about living within your means, not living without just for fun.

And lastly, it seems that a lot of friends are thinking this way and feeling this way. Feeling stress about going out for an expensive dinner or drinks. So, especially in Chicago, I feel like we should try and take more advantage of all of the free events that the city has to offer. That way we can enjoy spending time with each other and still stay within our budget. Or something like that.

It's an interesting learning process and I'm glad we're talking about it.


MULUB,
Taylor

In Chicago

I love Chicago. It's such a great city where everything feels at the same time BIG CITY and SMALL TOWN. It's just a great place to live. I hope to be able to move back some day and possibly raise a family here but that day is not TOday.

Here are some random musings:

Everything is so expensive. My parent's used to say living in the city is just more expensive than not and I never agreed with them. Sad but true, I was wrong. It's expensive. My dad also always used to tell me "Sometimes you just have to say no. You can't afford to do everything." While I absolutely HATE the idea of this, it also is true. Ryan and I lived on such a tight budget while in Ecuador that the prices in the city are absolutely absurd to me. Last night I went out for pizza with girls that I love. Hannah and I paid together and it cost us $45 FOR TWO PIZZAS, tax and tip. We didn't have wine, we didn't have an appetizer, we didn't have dessert. We literally had two pizzas and tap water. Ryan and I could have gone out to eat for breakfast, lunch and dinner for two days with $45. The bus here is $2.25 in Ecuador it was $0.25. The cost of living and the quality of living is just so much higher here that it makes it ridiculous.

Here's the hard thing... my friends live here in the city. So dinners like last night are more common than not. And I have a REALLY hard time saying no. But if we ever moved back here we would have to just say no. Which to me just seems counter productive. If we move to Chicago to be close to family and friends but we can't afford to see family and friends, then what's the point?

Another observation... there is such rampant consumerism and materialism here. Now I know that individuals have very little control over it because its a product of the society that we live in. But pizza costs $15 because enough people pay it. Hannah and I stopped into a coffee shop before we met the girls for dinner and I just asked how much a banana costs. The response = $1. In Ecuador I could buy a whole bunch of bananas for $1.50. I know that isn't a truly fair comparison but still. There is so much temptation here in Chicago to spend money on things that really don't matter. In Ecuador we learned to live without things because they didn't exist and so it was easier. Now our lesson has to be resisting the temptation to buy and consume when the options are plentiful. I love pretty things and I used to shell out a lot of money for things that were just pretty. That abruptly stopped in Ecuador because they make things useful, not pretty. Now I have to learn self control.

Which brings me to something I've said before and I'm saying again. People here in the USA have so much stuff. Lots and lots of stuff. This one has been easier for me in our 'home' (read - my parents' basement). We have what we need and all of the extra stuff we either through away before we left for Ecuador or is still in the storage bins. It's a truly freeing feeling. I don't feel tempted to go to Target and buy things just because I want them.

My biggest temptation is when it comes to friends. If a friend says lets go out to eat or lets meet for coffee or lets do this or that, I have a really hard time saying, "I can't because I don't have the money." But I need to get better at it.

Let me preface this by saying, I completely 100% am still trying to figure this out! Which makes me wonder, how many people out there don't have the money to live the life that they are living? How many people are too embarrassed or self conscious to say 'No, I can't' and so they do it anyways and go into debt to continue the lifestyle? I know that I struggle with it all of the time. But it's crazy. I used to have an astronomical credit card bill because of dinner dates, coffee and shopping trips. Not because of anything of substance. I realize that this is probably just more for me now. So with that, I leave you with these two thoughts: Would my friends understand if I said 'no' to an invitation because I couldn't afford it? And would they welcome the idea of a cheaper option, i.e. a potluck dinner at someone's house instead of a dinner out?

$$$

I often wonder how other people live abroad. Maybe that's ironic, but I am fascinated by it. I understand study abroad and now I understand teaching abroad but if you're not doing one of those two things, I don't get it. It got me thinking about if people wonder about how we live abroad. I just want to clarify to anyone that is thinking, 'oh I wish I could do that' that you can! We quit our jobs and came here with about 2 paychecks worth of money. We had arranged jobs ahead of time, which I would recommend. We didn't have a place to live. We didn't have a ton of money. Less than $5,000 for sure, significantly less. And we just committed to living within our means, for the most part. Our parents and grandparents have been very generous whenever we've been in a bind here and for that we'll forever be grateful. But we're not here living off of an inheritance or a free ride or a huge savings. We're just making it work. And if you want to, you can too. You should.

MULUB,
Taylor

Megamaxi - What our bill looks like

This might be more for me to look back on, than it is for you. But it's certainly interesting!

Guanabana Yogurt - 4.10
Natural Yogurt - 2.50
2 containers of Strawberries - 2.16
Green beans - .53
4 Grapefruits - .90
Basil - .54
Carrots - .73
Green Peppers - 1.46
Spinach - .25
Fettucini Noodles - 1.02
Mote - .75
Choclo - .83
Onions - 1.06
Bananas - .68
Cilantro - .36
Parsley - .36
2 Boxes of Chocolate Milk - 2.40
Jalepenos - .62
Passionfruit - .50
Mozzerella Cheese - 3.33
La Chonta Cheese - 3.39
Black Pepper Kernels - .68
Onions - 1.28
Ketchup - 1.08
Tinned Mussels - 2.62
Peanut Butter - 4.95
Toilet Paper - 6.71
Cotton Swabs (for cleaning ears) - 3.06
Peas - .66
Swiss Chard - .32
Paw Cleaning Pads - 2.11
Sponges for dishes - 2.11
Ground Beef - 2.93
Chocolate Bar - 2.04
Total - 58.51

Grocery Costs - Rethought

So instead of posting all of that nonsense about how much everything costs at the grocery (talk about seriously time consuming) I've decided to just post, as a reference for us in the future, what we've been making and how much each meal has cost. I'm still keeping track of all the numbers and such but I'll just give you the abridged version.

Working Backwards -
19-1-11 : BBQ Chicken and Chips -  $1.13
18-1-11 : Tuna Salad - $3.12
16-1-11 : Chuki's Birthday Grill Out - $4.69
14-1-11 : Pasta with Tomatoes, Beans and Roasted Veggies - $4.51
13-1-11 : Stir Fry - $1.52
10-1-11 : Middle Eastern Pizzas - $3.06
8-1-11 : Tarragon Braised Chicken and Rice - $4.10

There you have it - 7 meals for $22.13!

Dinners thus far

I'm not sure what the best way to do this, for my own record keeping is. For now, I'll just do it as I can. This is what we've made so far with our groceries...

31-12-10 Groceries

And trip number 2 to the store...

First and Feeble Attempt

Alright, so this is a work in progress. I can't quite figure out how to get everything to look the way that I would like it to. But you'll get the picture. So... here's what we spent at the grocery store on 30-Jan-10.

Money?

In an attempt to try and be a grown up in 2011, I'm putting together a budget so that Ryan and I can see what we are spending our money on. I'm actually really proud of how we've been spending our money and I think we've both grown a lot in regards to buying things and consumerism on a whole. But I think I'd like to be able to see more clearly, how much we spend and what we spend it on. Plus I would like to have the information as we continue to travel so that I have a concrete understanding of living expenses in different parts of the world. Thus starts a new little section of this blog... the money section. Now, if you get a kick out of trying to keep your cooking expenses down while still enjoying tasty, tasty meals I have to point you in the direction on Budget Bytes. This site is amazing. I'm going to try and recreate a little bit of what she does here. I understand that this is probably more for my own interest than anyone else's, but as this blog has somewhat replaced a personal journal... all is fair!

Enjoy!