PV BUDGET SO FAR!
I am in NO way living high on the hog. I really don’t eat much at all. I basically eat one meal per day. Sometimes a snack late at night. Now that I my own place, I prepare my own meals most of the time - because I love to. The dollar is strong right now, but it looks like my expenses (without rent/utilities) MAY average about $200 per week at MOST. That’s $800/month - plus rent of 6000 pesos for now (about $402) - bringing my personal budget to about $1202. This is OVER my goal, so obviously I’ll have to shave off the beverages!
BUDGET - 300 pesos (80 pesos free) local phone 300
400 pesos at Barcelona tapas - Trenie 400
treated at La Rustica (my portion would have been 150 pesos) 150
more treats from Debi (my portion would have been 300 pesos) 300
Buses - 7.5 pesos x 4 to El Centro (from anywhere in PV) - 35 pesos x2(
Sayulita to Walmart in PV and back) 100
Taxi from El Centro to Marina (I negotiated down to 80 peso) 80
ADVICE: put on a few pounds and wear a blonde wig!
Huevos desayuno (breakfast) Choco Banana - w/tip 80
2 cocktails for 80 pesos plus tip 90
4 bottled waters x .50 pesos each 20
1 diet coke for 10 pesos 3 Be Light for 10 pesos 40
2 bottles wine (is there a “thirsty” trend here?”) 180
Thirsty Cougar 2 for one well drink/guacamole 80 plus tip) 100
Sorianna (Gouda, crackers, serrano, Oso Negro, Be-Light 300
Vinegar, 2 cucumbers, salsa verde, avocado,, pesto sauce,
gnocchi, 2 Activia yogurts,
BUS 4 ways 30
2 Big Bottled waters at hotel 40
Taco 10
Raspado (Shaved Ice) 20
Water and Be-Light 64
Sorianna Guacamole ingredients (plus tip to “bagger”) 80
2 bus tickets 15
Tip for 2 free drinks at Krystal 30
Starbuck’s coffee and tip 60
TOTAL WEEK ONE (at 14.5 exchange rate) 1259 pesos = $85.44
Debi’s generosity saved me quite a bit (plus 5 days of free lodging). I look forward to settling in to a place where I will prepare all my own meals with local fresh produce. A few meals out are imperative as well. I look forward to reporting my bargain “finds.” Buying water and other beverages at Costco (yes, my American Costco membership works here), as well as foods from the local “mercado,” will save mucho!
I DID NOT include my Timeshare Week at Krystal Resort, since this was paid for a long time ago, and will NOT be a normal expenditure. Now that i am in my own place, for 6000 pesos per month, things will get clearer. A gal in the hotel boutique, Ana, did a lot of math with me today. I wish Carmen were here, because, I didn’t understand it all, but was too tired to work through it, so I pretended I understood. Apparently, the Spanish I speak is pretty good, so they think I’m fluent - and I am definitely NOT. Ana tried to explain why I should consider buying a place, even if it’s just for an investment, and I don’t actually live in it. I’ll be investigating more this week. But I can’t imagine HOW I could POSSIBLY BUY something, given my financial situation. Ana assured me it was definitely a possibility. And there’s nothing in it for her. She owns two condos here and rents them out. AND - I loved her sparkly turquoise nails, so she let me put a coat of sparkle over my French manicure. Yay! I LOVE sparkles!
I HAVE NOW BEEN HERE for three weeks and two days. My expenses have increase, as I had to pay for one month's rent, plus a deposit equal to 2 months rent.
Nonetheless, I can already see that life is less expensive here. HOWEVER, I am living on the edge. Trying to prove a point? Perhaps. But also keenly aware of each cent that I spend, I realize that it would be easy to eat out at every meal, take a taxi home from downtown, a mere 2500 steps, and pick up a Mexican trinket at every corner. After all, I want to reflect Mexico in my home, don't I?
So, after having lived in my humble abode for little more than a week, and having purchased, cleaning supplies, a sitting pillow, a beach towel and umbrella, kitchen necessities, bathroom sundries, and a few spices and condiments, I figure my weekly expenditure average is about $200. Way too much!
I am hoping to adapt and grow, as I learn to LIVE here, and not pretend to be on an eternal vacation. I pat myself on the back for having prepared my own quesadillas and guacamole, along with rice and homemade beans, but i recognize that I've a long way to go.
Salud! Cheers! Here's to a HUGE learning experience and my first bat at turning lemons into lemonade!!
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