I'm not going to break down our budget dollar by dollar for you, because every budget is so different depending on family size, wants, and needs. But I will tell you the things we are spending more on than before, and the things we are spending less on.
First of all, let's look at the areas where we're saving now, compared to when we were home owners and each had a job outside of the home. Monthly expenses we used to have that we don't anymore: child care, utilities, internet, a second car, maintenance for second car, gas for commuting, home repairs and yard upkeep. This equals $1000 or more of things that we used to pay for that we no longer need to.
Now let's talk about where we are spending more. We have a budget of $1700 for our monthly rentals. This is more than our mortgage was, but we are not paying for utilities, maintenance, or furniture and decor. We always make sure to stay in safe areas and prefer 3 bedroom homes or condos. When we go somewhere like the coast or a popular destination we can usually only afford a two bedroom place. It can get squishy, especially since Mark is working at home, but we try to travel where the weather is nice and we spend most of our time outside anyway.
Another area I've seen an increase in expenses is groceries. Mark and I are no longer eating lunch at work or going out. Our boys are growing quickly and eating a lot, and we're all home more. We also don't buy in bulk or buy things on sale to save for later. We take our condiments in our cooler each time we move because it could get expensive to throw them out each month. I also have a bin full of baking items and spices. Everything else we try to eat before we move and avoid taking very much food with us for the sake of space.
One secret to being able to travel constantly without breaking the bank is to avoid destination towns, and live like a local. We aren't traveling to New York or staying in the Florida Keys. Places like that would get very expensive, and they aren't really our idea of a good time anyway. We prefer small towns with lots of outdoor activities. We aren't paying for exciting excursions or touristy outings. We cook at home every night except Saturday. Saturdays are when we do the most exploring and it's nice not to have to think about dinner after being out all day. This way we get to try some of the local restaurants, but we don't go out to eat every meal like you might on vacation.
When people hear that we travel all the time, they sometimes have the idea that we must be pretty well-to-do and living the high life. But in reality, we took a decent pay cut when I quit my job and put my photography business on hold to teach ESL online. Our income decreased, but so did our overall expenses. I'm able to work just a few hours each morning and spend the day being home with our kids, but we do have to stick to our budget. We have more time together as a family, we get to see the country, spend our time doing what we love, we're learning to live more simply, and we're finding out what things are truly important to us. Even though we've sacrificed a lot in the last year, we've gained so much more than we've given up.
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