Just came back from 5 weeks in Asia
I had a pretty good trip overall. No bug bites for either of us until we hit Singapore, which is a miracle.
My favourite cities in order, and the ones in blue are the only ones I’d ever re-visit again.
- Hong Kong — LOVED. IT. Perfect mix of a city. The only con, is the pollution is really horrible.
- Macau — Felt like Portugal but with Chinese people everywhere!
- Beijing — A great photo-journaling experience.
- Singapore — Too westernized, 3x as expensive as it should be and not up to my expectations.
- Shanghai — Seriously boring. If I went back, I’d leave Shanghai & visit surrounding areas.
INCOME = $0 (Am on a year-long vacation!)
I’m not working for the rest of the year.
Am going to enjoy some of my savings, estimating a spending of about $30,000 this year (am hoping to spend LESS).
- $15,000 towards traveling (5 weeks in Asia, 2 months in Europe, some small trips around the U.S.)
- $10,000 for “living”, like renting the hotel and so on.
I never include blogging or freelancing income because they’re small amounts, so I tend to donate it at the end of the year or as needed (like with Japan’s earthquake, which was too heartbreaking not to contribute t0).
EXPENSES:
The above is just my partly-May and June spending expenditures.
I spent about $1000 in Asia on shopping and such, but June was around $800 too because I am preparing for Europe.
5 weeks in Asia:
- Plane tickets: Pre-paid in May 2011 – $3276.28
- Hotels (my half): Pre-paid in May 2011 – $1686.98
- Food (my half): $1000
- Entertainment: $120
- Shopping (mostly gifts): $1028
For more information, see this post on what I spent for5 weeks in Asia with notes (there are pretty pictures too!)
2 months in Europe:
- Plane tickets: Pre-paid in May 2011
- Hotels (my half): Pre-paid in May 2011
- Food (my half): To be spent & paid in July 2011
- Entertainment: To be spent & paid in July 2011
- Shopping: To be spent & paid in July 2011
NET WORTH: $175,749.17 = -$(818.66) or a drop of 0.46%
Heh. Heh.
I expect this number to keep declining at a steady rate until I go back to work in 2012.
Until then, c’est la vie and I am trying to slow down its decline.
- Cash: $1768 — in CAD and EUR*
- Savings: $6452.46
- Emergency Savings: $110,641.58
- Retirement: $56,887.13
*I have more cash, but it’s in other currencies, and isn’t more than maybe $5 so I’m not counting it.
Best of May 2011 Posts
- Gifting and Society: The guilt and the cost
- Living within your means: What does it mean?
- If you can’t afford it, don’t buy it — why I feel like an outsider in my family
- Why I don’t talk about money with co-workers or friends
Best of June 2011 Posts
- 10 Most Stressful Jobs
- 10 Least Stressful Jobs
- When your actions define who you are
- Overspending is like a drug addiction
- Sockless in the City – How to prevent and treat foot odour
- Asia 2011: What my trip cost in Asia for 6 weeks
- Asia 2011: Shopping in Asia – What I bought
- Top 5 Stupid Things I Waste My Money On
- How to achieve lasting wealth
Plans for Summer 2011
Spending 2 months (the summer) in Europe.
Heading to Portugal (love!) and Spain (first trip!!) this time.
I’m hoping to spend a minimum in terms of buying clothing or accessories, but seeing as Spain is something special for me…. I’m not going to cheap out if I see something I really love.
When we get back from Europe, we’re heading to the U.S.
I’m thinking: New York City, San Francisco, Austin and Las Vegas.
Afterwards, it’s W-O-R-K! 🙂 I hope.
Why arent you working in 2011..by choice? or you cant get any contracts? or are not even trying?
Fantastic life!!! You are my inspiration!!! I will definitely someday visit China, Hongkong, Macau and Europe. Glad you have a good time. Did you visit Malaysia? It is cheaper than Singapore.
I didn’t go to Malaysia, but I hear KL and Penang are great. I’ll visit it
next time!
This is the perfect post for anyone who might think you are oversaving and not enjoying your money with your typically strict budgets. You prefer to spend like this instead of upping your regular monthly costs by $1,000 or $2,000 per month!
Exactly. 🙂
I spend it where it counts… I know it sounds strict to lots of people, but
I care about certain things and I dismiss the rest.
I can’t wait to hear about your adventures in Europe!