This post is all about my February 2019 expenses. To see my previous reports, click here. I simply want to show that traveling (and living somewhere for that matter), doesn’t have to be expensive.
February was intense. I spent a little over two weeks in Austria, visiting friends and family, and then I moved. I was really looking forward to this move and really just wanted to get it over with. Moving is exciting and yet it terrifies me every single time
The more I move, the better I get at setting myself up (over and over again) and yet I am still just as nervous and anxious. I grabbed my suitcase containing 90% of my possessions and stuffed the rest into my 40L backpack and off I went.
I actually took the bus to Berlin. It was a 10-hour long journey and so incredibly smooth! The next few months are going to be all about settling in, finding a routine and just getting into the swing of things, really.
How I organize my expenses
I keep track of all my expenses and have been doing so since 2014. It’s something that I absolutely love doing. Keeping track of your expenses, is in my opinion, the best way to get a handle on your money.
If you don’t track your expenses you don’t really know where your money is going. Just give it a try! Trust me, it makes all the difference.
I use Google sheets and have been doing so since 2014. This is the template that I am currently using. If you want to use the same sheet, please kindly go to your Drive, you should find it under “templates”.
I amended lots of the categories and switched things around to suit my needs. The template is 100% customizable!
How to read my expense report
Frugal living is my default and keeping track of my expenses is, believe it or not, something that really excites me! Frugal living for me is all about living in alignment with my values, enhancing my experience of life and spending my time and money accordingly.
I am traveling the world on less than $1,000 per month and my current monthly average for all of 2018 is roughly $667.How do you spend so little while traveling full-time? I am traveling the world on a budget like a pro and I use creative ways to spend less on
My expenses reports will not list every single expense item by item but will list the main categories and my expenses in each one.
In the notes section, you’ll find more details as to what each category contained that month.
Interested in frugal living and its benefits? I’ve got heaps of videos about frugal living on my YouTube channel. I also have a handful of posts about frugal living on this blog (and plan to post a lot more).
These are my February 2019 expenses:
| Category | Amount | Notes |
| Household items | €126.14 | I got tons. Check out "My Approved Shopping List" for updates. 2x spray bottles, measuring spoons, 2x bed linen, gloves, tea strainer, towels, blender, 3x stainless steel lunch boxes, etc. |
| Phone | €36.20 | Project Fi + new phone top-up |
| Groceries | €140.54 | Groceries in Austria and Berlin |
| Eating out | €26.30 | 2x hot dogs, japanese lunch, falafel and heaps more. |
| Sweets | €10.04 | Krapfen, cookies, energy balls, ice cream |
| Public transportation | €95.20 | Public transportation in Vienna and Berlin |
| Healthcare | €19.49 | cough drops, vitamin d3 for 1 year |
| Toiletries | €14.39 | arrowroot powder, 3x toothpaste, lip balm |
| Piercings | €5 | wound wash |
| Hobbies | €135.90 | soap making and DIY supplies (incl. oils) |
| Gifts | €67.70 | Taking a friend out for lunch, friends for drinks, and inviting two friends to a marvelous dinner |
| Miscellaneous | €23.16 | shipping fee, police certificate, toilet |
| Stationary | €7.19 | stamps, envelopes, notebook, pencil |
| Total: | €700.06 |
That was it for my February 2019 expenses.
I can’t wait to see what March is going to hold and would like to take this moment to wish you all a beautiful month!
How’s your month been?
Comment down below!
More monthly expense reports:
- September 2018 expenses
- October 2018 expenses
- November 2018 expenses
- December 2018 expenses
- January 2019 expenses
Hello, Nina! Thank you for sharing & teaching me. You inspire me to live more intentionally. My husband & I are currently preparing to move at the end of April with just 3 pieces of carry-on sized luggage & our backpacks. (We’re also planning to ship a small box of sentimental items.) I am grateful that we are minimal in our possessions – It is making letting go of things that much smoother! Wishing you a cozy & positive March!
Author
Hi Abagail, I am so excited for you! Amazing that you’ve pared down so much! That’s going to make your move so much easier! Same to you! 🙂
Hi Nina
I started the year planning to spend as little money as possible on unnessesary items.
January went pretty well apart from slipping on ice and breaking my arm pretty badly. I needed a few items to make my life easier with only one usable arm and lots of pain.
February ended up being an crazy shopping spree. I think I bought 90% of everything on my shopping list. Items I have been thinking of buying for several months and still needed. I feel aweful spending so much money even though they were things I actually needed.
Hoping March will be better. Fingers crossed.
Author
Thank you so much for sharing!
I am sorry to hear about your accident, I hope you are doing better now! 🙂
That’s brilliant! Same for me actually! I bought/got gifted/picked up for free probably close to 60/70% of everything.
No need to feel awful for it, you needed them after all! 🙂
Hi! I miss your videos and hope you will return to them when the time is right for you. I am currently using the Mint app to track my finances but I think I’ll switch to your spreadsheet for more long term tracking. What is a police certificate?
Author
I am still on the fence whether or not to return to regular video making and if so, when. I do like using spreadsheets, despite being a little more manual, because you can customize them in whichever way you want. You can also automate whatever you want to automate, it really all depends on how you’d like to use it and how you’d like for it to look. 🙂 It’s an official background check! 🙂