November 2018 Expenses

This post is all about my November 2019 expenses. My Yearlong Shopping Ban motivated me to share my expenses again and I kicked it off by sharing September’s and October’s expenses with you. I’ll be doing this every single month for at least a year and will be posting them under a brand new category called “monthly expense reports”.

I spent almost 4 weeks in Sofia, the capital of Bulgaria, and on the 13th I headed to my house sit. I am looking after three cats and a massive house until the first week of December in rural Bulgaria.

The best part? I get to stay here (for free) in exchange for pet care and I am looking after the most adorable cats ever. I’ve shared with you quite a few videos on YouTube in the past about what it’s like to house sit.

I highly recommend Trusted Housesitters (here’s 20% off) if you are keen on giving it a go.

What else is there to say? The month of November was spent mending some more, lots of cooking and my man and I also celebrated Thanksgiving.

View this post on Instagram

I don't think I've shared this on here just yet. I am currently house sitting! 💚 I am looking after three adorable cats🐈 and a house 🏠 in rural #bulgaria. The cats that I am looking after are soooo cute and siblings!!! 😄 Unfortunately, they do have the tendency to bring other furry friends 🐀🐦 into the house and not all of them have made it out alive. 😓 … I love house sitting, because it gives me the opportunity to look after animals 🐈🐕, in exchange for accommodation, without having to have an animal myself. 🍃What can I say, I move and travel a little too much to have a pet myself. It's not just that though … there's the cost factor (frugal me!! 😳) and extra cleaning 🐾💩🐀 that needs to be done. It's just too much of a commitment to me personally (on more than just one level). 🍃 … Do you have pets? 🐁 🐕 🐈 🐠 🐖🐇🐔🦃🐍🐦🐢🕷Comment down below! 👇

A post shared by MINIMALISM & FRUGAL LIVING (@theminimalistninja) on Nov 24, 2018 at 5:05am PST

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. If you don’t currently track your expenses, 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. 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 is around $620. How do you spend so little while traveling full-time? I am traveling the world on a budget like a pro, that’s how.

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. If an expense is extremely personal I will simply add “personal expense” in the notes section.

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 November 2018 expenses:

Category	Amount	Notes
Phone	$14.72	50% off Google Fi
Groceries	$90.25	Groceries in Bulgaria
Eating out	$11.52	7 Snacks/Meals in Sofia
Accommodation	$62.50	50% of 1 week stay in Romania for December
Flights, buses & cabs	$43.55	Ski-lift, Bulgaria to Romania bus, printing ticket
Clothing	$17.48	1 Used black levis jeans
Healthcare	$1.70	topical cream
Toiletries	$8.52	bar soap, rosehip oil, drip bottle, small glass jar
Hobbies	$27.96	Google 1 subscription, food expo entry, 1 notebook
Miscellaneous	$4.79	toilet, gas
Repairs	$8.69	Had used black levis jeans taken in
Total:	$291.67

Edit: Ooops! I forgot to update the total to include a bus ticket I bought last minute! The total is now updated.

That was it for my November 2018 expenses. Trust me, I can’t believe it either.

In December I’ll be housesitting for a week in Bulgaria and after that, I’ll be headed to Romania to do another house sit! I am already looking forward to sharing next months expenses with you!

How’s your month been?

Housesitting was definitely my highlight! Comment down below! ?

More shopping ban content:

• September 2018 expenses
• October 2018 expenses
• The rules for my yearlong shopping ban
• My approved shopping list
• Essential clothing items
• 10 Tips on how to create a successful shopping ban
• Why I plan all my purchases a year in advance