March Expenses... we had budgeted for an expensive month!

We were on four different airplanes during the month of March, and spent the latter part of the month in some fairly high end places... so we had planned in advance for an expensive month.

So although it was certainly at the high end of what we usually spend in a month, it wasn't unexpected.

In our last budget update at the end of February, I mentioned that we had a planned budget of $3,837 CAD ($2,826 USD) for the month of March. We came in at $4,082 CAD ($3,017 USD) in total.

Here's how it all broke down... (the following figures are all in $CAD)...

Groceries: Despite eating all of our lunches and dinners in restaurants, we still managed to spend $146 on groceries! We did make our own breakfasts in the condo at Hua Hin each day, but still, that was only for a week. That included a fair bit of fruit and granola and yogurt, and none of those items are that cheap in Thailand or Vietnam. That also includes snacks and most morning hot drinks.

Meals out: We were talking about this during dinner last night. We have been eating the vast majority of our meals in restaurants since mid-October! We've never done that in our lives. I hope Ruth remembers how to cook! She enjoyed the break for the first month or two, but I think we both are missing her cooking. We will be dog sitting in Istanbul from April 3rd to the 12th, so we're planning on more than a few homemade meals! Anyhow, we spent $730 on meals out... an average of $23.50 CAD ($17.40 USD) per day for two people. That works out to approximately $5.85 CAD ($4.30 USD) per meal. That gives you an idea of how cheap meals are in Vietnam and Thailand when you like eating street food. 

Alcohol: We spent $92 on alcohol during the first three weeks or so. Since we arrived in Maldives, Abu Dhabi, and Kuwait we have been on the wagon.

Miscellaneous: A little more than expected in this category. Mostly because of local buses and taxis that adds up more than you would think. The rest is haircut and laundry and clothing and foreign exchange. We spent a total of $192 during the month of March.

Entertainment: $35 worth of minor items, but it was the $230 CAD that we spent on the shark swimming and snorkeling in the Maldives that put us over the top for the month. It was totally worth it though to see some of the best underwater sea life viewing in the world. Total of $265 for the month.

Overnight: We were pretty much right on target for this because we had pre-booked a lot of our accommodation so we knew what it was going to cost. We spent a total of $1,144 CAD ($845 USD) for the month... an average of $36.90 CAD ($27.25 USD) per night. Actual prices ranged from a low of $25 CAD ($18.50 USD) per night for the condo in Hua Hin to a high of $88 CAD ($65 USD) per night here in Kuwait City.

Travel: And the most expensive part of our month was the travel category. We spent a total of $1,512 CAD, most of it related to the four flights we took... Hanoi to Bangkok, to Maldives, to Abu Dhabi to Kuwait City.

So, a total of $4,082 CAD ($3,017 USD).

April is going to be a little cheaper because we are house sitting in Istanbul for 12 days. But we've still got two more flights coming up, and we're paying to fly our daughter and granddaughter to meet us in Paris on May 1st and the first part of their trip actually takes place in April.

We have a budget of $3,115 CAD ($2,300 USD) for the month of April, however we have some minor medical issues we might get looked at in Turkiye, so that may affect things.

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