Finances, Travel

By the Numbers: What I’ve Spent, Saved and Blown – 2024

6 July

This blog will continue to be updated as I travel the world and relevant information becomes available and irrelevant spending happens.

Since one of the primary focuses of my travels and this blog is to monitor, track, and ultimately improve my financial well-being, and in what I may come to regret as the promise of full transparency, I’ve decided to keep a running total of what I’m spending while living and working overseas. This includes travel expenses like airfare and lodging, food, basic expenses, transportation and debt payoffs. I’m not including my stateside personal and business bills or regular debt payments (car, insurance, minimum payments on credit cards, loans, business software subscriptions, phones, etc) in these totals, which include supporting my son while he’s on his own journey of self-discovery, but all other relevant expenses will be included, as well as any debts, credit cards, loans, etc I’m able to pay off in full.

For reference, when I made the decision to move overseas as a way to tackle debt, my regular monthly bills (car, insurance, business expenses, IRA, rent, phones, debt payments, gym, food, etc) totaled just over $11,000 a month (sickening I know… my rent for a 3 bedroom apartment in Frisco, Texas, was $3800 alone). Even though I was making GREAT money through a variety of income drivers and side hustles, the soul-crushing amount of debt I accrued over twenty years of being the sole physical, financial, an emotional provider for my son, being an entrepreneur, and just figuring life out, coupled with living in a country we all know is becoming increasingly expensive to even survive in, let alone thrive in, put me in a hole I have to take drastic measures to climb out of.

So, in the repeated promise of full transparency, I’ve broken down each major part/country of this journey in detail below. However, for those that want the juicy bits front and center, I’ve included the debt I began this journey on March 20, 2024 with, and what’s been paid off through the last time this blog was updated (10/13/2024).

Starting Debt: $203,704.30
Current Amount Paid Off in Full: $8,318.10

Now, I didn’t get the idea to track all of this until halfway through my time in Korea, so I’ve done my best to make the first few months as accurate as possible. Moving forward, I’ll update this blog at least weekly. Hopefully, it will be helpful if you’re planning an upcoming vacay, a full on exodus, or even if you just want to feel better about your own financial situation. May my train wreck of a life be your “well, it could always be worse!” 🙂

featured gear

Do It Anyway Gym Hat

I created this hat to match the tattoo I have on my collarbone, and to remind myself of how I should be living my life… there’s always a reason not to… It’s never the right time, someone is going to judge you, it costs too much, it will take too much time… whatever the goal, there’s always a reason NOT to do it… which is why you should DO IT ANYWAY.

Do It Anyway | Gym Hat
$25.00

Add to cart

London (March 20 - April 3):

So, what might have been the catalyst for this whole journey, is what was at one point, a birthday trip for myself to London, Manchester, and Wrexham, Wales. I secured this trip when I was consistently pulling in 15k+ a month from my financial endeavors, even though I am a sunshine, beach and seasoned food (please don’t come for me Brits, I really do love you guys!) kinda girl. However, when I made the decision to start this financial/mental wellbeing journey, I kept this part of my trip in place and used it as the deadline to start this experiment.

Full disclosure on the numbers below: My mom decided she wanted to join me, so my food and transportation costs were lower than if I had gone on my own. Nevertheless…

Airfare (includes baggage and wifi fees):
DFW – London: $841.10
London to Barcelona: $220.84
Hotel in London: $690.93
Hotel in Manchester: $719.10
Transportation (includes train tickets from London > Manchester > Wrexham): $417.17
Food: $360.50
Extras (includes tickets to the Wrexham football match, souvenirs, and tax on a computer I had to ship in :/ ): $683.57

Total Expenses: $3,933.21 for two weeks

Wandered to Wrexham for the footy and a pint (for mama) at The Turf

Is any trip to Barcelona complete without mirror selfies at the Picasso Museum?

Barcelona (April 3 - May 31):

Barcelona was the real start of this whole living abroad to SAVE money experiment, so as I’m looking at these numbers, roughly four months later while in Barbados, I definitely see areas where I would cut costs if I ever make it back to Spain. Nonetheless, two months in Barcelona, even without strict financial discipline, was far cheaper than the same amount of time in the states.

Airfare: $792.56 (Barcelona – Seoul)
Lodging: $2377
Transportation: I walked EVERYWHERE except to and from the airport so this is the cost of two Ubers and two cabs. $169
Food: $1570.24 (avg. $26 per day)
Gym & Supplements: $329.41
Coworking Fees: $127.69
Skin and Body Care: $210.69
Laundry Service: $101.51
Everything Else (Museums, Tattoo, Gifts, etc): $368.40

Total Expenses: $6,046.50 for 59 days (2 months)

Daily Average: $102.48
Monthly Average: $3023.25

Total Debt Paid Off: Since I started tracking this after I left Korea, I don’t remember what I paid off while I was in Barcelona. If nothing else, it’s included in the above grand totals.

Even though I was making great money through a variety of income drivers, the soul-crushing debt I accrued over twenty years of being the sole provider for my son, an entrepreneur, and just surviving in country that is becoming increasingly expensive to live in, put me in a financial hole I have to take drastic measures to escape.

South Korea (June 1 - August 1):

South Korea is by far the cheapest destination to date. While I already knew what to expect for the most part, having lived there for several years in and after high school, creating a solo life there still presented some unexpected challenges, including finding enough vegetarian food options in a country that prioritizes meat at every meal. Nevertheless, financial, mental, and physical progress was made.

Airfare: $1190.33 (Seoul – Dallas)
Hotel in Seoul (to spend the day with my son and his partner): $255.14
Lodging: $1266.44
Transportation: The core of this comes from Ubers to and from the airport and to my son in Seoul. Trains in the country are CHEAP, with one-way tickets starting at just $1.11 – $287
Food: $1389.07 (avg. $23 per day)
Gym: The gym I found was just $80.17 for three months. Even though I was only there for two, the three-month package was cheaper than paying for two months separately.
Skin and Body Care (Because it’s Korea, duh): $1234.10
Everything Else: $460.83

Total Expenses: $4928.98 for two months

Daily Average: $82.15
Monthly Average: $2464.50

Total Debt Paid Off: Since I started tracking this after I left Korea, I don’t remember what I paid off while I was there. If nothing else, it’s included in the above grand totals.

Dallas/Houston/Colorado (August 1 - August 23):

While I will be spending the better part of the next two years or more overseas, I will be traveling back to the states to spend time with my kid, family, friends and to “reset” every 3-5 months. This was my first time doing so, and I had to go to Houston, and Colorado Springs in addition to Dallas. Here’s how it went.

Airfare: $125 (to Colorado to visit Family)
Gas, Tolls, and Car Maintenance: $390.72
Rent: $2024.87. I’m only including rent in these tallies when I’m stateside as I still pay my son’s rent and if I didn’t stay with him I would’ve had to pay for an Airbnb or hotel anyway.
Hotel in Houston: $35.72. I was able to use my Hyatt points for this, so the only charge was related to parking for two nights. It was my bestie’s birthday and a much needed catch-up session and staycation was in order.
Bestie’s B-Day: $161.12 (Food, Drink, Entertainment)
Food and Groceries: $555.07
Abnormal Business Expenses: $204.13 (includes a keypad for the iPad, and samples to test the quality of some of my apparel products)
Everything Else: $264.09 (Kid Needs, House Needs, Prep for Barbados)
Uber to Airport: $35. I had to be at the airport at 3 AM for a 5 AM departure and my kid had to work, so I just took an Uber.

Total Expenses: $3,795.72 Did I mention I was only there three weeks and one week of that was at my parents, so I had no car and very few food expenses while I was with them!?! *Le Sigh*

Daily Average: $172.53

Total Debt Paid Off: $0.00 The life of an entrepreneur has been kicking my ass since mid-July, so I’m working towards making more progress in September.

Barbados:

If you know me you know I’m a beach gworl, so spending part of this journey in the Caribbean was a no-brainer. While Barbados isn’t as cheap as I thought it would (I’m looking at you, food costs), the overall COL is relatively low and there are many ways to keep yourself entertained for little to no money.

Last updated: February 7, 2025

Airfare: $255.41. I used miles for the flight and for some reason, still have no idea why, I was given a priority upgrade, so I didn’t even have to pay for my bags. Given where I was mentally and financially at the start of this trip, that was a welcome WIN.
Lodging: I originally booked a single room (in a family home) before my Mom decided she wanted to join me for almost 2 weeks toward the end of my time on the island. Since the single room I am renting is a bit away from the sites and adventures she’s coming for, and because it lacks some of the creature comforts her 65+ years on this planet has afforded her (ie: air conditioning and sidewalks), I spent a little more for a larger, more centrally located lodging during the last part of my trip. So…
- 8/23 – 10/20: $1929.90
- 10/20 – 11/12: $1483.36
- Grand Total: $3,413.26
Transportation: $351
Food & Basics: $2,018.86 (avg. $29 per day)
Gym & Supplements: $458.52
Laundry Service: $10
Unusual Business Expenses: $214.04
Everything Else (Attractions, Tours, etc.): $133.17

Total Expenses: $6,598.85

Daily Average: $94.27
Monthly Average: $2,828.08

Total Debt Paid Off: $325.41. As previously mentioned, the life of an entrepreneur has been kicking my ass since mid-July, so I’m working towards making more progress in October. But I did manage to get a few Affirm accounts paid off.

Upcoming:

If there are dogs, rest assured I will find them, even in Morocco 🙂 Circa: July, 2023

November 2024 – February 2025: Texas & Colorado: Given the holidays, the number of events friends and family have going on, and the several dentist appointments I have to continue improving my teeth, I’ll be in the States for longer than typical, but I will keep this up to date!

February – March 2025: Athens, Greece

March – May 2025: Bangkok, Thailand

May 2025: Bali, Indonesia

Summer 2025: TBD.