Summary
Welcome to our March spending post! Our total spend for the month was £3,231 or $3,974.
This is where things start to get interesting! Half way through March we moved to the Caribbean. The majority of our spending from that point on will be in $US. Because we’re a UK blog and we still think in £, we’ve decided to report our spending in both currencies. This also means it’s easier to compare to previous months.
On that note, we’re in for a rough ride. Our expenses are going to be significantly higher than they were in the UK. The country we’re living in is very expensive, but there’s also no income tax which helps! There’s 350 days of sunshine too…..
We break our main expenses down into broad categories starting with the big 3; housing, food and transport. Everything else falls into the entertainment category, with any large inclusions explained in detail.
| Category | Amount (£) | Amount ($) | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | £1,016 | $1,250 | See below |
| Food | £688 | $846 | See below |
| Transport | £52 | $64 | See below |
| Entertainment/misc | £1,475 | $1,814 | See below |
| Total ($) | $3,974 | ||
| Total (£) | £3,231 | ||
We break each of these categories down in the following sections, giving detail for any large expenses.
Housing
We sold our house in March! These are the final mortgage payments you’ll see. Who knows how long for?! Mr Way’s employer will be paying our first month’s accommodation in the Caribbean so we’ll have a short break, before paying incredibly high rent!
| Category | Amount (£) | Amount ($) | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mortgage | £415 | $510 | |
| Overpayment | £335 | $412 | |
| Bills | £151 | $186 | Gas, electricity & water. |
| Council Tax | £115 | $141 | |
| Total ($) | $1,250 | ||
| Total (£) | £1,016 | ||
Food
Our March spending on food was £688/$846. As explained previously, this includes everything on our supermarket shop receipts for the month.
Again, food is much more expensive in our new home. Almost everything is imported, and ends up more than double the UK prices. We’re aiming to try and spend around $200 a week for the 3 of us once we settle in.
We’re also planning to grow as much fruit and veg as possible to hopefully save some food costs!
Transport
One final tank of fuel in the UK and a small top-up to our hire car in the Caribbean.
April is going to be painful in this category. Mr Way’s company have hired us a Jeep 4×4 for our first month or so on the island and it absolutely destroys fuel!
| Category | Amount (£) | Amount ($) | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fuel | £52 | $64 | |
| Total ($) | $64 | ||
| Total (£) | £52 | ||
Entertainment/Misc
Our March spending in this category is really high because it includes our travel expenses for the big move.
Mr Way’s company paid for the flights etc, but getting down to London was on us, and was an expensive affair! We took 3 extra bags too, which cost a lot more than we expected.
| Category | Amount (£) | Amount ($) | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Phone Bills | £11 | $14 | |
| TV License | £13 | $16 | |
| Lottery | £8 | $10 | |
| Eating Out | £173 | $213 | |
| Presents | £79 | $97 | |
| Clothes | £30 | $37 | |
| Beauty Treatments | £62 | $76 | |
| Pushchair Service | £20 | $25 | |
| Postage | £12 | $15 | |
| Amazon | £27 | $33 | |
| Blog Hosting | £138 | $170 | |
| Haircut | £15 | $18 | |
| Royal Mail Redirection | £79 | $97 | |
| Airport Taxi | £230 | $283 | |
| Airport Hotel | £215 | $264 | |
| Luggage Wrapping | £30 | $37 | |
| Extra Baggage | £325 | $400 | |
| Airport Trolley | £8 | $10 | |
| Total ($) | $1,814 | ||
| Total (£) | £1,475 | ||
That’s All for Now, Folks!
See you next month!
Previous Posts
Monthly Spending – February 2022