How We Lived on $7,000 ($3,500 each) All-Inclusive for One Year
Want to lower your expenses and improve your budget? Are you looking to be financially independent and retire early (FI/RE)? We’ve found creative, extreme, and simple ways to lower our expenses while traveling as digital nomads, all while pursuing financial independence, retire early (FI/RE). See how we lived on $7,000, all-inclusive last year. That’s just $3,500 each!
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This article is somewhat akin to a manifesto for us. In addition to breaking down our budget for 2019, it also is a deep dive into our financial philosophies and answers to your questions. This remains the place to get the most detailed information on how we live on just $7,000 a year, however we have an updated budget for 2020 where we also lived on under $7,000 all-inclusive for the year.
Start Here - Where Do You Stand?
Before you read on, we have one request of you. Please take a moment to decide where you stand, as this article is likely to be polarizing, even though it shouldn’t be.
At its most fundamental level, there are two sides you’ll likely take when reading this article.
One is of great interest, intrigue, and possibly walking away with actionable items you can implement in your own life. The second is the polar opposite. It’s one of defensiveness, criticism, and maybe even jealousy and negativity.
In this article you’re inevitably going to come across things that we do that you don’t want to do or you can’t because they don’t ‘apply’ to you. Whatever the reasons, the point is to not miss the forest for the trees and not throw out the good with the bad.
For a Bit of Context...
First, keep in mind that we aren’t trying to convince you of anything. We don’t need you to believe us, agree with us, or convince you to live as ‘extreme’ as we do.
Second, we’ve learned many things from others along the way. Some of what we’ve read and have been told isn’t a good fit for our own life, but many things are.
“Over time we’ve taken what has resonated with us, tweaked it to fit, and made it our own.”
In turn we want to put our methods, however extreme or not, out there for others to do the same if they so choose.
In the end, we believe you’re here because you have some level of interest. Whether that be to reduce your expenses by a small or large amount, learn to be successful on a limited income, increase your savings or your ‘fun’ money, reach financial independence and retire early (FI/RE), invest more, travel more, or a number of other things. Whatever the reasons, something caused you to put in the search terms you did or click the link that got you here.
So again, before getting into our numbers and philosophy, we ask you to decide…
“Are you here with an open mind and intrigued to see what you can learn or are you closed off, dismissive, and a naysayer?”
To the naysayers, we welcome you and maybe, just maybe, you’ll find something you can relate to. To everyone else, we appreciate your positive lens.
Remember, regardless of where you stand there’s no need to pick sides or see the world as black or white, or ‘us’ versus ‘them’.
“Tomorrow is a new day, the sun will rise, and another 24 hours will be on the shot clock… the question is what are you going to do with it?”
Finally, if you’d like to share your approach feel free and reach out. We’d love to hear your ideas and life hacks!
Past Budgets (2010 to 2018)
We want to share with you our previous yearly budgets to provide context to last year’s expenses.
2016 and Earlier Budgets
Prior to our current travel/house sitting/digital nomad lifestyle, we were still minimalists and pursuing FI/RE. So, we don’t have a typical ‘we were accumulating debt or living pay-check-to-pay-check’ story that we’re then comparing to a dramatic cut in expenses.
We both had a few years of making financial decisions we regret today. Shannon accumulated $6,000 (adjusted for inflation) in car and credit card debt before we met, and Sergio made $5,000 (adjusted for inflation) in unnecessary high-end purchases to furnish his apartment after landing his first ‘grown-up job’.
When we met in 2007, Sergio had long since reduced his spending and was all about fine tuning his budget, while Shannon was paying off her debt. In other words, our financial goals were similar and by the time we moved in together they were in-line. Thankfully, over the years our financial outlook has continued to be the same.
We feel fortunate that we’re pulling in the same direction, rather than against each other.
“For 2010 through 2016, we were spending between $9,000 and $12,000 per year!”
We lived in modest apartments, not needing much space to make us happy (our largest space was 600 SqFt). Our comfy couch was $20 off craigslist, our durable Corelle dishware was given to us for free and was still in good shape when we got rid of 95% of our belongings.
We became a single car household with a fully paid for and fuel efficient 1999 Honda Civic. We drove between 3,500 and 5,000 miles each year since we could walk most places, including stores and work (or work remotely), and we batched errands as much as possible. These and hundreds of other small choices and actions saved us big on rent, car insurance, gasoline, vehicle maintenance, and our waistline.
We turned off our water heater between uses, used CFL bulbs (this was pre affordable LEDs), sparingly used AC and heating, and optimized our footprint wherever possible. We even used a bidet to reduce our toilet paper usage (both for cost and the environment!).
2017* Budget for Full Time Travel Abroad
*Technically November 2016 to November 2017.
In 2016 everything changed. In November of that year, we boarded a plane from San Diego to Boston, stayed in an Airbnb for a night and then took a flight to Dublin, Ireland, all for under $70 each! The next twelve months were full of adventures that took us across 3 continents, 23 countries, and 60 cities.
We were fortunate to visit iconic places, including Berlin, Germany, London, UK, Paris, France, Budapest, Hungary, Prague, Czech Republic, Cairo, Egypt, and Istanbul, Turkey.
And had the opportunity to visit less traveled places, like Sofia, Bulgaria, Bucharest, Romania, Marakech, Morocco, Luxembourg City, Luxembourg, and Warsaw, Poland.
We stayed anywhere from a couple of days to six weeks in a city, and we explored each place as if we wouldn’t return. And, between travel hacking and house sitting, we never stayed in a hostel and lived rather comfortably most of the time.
The 23 countries we visited during our first year of travel
“In 2017 all-inclusive for a year abroad we spent $16,000!”
2018 Budget for Full Time Travel in North America
Before drastically changing our life at the end of 2016, we had no idea if we’d like it or not. The idea was to do it for a year and then re-evaluate. As we approached the end of 2017 we both knew we wanted to return to the United States and see family, but we also agreed that the lifestyle we’d created over the last year was something we wanted to continue.
And so we did. In 2018, we house sat full time in the United States, Canada, and Mexico, with one exception of an epic 41 day mattress run in Santiago de Queretaro, Queretaro, Mexico.
“In 2018 our all-inclusive budget was $7,435.67!”
$7,000 All-Inclusive Budget (for Two) for One Year of Living Throughout the US
That brings us to 2019. Every dollar spent for the year has been included and we’re making every attempt to be transparent.
Also, keep in mind that last year we spent the entire time in the United States and we traveled to Alexandria, VA, Philadelphia, PA, Chicago, IL, Atlanta, GA, and New York, NY.
In other words, these numbers aren’t this low because we’re living with our parents, are hunkered down in a developing country where the cost of living is half or less of the US, or simply sitting at ‘home’.
What Living on $7,000 for Two Means
$7,000 for two is equal to $3,500 a person for a year of living expenses.
$7,000 for a year of living expenses for two people is $583.34 a month.
$3,500 for a year is $291.67 a month per person, or $9.59 per person per day.
Where Our $7,000 Was Spent by Category
Where Our $7,000 Was Spent by Month
What living on $7,000 a year for two looks like on average per month.
Want more than averages? Check out each month from the last year* to see where our money went, our notable expenses, and our notable savings.
*Note: We started our Budget & Expenses series in February of last year, therefore there isn’t a breakdown article for January. If you really want to know where our money went in January, the truly dedicated can look at February’s article and subtract the monthly expenses from the year-to-date expenses to extrapolate January’s breakdown.
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What Our Financial Choices Afford Us
We can sum up what our financial choices afford us in one word:
“FREEDOM”
What Freedom Means To Us
Most simply, freedom is the ability to do what we want when we want.
By living below our means (we spend less than we make) we’re able to save and invest money.
By saving and investing money we accomplish two things.
We save for early retirement.
In case times get rough, we have the ability to live on our savings for some time.
This then results in an ability to say ‘no thank you’. If we don’t want to work with a particular client, manager, or company, we can choose to say no or leave at any time.
This also results in the ability to say ‘yes please’ and take advantage of opportunities as they come up.
We can say yes to a house sitting opportunity in an amazing location.
We can say yes to a mistake fare (an incredibly low price or award redemption on flights) to somewhere we want to go.
We can say yes to a great deal, even on a high priced purchase.
“Ultimately, our financial choices have been a large part of what allows us to live a life we love. ”
We consider ourselves incredibly fortunate to have the opportunities we have and also acknowledge that our financial choices aren’t the only part of the equation. We’re also simply fortunate to have been born in the United States and to be relatively healthy and free of disease or disability.
Practical Tips on How We Lower Our Expenses by Category
A budget isn’t one major decision made at the beginning of the year. It’s thousands of decisions made cumulatively day after day, month after month.
A Grocery Budget for Two
“We averaged $146.47 a month on groceries for a total of $1,757.69 for the year. ”
We have several methods that when combined lead to an incredibly low grocery budget.
We’re incredibly fortunate that sometimes we’re offered meals and groceries by homeowners we house sit for!
We rarely eat meat, we don’t generally purchase prepared foods, and we look for lower priced stores (think Aldi, Lidl, WinCo, etc.).
We’re on the lookout for deals on all things we purchase, including groceries. If we find a good sale on something we enjoy, we aren’t hesitant to eat it night after night. For example, we often eat large salads by taking advantage of produce that’s in season, on sale, and we keep it to a $1 per pound!
We practice intermittent fasting (IF) for 18+ hours a day. Not only do we feel better, but preliminary research suggests improved health*. It also means we’re eating one meal a day, and while it’s a very large meal it’s still less food than three meals would be.
Shannon works for a company that provides meals in the office and per diem while traveling. So, when she chooses to be in the office or is traveling, we’re fortunate enough not to spend anything on her meals.
Medical and Healthcare for Two
“We averaged $115.65 a month on medical and healthcare for a total of $1,387.80 for the year. ”
For the first four months of the year, as independent consultants we were able to keep a high deductible health plan (HDHP) for about $5 a month through the Marketplace. When Shannon accepted a position as a full time employee our premium, although still an HDHP plan, increased dramatically, to $150.56 per month.
We choose an HDHP because we’re ‘young and healthy’. We make life choices to maintain our health and avoid illness in the hopes that we continue to be healthy as we age.
We exercise, stretch, and walk regularly. It’s not uncommon for us to walk 4-6 miles on an average day, 10-15 miles sightseeing, or bust out over 20 (like in Madrid, Spain) on rare occasions.
We try to eat healthy and whole foods. Generally low sugar, low carb, healthy fats, and low sodium. Think lots of vegetables, berries, nuts, and on occasion meat.
We meditate every day and don’t shy away from stoicism. Our goal is to increase our mindfulness, be ever grateful, and reduce reactance.
We attempt to lower stress and/or increase eustress.
We make a strong effort to get enough sleep (8 hours+) every night! We don’t understand why some people brag about getting so little sleep.
We laugh and are generally optimistic and happy!
Our medical portion of our budget also includes supplemental medical expenses, such as cold medicine, eye glasses, prescriptions, co-payments, and out of pocket medical services.
We’ve run the numbers on our health insurance plan (premiums, co-payments, deductibles, and maximum out of pocket limits) in relation to our medical needs. Our conclusion is that it’s still less expensive for us to pay for some costs out of pocket versus paying higher premiums. This is especially true when we travel internationally, as medical care is much more reasonably priced in other countries.
Take our experience getting sick in Leeds, United Kingdom and Athens, Greece as examples.
A Transportation and Travel Budget for Two
“We averaged $47.31 a month on transportation and travel for a total of $567.70 for the year. ”
We sold our car in 2016 and haven’t looked back! In fact, we’ve only rented a car twice in the last three years (first for a road trip in Ireland and then again for our Transfagarasan Road Trip in Romania!). However, for the times we do drive, we still carry ‘non-owners’ car insurance.
The majority of our transportation is done by walking, which is free. We find that we get to know a city better by walking, because you simply see so much more!
And, for us walking is way more than just getting from point A to point B, it’s also about staying physically fit and being able to spend time together. In fact, our most favored time together is the time we spend walking together!
Our second mode of transportation is public transportation, which is quite cost effective. From taking the Tube in London, United Kingdom, buses and trains in Istanbul, Turkey, the subway in New York City, to dozens of cities in between and beyond, we not only find it a great way to save money, but it’s so much less complicated than driving and parking in new cities and countries.
If walking and public transportation don’t work out, we’ll take advantage of the shared economy and call a ride share with Uber or Lyft. But we typically never pay full price because we’re always on the lookout for promotions and rewards.
Then, when traveling long distances we look at all possible options by using Rome2Rio or Omio. And, we aren’t afraid of adventures.
We’ve traveled on buses like MegaBus for $1 to $5 each, gone by plane for free with miles or at half price with the Southwest Companion Pass, taken trains like the panoramic Bernina Express from Switzerland to Italy, done multiple day trips throughout Belgium, and taken a ferry instead of flying.
The objective is to be open to all options and pick the one that makes the most sense for the task at hand. This is where the Pareto Principal comes into play.
“For us, that’s the difference between being cheap and being frugal.”
What’s the point of saving $10 bucks if the trip will end up being eight hours longer?
An Entertainment & Sightseeing Budget for Two
“We averaged $13.17 a month on entertainment and sightseeing for a total of $157.99 for the year. ”
We travel full time and whether we’re in the United States or abroad, we want to explore and sightsee as if we’ll never return. There are so many places to visit in this world that our preference is usually to go to a new place instead of returning to somewhere we’ve already been.
Over the last three years of full time travel our sightseeing style has evolved. In the beginning we felt we needed to see absolutely everything.
Consider Dublin, Ireland, Amsterdam, Netherlands, London, UK, and Berlin, Germany where we spent days at a time (up to 10!), walking between 13 and 15 miles a day and seeing dozens of things each day (we left very few stones unturned!). All the while saving hundreds of dollars on retail ticket costs using city cards and passes. We visited all of the zoos, aquariums, museums, parks, churches, etc.
And then when we did the same depth of sightseeing in Budapest, Hungary and Edinburgh & Glasgow, UK, we started to realize that we needed to be more discerning.
There are only so many museums, aquariums, and zoos that need to be seen, because at some point, they all start to run into each other. We realized that some of our sightseeing had turned into checking-off of a list instead of genuine interest and intrigue for the sights and sounds.
Now our sightseeing is a combination of the things a city is known for (think The Acropolis of Athens in Athens, Greece, the Hagia Sophia in Istanbul, Turkey, The Great Pyramids of Giza in Cairo, Egypt, or the Souks in Marrakech, Morocco), unique things that are part of the culture and history of the city (like the street art scene in Athens, Greece), and extensive exploration by simply walking different neighborhoods.
Because of travel hacking and deals (i.e. city cards, passes, and ‘free days’ at museums) our sightseeing has always been relatively inexpensive. We’re also fortunate that homeowners we house sit for sometimes gift us museum and tour passes. And because what we enjoy now is generally free, our sightseeing budget has become even lower.
There will of course be times when we’ll want to do something that we consider once in a lifetime, like taking several helicopter tours in Hawaii, a speed boat tour of the White Cliffs of Dover and the English Channel, or staying in North America’s tallest hotel, but even then we’ll try to pay a fraction of the retail price.
A Personal Care & Clothing Budget for Two
“We averaged $37.59 a month on personal care and clothing for a total of $451.03 for the year. ”
This category includes personal hygiene, toiletries, and clothing. At just over $450 for both of us this past year, you might be surprised to find that this was actually higher than usual.
Generally speaking, we rarely buy clothing. However, this year was a bit rough when it came to finding quality clothing for Shannon. We made a few purchases that in hindsight we never should have. She had a few shirts and a pair of jeans that simply didn’t hold up to our lifestyle and we had to purchase replacements… a couple of times. Lesson learned!
We prefer long lasting synthetic active wear over cotton, which takes longer to dry, and wears and gets holes way too quickly. And in our ‘n=1’ non-scientific experiment an $80 pair of jeans doesn’t last any longer than a $30 pair of jeans!
On top of that, designer brands don’t impress us. And contrary to the norm, we actually go out of our way to not be walking billboards for brands.
The other thing to consider in personal care and clothing is that we’re minimalists. We each travel full time with only a 36 liter backpack and keep it at about 15 pounds. Three years of living out of a backpack translates to:
Over time we’ve learned what we consider as being worthy of carrying on our back, taking into consideration the item’s purpose, weight, and volume.
We’ve tracked what and how much we use of a product (for example 20 ounces of contact lens solution lasts about two weeks and a 1.5 ounce salt rock deodorant lasts 6 months of daily use). This awareness naturally leads to conservation, teaching us we can use less of a product than we thought.
Along the way we’ve come up with a few travel hacks to minimize cost, weight, and volume. Like our liquids containers, our DIY packing cubes, and Shannon’s makeup hacks, just to name a few.
Things aren’t purchased and tucked away in a drawer and forgotten about. We use the item fully before we buy something new. For example, we don’t replace clothing until it’s well worn, and even then we aren’t afraid to try and repair it.
We carry a limited amount of clothing and don’t worry about having a different outfit every day for weeks or months on end. Breaking many female stereotypes, this goes for Shannon as well!
We lower our clothing budget even more by purchasing second hand when possible. For example, when winter is approaching we’ll usually head to a second hand store (charity shop in the UK) to find warm winter layers and then donate them in the spring.
An Eating Out Budget for Two
“We averaged $6.87 a month on eating out for a total of $82.42 for the year. ”
Put very simply, we usually don’t eat out.
Last year our entire eating out budget totaled $82.42. And of that, $70 of it was spent on a lovely meal with friends in Atlanta, GA.
So, it’s safe to say that when we do eat out, we don’t really do it for the food, we do it for the laughter, experience, and memories with friends!
A Cell & Internet Budget for Two
“We averaged $44.82 a month on cell and internet for a total of $537.85 for the year. ”
As smart phones have become an integral part of daily life, having a reliable plan with voice, text, and data that can take us nationwide, as well as internationally at a reasonable price is the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. And doubly so as digital nomad and remote workers.
As we travel not only around the United States, but worldwide, having a phone that’s affordable, has good coverage, uses straightforward billing, doesn’t require a contract, and ‘just works’ is critical!
There are an incredible number of voice and data carriers and subsequent plans to choose from. We considered the major U.S. providers (AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile, and Verizon) and a plethora of mobile virtual network operators (MVNOs), as well as simply purchasing SIMs upon arriving at new international destinations.
But in the end, Google Fi (formerly Google Project Fi) was hands down the best for our needs, and travel style!
A Lodging (Housing) Budget for Two
“We averaged $24.45 a month on lodging for a total of $293.38 for the year. ”
Whether you’re traveling or living in a fixed location, lodging is arguably the biggest expense in most people’s budgets.
The key is to optimize as much as possible by being creative. Each person has their own methods that work for them, like van dueling, living with roommates or family, relocating to lower cost of living cities, downsizing or going ‘tiny’, or going without some amenities (think in-unit washer/dryer, garage, etc.).
Before getting rid of 95% of our stuff and traveling full time, we were able to find a one bedroom, one bathroom apartment in downtown Boise, ID that enabled us to get to most places by walking. The going rate for something similar was around $800-$900, but we managed to find an apartment that was only $450 a month!
We loved that apartment and even though it was a bit older and lacked a few amenities, it was well maintained and wonderfully managed. Some might say we were lucky to find it, we say we diligently searched for it.
Today, we house sit full time and fill in the gaps with hotels and Airbnbs.
Last year our entire lodging budget was jaw dropping even for us. Since most of our house sits were back-to-back and many of the homeowners were gracious enough to allow us to arrive early/stay late for their house sit, we only had 10 days across the entire year to fill-in with Airbnb or hotel stays. And even then, $293.38 for 10 stays is phenomenal, especially when nine of those 10 nights were in New York City!
We take full advantage of travel hacking and deal stacking and we can’t recall the last time we paid full retail price for an Airbnb or hotel. On top of that, we don’t stay in hostels, we’re typically staying at branded hotels, and we house sit comfortable to luxury apartments and homes.
Business Expenses Budget for Two
“We averaged $89.32 a month on business expenses for a total of $1,071.87 for the year. ”
Since we’re usually working remotely from our laptops, our electronics and VPN access are a priority for us and fall into our business expenses budget category.
At $1,071.87 last year, the business category was our third largest expense and included an onsite repair warranty on each of our laptops (which we’ve each already used!) and 1TB NVMe SSD upgrades, among other things.
We’re typically not advocates of extended warranties but we’ll get a huge return on them (and our upgrades), as our laptops are key to making a living.
Since Sergio is an IT consultant, we can typically buy computers and hardware for 30-50% of face value and do the work ourselves. The benefit of knowing or willingness to learn skills (any skills for that matter!) is massively rewarding, not only to your pocketbook but for personal satisfaction, mental acuity, bartering, giving back, etc.
Most items we purchase end up being a combination of cashback portals, Chase Offers, Amex Offers, Amazon deals, sales, and/or coupons and codes. And of course, stacking multiple deals is how to get phenomenal savings!
Everything Else, the Misc. Category Budget for Two
“We averaged $54.02 a month on everything else for a total of $648.19 for the year. ”
This last category is everything that doesn’t necessarily fall into one of our other categories.
At $648.19 for the year, it’s a bit under 10 percent of our overall expenses, meaning, we don’t have much of a need to buy ‘stuff’.
What generally falls into this category is shipping (supply packages sent to us or sending stuff back ‘home’) and subscriptions, like Award Wallet which helps us manage our award airline miles and hotel points.
Ultimately, this category along with the rest of our expenses are so low because we’re minimalist and we don’t equate our success and happiness with ‘things’.
Final Thoughts
“And there you have it, that’s how we lived on $7,000 last year.”
From the outside looking in, many people will inevitably see us as extreme. And if we’re honest with ourselves we can see how someone might think that (after all, you may have noticed our site’s tag line!).
However, as we live our day to day life we don’t feel that we’re all that extreme, because we genuinely love the life we’ve worked for and constructed for ourselves.
Last year our total budget was $7,000 ($3,500 each), making the range between $7,000 and $16,000 over the past nine years. Naturally our expenses vary by where we are in the world, how much we’re traveling, how much we’re house sitting, and what we’re doing.
“If we had to sum up all of our tips and our methods of how we live the life we love and spend so little, we’d have to say it’s about... being intentional.”
All of our choices and actions are thought out with an end goal in mind.
For us the end goal is freedom, and financial independence, retire early (FI/RE) is our vehicle…
And so, here we are, full circle.
“So we’ll ask you again... where do you stand?”
Do you see the world as big enough for everyone to choose their own path? Or do you see someone who chooses a different path to be automatically strange, stupid, or wrong?
We hope that even if someone’s choices are different than your own, it doesn’t automatically mean you're right and they're wrong (us included!).
“Whether you agree with us or not we truly hope that you’re intentional in the life you make for yourself!”
And along the way, don’t forget to laugh, have gratitude, be kind, and of course smile!
Update: Our budget numbers for 2020 were very close to 2019 number… We lived all-inclusive for under $7,000 total in 2020 as well!
Update: We were featured on the Business Insider for your $7,000 budget two years in a row!
Your Questions and Comments Answered
Your expenses are so low because you’re a couple, I’m single and so this would never work for me!
Great observation! We consider ourselves fortunate to have each other and to have very similar financial goals. We also know that we save money by being able to share some resources.
With that said, there are many tactics to saving money and lowering expenses that have very little to do with being a couple. For example, not owning a car, not eating out, forgoing yet one more pair of new shoes/clothing, not drinking alcohol, etc.
And remember, your choice doesn’t have to be binary (i.e. all or nothing).
“If foregoing something all together is too much, then how about slowly reducing your consumption over time?”
It’s amazing what pushing your comfort zone can teach you about yourself.
Isn’t it difficult sacrificing so much?
Very little of what we do, for us is a sacrifice. Some sacrifice and asceticism is good, but a life full of it wouldn’t be enjoyable (not for us anyway!).
Even if we had unlimited amounts of money, we’re both in agreement that at some level we’d still travel hack, house sit, rarely pay retail sticker prices, reduce our consumption as much as possible, and do a ton of walking.
Don’t get us wrong, just like anyone else, if we had copious amounts of money we’d have more luxury in our life. We’d probably purchase first class airfare, invest in custom laptops, increase our Uber/Lyft budget, and purchase Inspirato passes, to name just a few. But even then, the foundation of our life today, would stay the same.
But we digress…
The few things we do that we might consider a sacrifice are ultimately worth it.
“If you think about it, we all make sacrifices in one way or another. It’s all in what you value as an individual.”
Consider time as an example. Some people exchange 60 hours a week of work in order to make more money. Others exchange a few hours of do-it-yourself time for chores or repairs in order to save money. Others exchange money for services like ride shares or professional house cleaning in order to save time.
It boils down to what’s important to you and where you choose to put your resources. Treat your resources like a business and manage your scope, budget, and time.
How can you mostly eat the same foods over and over? It must be so boring!
There are a few ways to answer this.
Is it really that difficult to eat the same thing over and over when it’s tasty, nutritious, readily available, and easy to prepare?
Nutritious and affordable food is a luxury for a large part of the world and we’re very grateful for every meal we have.
We also like what we eat and honestly don’t find it difficult to eat the same stuff again and again. If you find it bland or boring try experimenting with different spices, sauces, cooking methods (like stir-frying or roasting), or using a slow cooker or pressure cooker.
The more choices you make the easier it is to make the wrong choice.
We try to eat healthy food, but of course, sugar, fat, salt, and carbs taste great! If we’d make these foods readily available day after day, we’d eventually make an unhealthy choice.
Said another way, have you ever wondered why some people wear the same type of outfit day after day?
It’s part of what psychologists collectively call decision fatigue.
It’s simply easier and mindless to eat the same thing.
The grocery list rarely changes and we know what a ‘good’ price is for just about everything on our shopping list.
Also, cooking and preparing our meals is simple and rarely takes a recipe. It’s why some people more extreme than us would only (or mainly) choose to eat something like Soylent.
What about going out?
We do occasionally go out, but overall we much prefer time at home watching a movie, TV show, playing a video game, or having a game night with friends.
In fact, we used to go to the movies until Shannon decided it wasn’t much fun. (Shannon here! Really, you can’t pause it, the seats are never as comfortable as a couch, you’re on someone else’s schedule, and most of the time it’s just too loud.)
The same evolution of thought happened with restaurants, because as a couple we prefer the experience of cooking our meals together. Plus, the food ends up tasting just as good if not better and we know exactly what ingredients went into preparing it.
Where does your alcohol expenses fall in your budget?
Finally, a simple question! We choose not to drink, we’re cheap dates!
Do you ever partake in luxuries?
Absolutely! Isn’t a year long adventure traveling to 3 continents, 23 countries, and 60 cities a luxury?
We also spend money on relaxation with occasional massages (Groupon is a great resources!), on our hobbies (like video games), and overall on things we enjoy, like computers and electronics.
We focus on value over price and aren’t afraid to remember about amortization for our large ticket items. So, we may buy a $3,000 laptop or a $1,000 phone but we try not to pay retail price for it. Then, we use it for as long as it remains useful (usually several years) while maintaining it in good to great condition. Finally, we resell it and use the cash to fund its replacement.
I could never do what you do, you’re too extreme and your life seems so chaotic and full of uncertainty. You must have so many problems!
If you don’t want to do what we do, that’s honestly okay, you should do what makes you happy!
On the other hand, pushing your boundaries, even just a little at a time, may surprise you.
“Sometimes we think we have problems, but really... we have inconveniences.”
When our ‘problems’ seem insurmountable, we remember the many hundreds of millions who live day to day around the world in conditions like those shown in a film like Capernaum and take a moment to reflect how genuinely easy and cushy our lives are.
You’re living my dream life, I want to do exactly what you’re doing!
First of all thank you for your kind words, we’re very fortunate indeed!
If you’re interested in living a similar lifestyle we highly recommend you checkout Embracing Life as Digital Nomads, as in it we talk about everything from theory to execution in regards to our lifestyle.
With that being said, keep in mind that whether we're in a coffee shop, an airport lounge, doing a house sit, on a beach, or somewhere in between, life still 'happens' and responsibilities don't just magically disappear.
“Those on the outside looking in may think we’re on a perpetual vacation and globetrotting around the world without worries or obligations, but that’s simply not the case.”
While you may see beautiful pictures shared on social media (ours included), there’s way more to them and the ‘lifestyle’ that most people never share.
Conversely, we try to be different and not put on an image of perfection and instead tell you about our mistakes and actual experiences.
You publish your expenses and budget but not your income, why?
It’s simply a personal choice.
When we first considered writing a blog so our family and friends could follow along on our adventures and know we were safe, we went back and forth on if we even wanted to do it at all. Once we decided to move forward, it was a question of how much information we wanted to share with the world. Then it was a matter of deciding if we wanted to use our names, our images, our locations, our professions, our employers.
Ultimately, we came to a decision to talk about what we do and to publish some of our information but not all of it.
Our income and our assets are things we’ve chosen to keep private.
My circumstances are different than yours. For example, I may own a home, have children, school loans, or I don’t have the professional skills you do, etc.
First, we appreciate and know that we’re fortunate to have been born in the United States and not have major health problems, diseases, or disabilities.
It’s also important to mention that only one of us came from a middle class background.
“One of us was raised well below the poverty line by a single parent with only a sixth grade education and a grandmother who was illiterate.”
There were countless times when the electricity, natural gas, and home phone were shut off. But in the end, it was a combination of a selfless and loving family, an immense amount of ambition, thousands upon thousands of small and big decisions, and the support of others that led to ‘getting out’.
Together we’ve continued to make decisions that support our life goals.
“This isn’t something special or unique to us. Others do it, and you can do it too! ”
For example, we decided not to have children until we reach a certain point in our lives (emotionally and financially).
We both earned our college degrees through hard work, both inside the classroom and out. One of us worked full time and interned, studied two years at community college, transferred to a four year state college and graduated Summa Cum Laude with no debt.
The other went to a private school, worked part time, graduated Magna Cum Laude but with $30,000 (adjusted for inflation) of debt and paid off school loans within a few years.
Shannon earned her Project Management Certification (PMP) but had the bootcamp, course fees, and organizational dues paid for by her then employer.
But what about the money you earn on the blog?
Yeah right, you mean the slave wages?! We’d love to earn a living wage on the blog, but we put in way more time on it than we should considering how little we make on it.
“Seriously, we’re talking a fraction of the hourly federal minimum wage! We’d be starving if we lived off of what our blog makes. ”
We do it because we want to and feel that we can share a unique point of view. After all, how many FI/RE seekers do you know that are traveling full time and pursuing FI/RE? Usually the ‘pot at the end of the FI/RE rainbow’ is travel.
With that said, we always appreciate your support when you do click through our affiliate links, signup for a credit card we recommend, subscribe to our newsletter, and donate!
How about giving back and charities, do you donate your time or money?
While at the moment we don't have a formal line item in our budget, or formally set aside time to help an organization with a general task, or formally donate our skill sets, we do make an effort to help others in our day to day lives as opportunities present themselves.
Whether it's helping a homeowner we're house sitting for optimize their home network, or helping translate a tour given in Spanish to non-Spanish speakers (all English tours were sold out), to helping someone with directions, donating our extra supplies (i.e. cold weather gear, toiletries, etc.), to helping a blind or elderly person get to their destination, we're always on the lookout to help others!
“Keeping in mind our long term giving efforts, we’ve had many conversations about giving and discussed some of the more formal ways to give back.”
For example, the local Boys and Girls Club was instrumental in providing Sergio a safe place to go after school and keeping off the street and out of trouble.
In our opinion the great thing about giving is that it can be carried out in many ways. It doesn't have to be a big production, formal, 10% of your salary, or involve money at all. Much of if it depends on your willingness, follow-through, and your day to day attitude towards others.
You’re missing out on home ownership. Why not buy something and rent it out while you travel? Furthermore, your current lifestyle isn’t sustainable!
We're not big real estate people but we're always open to reevaluating our position and aren’t fully opposed to buying/owning a home.
We’ve done a financial analysis where we compared buying a home and all of the ancillary costs, to renting and investing the subsequent savings. Based on historical returns on the stock market and the Case-Schiller Housing Index we’ve concluded that if we’re diligent about investing regularly (which we are), renting is by-in-large the better investment. This is taking into account all costs and savings such as tax savings, maintenance, property taxes, appreciation, and so on.
There are of course other emotional and practical reasons to either buying a home or renting. For example, there’s pride in ownership or when renting there’s simplicity in someone else taking care of building and land maintenance.
“Like most things, and especially in something as personal as home ownership, it should ultimately come down to what works best for your lifestyle and pocketbook.”
Ultimately, we know house sitting full time isn’t something we’ll do forever, nor do we think it’s a lifetime solution to lowering lodging costs. Additionally, we don’t calculate our post FI/RE safe withdrawal rate (SWR) based on our current, full time house sitting lodging costs.
At some point we’re bound to want to settle down a bit and have a more permanent residence, wherever that may be.
Of course, if we do buy (vs. rent) we’ll purchase a home well below our means!
You’re limiting your income potential and hurting your careers by moving around so much!
We’re fortunate to work in industries and with employers who embrace a distributed workforce, and in the off-chance that we need to attend an event, training, or client’s location we’re able to be on site rather quickly.
It’s conceivably possible that we may be limiting our income (and promotion) potential, but for the most part neither past nor present employers seem to mind where we are in the world as long as we deliver. In fact, our income (and titles/roles) have actually improved since we lived a ‘conventional’ life.
Isn’t that Yosemite Horsetail Fall in your main image for this article?
It sure is, very good observation! In fact, it’s Horsetail Fall Firefall. We thought it was quite fitting, not only for its beauty, but for the play on words, FI/RE and Firefall.
In fact, of all the places we’ve been fortunate enough to visit in the world, Yosemite is one of, if not our most favorite place. We hiked Yosemite Falls together, along with many other trails around the park, and it marked a deep sense of accomplishment for each of us.
Additionally, not only Yosemite but the National Parks in general hold a sense of wonder, freedom, and calmness for both of us!
I have more questions, comments, or just want to say hello.
Please contact us, we’d love to chat and maybe even meet-up if our paths cross!
