Analysis of a Budget:
Toward the end of my first post
I displayed my guesstimate for this trip's expenses. After making almost all of
my necessary pre-trip purchases I would like to reevaluate the budget and
discuss the decisions I made.
Basic Estimates:
Ticket: $1,200
Eurorail Pass: $1,100
Food: $500 ($150 per month,
rounded up)
Incidentals: $500
Total: $3,300
Current Expenses:
- Items from Amazon: $440.60 (sum)
- Slaughterhouse-Five: $11.08
- The Maltese Falcom: $10.45
- Wool, Quick-Dry Socks: $9.99
- Pants, Shorts, Jacket, Shirt
- Couchsurfing Membership: $?
- Button Shirt off Group-On: $18.19
Total: $3,980.37
So, where does that place me?
Compared to my initial estimate, I am $680.87 off. However, this doesn't
account for the $500 I have set aside for food. Adding that in, I am down
$1180.87. Why I am so far over-budget? What can you do to cut this budget down
for your own trip?
Cutting the Costs:
1) Flight.
This is the entire cost of my
plane ticket. I will be flying into Madrid, Spain and flying out from London,
England. I purchased my ticket on March 7th, 2013 and will be flying out on May
25th, 2013. Checking the today's flights using Kayak, it looks like the current
price is $1,570 (+$56). There is a cheaper flight but it has an incredibly long
layover and will be disregarded. While I was checking flights in February, I
remember seeing several in the $1,200-$1,300 range.
Could save: $200
2) Rail Pass.
I am choosing to buy the Global
Eurail Pass for a 3 month time period. It is the most expensive option, but
offers a huge amount of freedom. I will be able to travel whenever I need to
and it will let me explore the country and keep my plans flexible. However, if
flexibility wasn't so desirable to me, it would behoove me to specifically plan
out my trip and purchase a much cheaper travel option.
Could save: $300
---Currently
researching specific routes to see if I can lower my own costs. I have yet to
purchase the Eurail pass and will only do so if I see that it is the best
option. I will update this once I have made my choice (4/30/13).
3) Items from Amazon.
First, I want to point out the
purchases for underwear, socks, books, and the alarm clock. I could have
completely removed the underwear and socks from my purchase. I selected these
because I wished to have one high quality pair (underwear, socks) for the
duration of the trip. The books, which I could have picked up cheaply if they
were used, will be donated during my travels. I wanted to have new books for
this process as I believe they will suit the donation purpose more effectively.
The alarm clock is slightly unnecessary. Yet, because I will lack my phone
(which I use as a current alarm clock) and know that my watch is very quiet, I
needed to have a secure backup. If you are on a budget, you can easily
remove this from your cost. As for the other items under the Amazon banner, I
chose to pick those which had high ratings and quality. While this ended up
costing a little more than I would have liked, the reliability of each product
is important to me and worth the additional cost.
Could save:
$68.62
4) Clothes from REI
Initially, I anticipated that I would use all of my own clothes. However,
after looking over my wardrobe, I realized that many of my shirts and pants are
several years old and have been wearing and tearing for a good while. Because
of this, I made the decision to purchase a quality set of clothes. I wanted
durability and breathability. After selecting the clothes, I am very happy with
what I picked out. However, if you are looking to cut your costs, don't buy a
new set unless you need to. I also purchased the REI membership so I could get
an extra discount on my clothes.
Could save:
$180
5) Glasses
Ever since the 8th grade, I have worn contacts on a daily basis. Glasses
gave me headaches because I have such a high prescription. Besides, I always
thought I looked a little better without the metal rims. Yet, I knew I would
need glasses for this trip- thus, I picked up a nice pair from Costco. I was
foolish, though, and didn't know how to treat a nice pair of glasses. After
wearing them for little more than a week's time, I decided to clean them up by
placing them in boiling water. This created a series of micro-fractures in the
lenses, making it so my vision (while still decent with glasses on) is blurry
at certain angles. Wary of my own stupidity, I purchased two additional sets
from a cheaper vender as backups.
Could save:
$216.25
6) Shoes
I was so excited that I wouldn't have to buy a new pair of shoes for the
trip. Then, I noticed that the soles of my right shoe were peeling off and the
bracing plastic near the heel section was cracked. Seeing as I will be walking
for a vast amount of the trip, I figured it would be best to purchase a solid
set of sneakers.
Could save:
$106.60
Total Possible Savings: $1,071.41
What do I think?
I'm excited. I did what I could
to save money, but in the end I opted to get nicer equipment that I knew would
be reliable. This is my first backpacking trip and real adventure outside of
the country. I want to do it right. I want to comfortable as I walk around from
city to city.
I'll post some pictures of my gear and place them under the
"Pictures" tab as soon as I can. Expect another post relatively soon-
I have some plans for next week!
Cheers,
Sam
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