Stocking your Starter Kitchen on a Budget

September 24, 2017January 19, 2018Melissa

Last week, when I posted about how to budget when you don’t know your expenses, a reader asked me how I get my grocery costs so low. I was able to maintain a 65 euro a month grocery budget for a year in Vitoria-Gasteiz of the Spanish Basque Country. Part of this was due to cost sharing with my partner. However, even when I shopped on my own in Huelva, Andalusia, I still averaged a budget of about 80 euros a month. How? The key here is in having a well stocked kitchen. Let’s build your starter kitchen.

What is a Starter Kitchen?

Cooking at home is one of the best ways to save money when you’re on a tight budget. But what do you do when you’re starting from scratch? Let’s say you’ve just moved to a new city. Your starter kitchen is all of the food products you will need to buy to have a functioning kitchen. Before we dive deeper into building your starter kitchen, let’s take a look at what some of my frequent purchases are and what they cost.

Average Income in Spain

September 1, 2017December 7, 2020Melissa

Average Income: Why it Matters

Updated on December 7, 2020

The average income of a population is often overlooked when people prepare to teach abroad. We usually want to know how much we can make, and that information isn’t difficult to find. According to Go Overseas, the average income for an English teacher in Spain is between 700 and 1800 euros. As an auxiliar de conversacion, you know that your income will be between 700 and 1000 euros a month, depending on where you’re assigned to teach.

What may be more important than your actual salary, however, is how it compares to the average salary where you will live. This will determine how comfortably you will live compared to other people in your city on your auxilar income alone.

Finding an Apartment in Spain after arrival

Apartments in Spain: After Arrival

June 26, 2017September 7, 2018Melissa

Finding an Apartment in Spain

This is Part 2 of Finding an Apartment in Spain. See Part 1 – Apartments in Spain: Before Arrival.

When You Arrive

Hopefully by the time you arrive to Spain, you will have already eliminated the places that either aren’t right for you, or are misleading. This will save you a lot of time. If you will be living in a large city like Madrid, you will need to have quite a few options on your list, because finding an apartment in the fall can be difficult. If you are in a smaller city, a smaller list will suffice. The quicker you can find an apartment, the less money you will have to spend on hostels or Airbnb.

By one week before I moved to Spain, I had narrowed down my search to just a handful of apartments. I made appointments with the girls who were currently living in them via WhatsApp. Talking to your potential roommates in advance is a good way to know if you’ll be a good fit, and save you from having to move out later. I ended up renting the first apartment I saw in Huelva, and I canceled my other appointments. The only reason I did this is because I was sure. I knew I would be happy living in that apartment, with those roommates, and at that price. Here are a few things you should look for to make sure the apartment is right for you.

Apartment Hunting in Spain: Before Arrival

June 23, 2017September 5, 2017Melissa

Finding an Apartment in Spain

Before Arrival

Because your apartment will be your largest living expense in Spain, it is important that you start researching apartments from home. Ideally, your apartment shouldn’t cost any more than 25-35% of your budget, but in some places this may be difficult and you might have to go as high as 40%. There are definitely ways to increase your income with side hustles while living in Spain, but I don’t recommend including them in your core budget items, because they aren’t guaranteed income. I recommend checking out Numbeo to find out the average for apartments in your city.

Average Apartment Cost

Let’s look at mine, in Vitoria-Gasteiz:

apartment cost averages vitoria — Average Housing Costs in Vitoria-Gasteiz

You’ll see that the average rent per month for a one-bedroom in the city center is about 600 euros, or 85.7% of your auxiliar budget. This won’t work for anyone except for a couple. If you’re both auxiliares, and making 1400 euros total, it would be 42.9% of your budget. This is doable, but still high, and I would only consider it if your utilities are included.

A one-bedroom outside of the city center is 450 euros on average, or 64.3% of your income. This is also too high for a single person on an auxiliar budget. As a couple, you can get it down to 32.1% This is a good percentage, and is what my partner and I pay.

Moving Abroad Starter Budget

June 16, 2017June 22, 2018Melissa

BUDGETING FOR MOVING ABROAD

Are you thinking about moving abroad to teach English? Or, if you’re already teaching English abroad, are you looking for a new destination?

Budgeting is the most crucial step for being able to teach English abroad. When should you start your budget? Immediately. If you are still living at home, you will need to begin thinking about things like the cost of moving (including visas, transportation, and possible packing essentials), and a starter fund to get you through your expenses abroad before you get paid (rent, security deposit, groceries). It will likely be one month or more before you see your first paycheck.

PROGRAM BENEFITS

Some programs will offer to pay for your flight (Asia, the Middle East). Typically, this is offered as a flight reimbursement, so you will have to pay the money upfront.

Other programs, like mine, the North American Language and Culture Assistants in Spain, also known as Auxiliares de Conversacion, definitely do not offer such benefits, but there are still lots of ways to find a cheap flight. The point is, you need to be prepared to budget for it.

So, what do I recommend? Where you’re going and what incentives your program offer will greatly affect this amount. Spain will be more expensive than China. Saudi Arabia will offer lots of benefits that you won’t see elsewhere.