Budgeting while abroad

Budgeting is probably one of the most important things I recommend everyone to do before studying abroad. This will help you decide what you want to prioritize and if you actually have enough money to do everyone you want to do.

Before I left, I told myself that I would spend around 20 dollars a week on food/snacks, and I do spend that much a week but somethings I decide to spurlge and I end up spending around 50 a week. 

Budgeting takes time and you really have to think about everything and take EVERYTHING into consideration. Remember that you don’t have to have the exact numbers but make sure to be at least realistic and reasonable. 

For example, if you want to travel you can’t just think about the price of the ticket. You also have to think about where you will stay, what you will eat there, and even souvenirs you may want to buy.

The problem with not budgeting is that you can start spending money on random things and when you don’t count where the money is going, you may not end up with enough money for things that you really wanted to do. 

Also, try to avoid transaction fees, and don’t forget that there are a lot of free things to do, especially In Europe! 

Here are a list of things to budget:

1. Food (lunch & dinner)
2. Shopping (desires AND needs
3. Travelling (airbnb, hotel, hostels, ticket, etc)
4. Activities 
5. Transportation