Money Diaries
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I failed… My £5k Budget is Gone
After 200 days of full time travel, my £5k gap year budget is all gone! I have spent every single penny having an absolutely wonderful time. Ok, so technically I failed. When I initially set this budget I wanted to make it last the entire year, including all the costs associated with my summer job as a camp counsellor. But it soon became apparent that this just wasn’t going to happen. Transportation costs between destinations were way higher than I thought they would be. I actually ended up spending nearly double the amount I’d originally allocated to this cost. I also got carried away a couple of times (especially when…
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March Budget Update – £5k Gap Year
Already a quarter of the way through 2023 😱 Where is the time going? Absolutely insane!! But the end of another month means only one thing in the finance space – it’s time to review and reflect on the month, so here is my March budget update 😄 March has been a kinda chilled one for me, well compared to my previous months that is 😂 My big 5 month trip came to an end and I started leg 3 of my gap year, which is only going to be 6 weeks. Mostly down to visa restrictions but also because the budget is starting to look a little tight! New here? Let…
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£5k Budget Update – February 2023
Halfway through my budget gap year and I still have some money left – woohooo!!! I’m taking that as a win 😂 February has been one hell of a good month! I got to see my parents for a weekend as the couple I was housesitting for welcomed me to have guests to stay, I ticked off two new countries, got another tattoo, saw SiX again, spent quality time with some friends and had a lot of time to read on various overnight journeys – which is always a win 🙌🏻 Mind blowing that I’m at the halfway point already and I still change my mind daily on what I want…
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How Much I Spent Travelling the USA for 3 Months
After years and years of dreaming about travelling the USA, I finally went and did it!! I just spent almost three months following housesits across the country and pretending to live in a bunch of different cities. It was amazing!! Disclaimer – This post contains affiliate links which means I may earn an commission if you follow them. This is at no extra cost to you <3 Where did I go, you ask? Whilst in the planning phase for this trip, I made the decision to follow wherever the housesits took me. This meant I would get free accommodation for most of the trip but it didn’t leave me a…
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£5k Budget Update – January 2023
I’m sorry but where has January gone? It feels like I’ve blinked and all of sudden it’s February 🤯 But the end of the month means only one thing in the personal finance community… It’s time to review our budgets! January was the last month of my three-month long US tour, where I have been following housesits across the country, so hopefully it’ll only get cheaper from here on out 😅 Disclaimer – This post contains affiliate links which means I may receive a commission if you use them. This is at no extra cost to you <3 New here? Let me give you a little context... I graduated from uni…
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How Much I Spent Travelling The UK For 2 Months
I took the first 72 days of my gap year slowly and spent half my time housesitting across my home country and the rest spending quality time with friends and family. My schedule was so jam packed throughout my entire last year of uni so this was a perfect way to slow down. It was also a great way to begin travelling as I never more than 3 hours away from my base incase something went wrong plus I’d never been on an extended solo trip so I wanted to do a test run in a country I am very familiar with. Housesitting in the UK took me to places…
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£5k Budget Update – December 2022
December, month four of my gap year and the first month I’ve spent fully abroad and zero nights crashing at my parents house 😂. As I’m following where the housesits take me to save on accommodation costs, I spent all of December in the Pacific North West. I’m here until mid-January then I’ll be flying over the east coast for the remaining 3 weeks of my time in the US. Disclaimer – This post contains affiliate links which means I may receive a commission if you use them. This comes at no extra cost to you <3 New here? Let me give you a little context... I graduated from uni…
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I Saved 63% Of My Income – 2022 Financial Review
2022 has been a wildride. I graduated, read 115 books, wrote a 10 thousand word dissertation, went to 2 weddings, ate countless bags of crisps, spent 48 hours on a train, saw my first west end show, slept in an airport, started housesitting for strangers off the internet, spent 7 weeks in the US, experienced an ice storm and so so much more… hands down the best year of my life to date!! But it’s all over and you know what that means! It’s time to review every penny I earned and spent over the year. Why are you sharing this? You’re probably thinking it’s weird to share all of…
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£5k Budget Update – November 2022
November has been an absolute whirlwind of a month! I surprised my parents, saw my first West End show (by myself 😱), slept in an airport, spent two crazy days in NYC, took a 48hr train cross country just to name a few things 😂 But how has this craziness affected my £5k budget, let’s break it down and see! Disclaimer – this post may include some affiliate or referral scheme links. This means I will receive a commission at no extra cost to you <3 New here? Let me give you a little context... I graduated from uni this past summer and have chosen to take a gap year…
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2 Nights in NYC – New York Money Diary
I recently spent two wonderful nights in NYC but as the budget conscious traveller I am, I was a little concerned about its spenny reputation. If you’ve read my plan to only spend £5k on my gap year, you’ll know that I only get £10 per day spending money. Obviously this wasn’t going to cut it in NYC. So I started hoarding little amounts each day in the two months ahead of the trip. By the time the trip rolled around I’d amassed a nice little pot of money and was ready to explore. So here we go, my New York money diary. Exactly how much I spent during my…
