July 2015 turned out to be our most expensive month to date.
Remember, when you look at these figures, that we are not on vacation. We do not have jobs (as someone likes to frequently remind me.) It’s a balancing act to spend as little as necessary yet see as much as possible. All in all, we took advantage of a great opportunity in housesitting to visit one of the most expensive countries of the world plus we have had the advantage of experiencing the culture and not just dashing around to all the top sights so we can check them off our to-do list! Link to Trusted Housesitters website.
I keep track of all our expenses using the Trail Wallet app designed by Simon Fairbanks of Never-Ending Voyage. All figures are totals for two travelers.
July $2770.19 – $89.36 per day
Average over the entire UK trip (June 22 – August 6) – $70.58 per day
Average over 6 months: $72.91 per day
Link to June 2015 expense report
Link to April and May 2015 expense report
Link to February and March 2015 travel expense report
Accommodation: $501.90 – $16.19 per day
We had free accommodation thanks to housesitting. This is for 6 nights on the road, averaging $83.65/night.
Food: $681.17 – $21.97 per day
We bought groceries and cooked at home. This is in line with our monthly food averages (June $25.20, May $19.76, April $22.02, March $18.87).
Transportation: $1165.24 – $37.59 per day
This is the big expense. Unfortunately, we did not book our flights early enough to benefit from the low fares offered by the budget airlines. The airfare for two expensed over the entire time in the UK came to $6.53 a day. Travel by train or coach is expensive in the UK, so we opted to rent vehicles three times.
Entertainment: $344.93 – $11.13 per day
Walking Tours in Edinburgh and London, 3 Isles Tour, Stirling Castle, English Heritage membership
Misc: $76.95 – $2.48 per day
Includes Life Insurance premium, cell phone bill, and .75 per visit to the loo in London.
July Accommodations:
Glasgow, Scotland TrustedHousesitters.com Dog Sit, 15 nights
Oban, Regent Hotel (Booking.com), 1 night, $78.58 included full breakfast
Skye, Air BnB, 1 night, $69 included breakfast
Oban, Hostel, 1 night, $63.50 included continental breakfast
Oban, Guesthouse, (booked at Tourist Info), 1 night, $109.54 included full breakfast
Darlington, Best Western Walworth Castle, (Booking.com), 1 night, $86.38
London, Tune Hotel, (HotelTonight.com), 1 night, $95
Kelsale, England TrustedHousesitters.com Dog Sit, 14 nights
We had a nice housesit with a beautiful garden in a small English village. Meet Fred, a gentle 70-pound chocolate lab. He had an internal alarm clock for his 5:00 supper. Who can resist that mug?
Sunny Spain
We have finally found summer and are enjoying the good life. The good news is our spending is also on track for a great month!
We love the cafe con leche and crunchy toast with crushed tomatos and olive oil!
The view around us (upper). Our house is situated on a olive tree farm on the side of that mountain below a small village (below) between Granada and the coast. It is private, mostly peaceful, and so beautiful. The doors and windows are open day and night, and it’s not as terribly hot as I thought it might be. I’m outside from morning until after dark; living in my swimsuit and learning the art of taking siestas!
Love these sweet girls: Nuria (upper right), Lucia (lower left), and Simba the cat.
Thanks for reading Meet You in the Morning!
Meet You In The Morning 
I just love, love, love that you have not only been able to see so much of the areas you are traveling to, but that you have had opportunities to live right in the culture and house sit some wonderful pets. Thank you for sharing them with us too.
Looking forward to your next adventure!
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Great Photo!
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Thank you!
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