Budgeting: Started From The Top, Now We Here

Let’s talk budgeting, shall we? It’s one of the biggest things you’ll have to consider when deciding where to land for your expat adventure (and it is an adventure, no matter how you do it).

When first sitting down to create a budget, give yourself permission to think big. When you picture your life in your new setting, what does the ideal version look like? Start with that, not because you’ll get everything on the list right away, but because it will help you understand what matters most to you.

Build out what your fantasy life looks like first, and estimate what it would cost to live that way. Then, as you examine your actual financial position, if you need to start cutting you can decide which things to prioritize and which to sacrifice.

As an example, when we moved to Valencia, we didn’t know how long we’d be staying, but we knew we wanted to travel around Europe. We made sure to budget for family trips, which for us meant we would need to hold off on getting a car and use public transportation (or our feet) to get around the city and surrounding areas. Thankfully that was an easy trade off, as Valencia is very easy to get around!

What rises to the top of your list of lifestyle choices as you think about moving abroad?