Awhile back, my mom brought up the idea of sharing my budget/ how I
live with the blog so you can understand why I get outraged at prices I hear
from back home. This may actually force me to create a budget and start using
it so I don't spend all my money in Amman every weekend. It is a horrible
habit! Here goes:
My monthly living stipend (read-Allowance) is 316.99 Jordanian Dinar ($447.91)
From that money, my budget it broken down like this:
Rent: 90JD/m ($127.17) for a one bedroom, HUGE living room, bathroom
and kitchen.
Electricity: currently 7-9JD/m ($9-12)but way cheaper in the winter
because I don't use my
fan
Internet: 24/m ($33.91)
Phone credit: 10-15JD/m ($14-21)
Send Letter to Classroom in America: 1JD/letter
($1.41)
Bus to Ajlun/for packages from the post: 10JD ($14)
(1-2 a month)
The leftover 170 is for me to live off of for the month, which is never
a problem if I stay at my site…but I don't. If I were to stay around my
village, here are the average costs of things I buy/do:
Bus to Irbid to buy American food/ household items: .90JD ($1.27). I
typically make this trip 1-2 times a month
Falafel Sandwich: .25JD (.35cents) eat them ALL the time
KG tomatoes: .30JD (.42c) gets about 5-6 tomatoes
10 pieces of pita bread: .25JD (.35c)
12 eggs: 1.20JD ($1.69)
Small cup of coffee: free because my busdriver loves me, but is
supposed to be .15JD (.20ish)
You get the picture things are VERY cheap in my village, and most of
the time I don't need to buy food for myself because my neighbors insist on
feeding me. For awhile I was forced to feign illness just so I could cook for
myself! This actually comes in handy when I fail at budgeting and have no money
in the middle of the month.
To compare the prices, my average Amman trip:
Bus to Irbid: .90JD ($1.27)
Bus to Amman station in Irbid: .17JD (.24c)
Bus to Amman: 1.30JD ($1.83)
Taxi to hotel: 2JD ($2.82)
Hotel for the night: 5-10JD (depends on how many
people) ($7-14)
Going out to eat: 15-20 JD (it typically also
involves drinking, which is expensive here) ($21-28)
Drinks at the bar: 6JD for Amstel, which is the
cheapest ($8.47), or 12 for the cheapest bottle of wine before going to the bar
After hours falafel: .50JD (.70c)
Hangover Brunch: 7-9JD ($9-12)
…then all the transportation costs again to get home.
That is about 57 JD just one night! If I do it for two nights, it’s a sad, sad
month for me. While it is still considerable cheaper than most things in America, trying to make it work with only 170JD is tricky. It gives me an appreciation/ understanding of those families in America that are trying to live off less than I am in a far less hospitable community with a much higher cost of living.
Well, there you have it, my budget
in a nutshell. Clearly this should be enough to make me think twice about going
to Amman. The problem is that is the only place I can hang out and "be
American" with the other volunteers, especially with the male volunteers
as we cannot speak about them in village. So, one weekend in Amman a month is
my goal. That being said, I am going next weekend and of course for Halloween…hmm.
I need to work on this whole Budget thing!
