I’m beginning to think Rudder and I picked a good time to be expats. We knew from the beginning that we’d be glad to miss out on two full years’ worth of 24-7 election coverage. Now, though, the economy is beginning to look like an even better reason to have left. We sold our house before prices really fell too far – and before it became hard to sell. We missed the huge spike in gas prices. Of course, you could argue that by moving to Europe and then Asia we encountered it sooner. But we get reimbursed.
Now I keep reading about the increasing food prices in the US – not just in news articles but from real people who are having to think hard about when to go to the grocery and what to cook to save money. I am very used to reading about people eating grains or vegetables not for ethical reasons but because they can’t afford to eat meat often – but normally, I see it in stories or information about the Middle Ages, not modern-day America! That’s a bit upsetting.
Food prices here are much lower than in the Netherlands, but anyway, not payng for a mortgage or car loan means we wouldn’t be worrying. Even back in the US, with only two mouths to feed and two salaries we wouldn’t be worrying anyway, probably. Still, that may not always be the case, especially if we decide to travel around a bit before returning to work. Most especially if gas prices stay high. (And anyway, it’s always handy to be able to lower your spending: you never know when you’ll need to.) So I’m paying attention to the posts about eating on a budget. For my own reference and that of anyone else who wants them, these two posts (mostly, their comments) have some very useful suggestions and tips for eating well, cheap. If anyone else has similar links, I’d love to have them pointed out – I think a collection of similar links could be very useful.