One of my biggest issues here is how to save money. Let's keep things in perspective in that we don't do anything! Our big splurges are basic household needs or taking our pre-schooler to the movies.
That's one area I just can't seem to get a hold of. How do I save money day to day here? I live here, I'm not traveling, and I have kids so eating cheap pasta every day is out.
And our biggest cost is groceries. I know fresh fruit and veggies are cheap but we still end up breaking the bank at the stinking grocery store. I've even converted to powdered milk as I save pennies each liter. It's just sad.
I considered myself a master of mão fechado (closed hand aka. cheap in Portuguese) in the states. I could make a dollar go so far and still enjoy myself. Why can't I do that in Rio?
My splurges for groceries include wine, the cheap R$16 wine. But I found a bottle that didn't make me vomit for R$7 on sale today. Got to love Argentina. Deli meat and cheese. This goes back to being sandwich people. I really can't think of anything else. I can't. Rice, beans, milk, meat, chicken, fish, and coffee. We're pretty basic people. The snacks we do have are not the bank breaking types.
But at the end of the month, for a family of four, we can not stay under R$1000. It's killing me! I don't even get to eat Filet Mignon weekly! I mean, seriously, is there any other meat?
Ok, I did have Pate the other day. We always buy decent olive oil when we need it. Nescal (what we use to make chocolate milk in Rio de Janeiro) is always on tap here. I guess there's a bit of fat I could trim but then we'd just be sad.
I'm officially offering my husband up to a rich, lonely, and single gal who wants man companion. Once or twice a week at night will work. I can vouch for his skills. All I ask is that you pay of our mortgage at Caixa, or Satan as I like to call them.
Not to worry, we're not destitute or even suffering for that manner. I just really get annoyed that I can't be all financially savvy here. I don't know if it's truly impossible or I'm just Brazilian savvy retarded. I think it could be a little bit of both.
