Living in Spain hasn't been what I expected...😬💰

Issue 6: 8 minute read

🚚 Dani’s Doings: How much we spent during our first month LIVING living in Spain (hint: WAY too much 🤦🏽‍♀️) + other ~life abroad~ updates.

💸 Money Matters: “The lipstick index”, how to get a heads up on potential layoffs in your company, and more.

✈️ Travel Tings: Travellers are getting kidnapped (or worse) after using dating apps, how to avoid food poisoning when travelling, and other travel news.

🫶🏽 Community Corner: My newly updated + curated travel faves list + recos to make your money make more money 🤑

My partner and I have been in Malaga for over a month now and have nicely settled into our current (fully furnished) 2 bedroom/2 bathroom apartment. We’re acquainted with the neighbourhood, have our gym-membership, our foreigner identification cards (seen in the below photo) and have our go-to grocery store picked.

One of the reasons we chose Malaga to live for a year was because according to Numbeo, consumer prices including rent are ~40% lower in Malaga compared to Downtown Toronto. Lower WHERE?! We spent waaaaaaaaaaaaaaay more in our first full month here than I expected. I (begrudgingly 😵‍💫) crunched all of the numbers because I love my newsletter subscribers (I definitely won’t be posting this on social media lol), and here’s our total spent in January:

Rent (2 bd/2 bath, fully furnished, city centre): €1,771, Restaurants & Takeout: €1,561, Groceries: €987, Travel (a weekend trip to Madrid): €432, Spanish Classes (private and group): €430, Home goods/furnishings: €227, Transportation (Uber): €194, Primark: €180, Mobile phones: €60, Personal Care: €89, Fitness: €50, Amazon: €29

Total spent for TWO people: €6,010 ($8752 CAD/$6494 USD)😩😭🫣

Note: While our place is fully furnished, it was missing a few key items like a work desk + chair, some bedding/towels, organization items, kitchen necessities, and some other things. We were also quite jet-lagged and exhausted from December, so we ate at restaurants way more than necessary. The first month in a new home (and especially in a new country!) usually costs more because you’re trying to figure things out. I am praying that February won’t be nearly as expensive now that we’ve in a good groove 🙏🏽!

A weekend getaway to Spain’s Capital, Madrid 🇪🇸

My partner and I did our first excursion outside of Malaga and spent a weekend in Madrid. We thought we were missing the big city vibes but after about an hour of being there, we were very overwhelmed by the size of the crowds 😅. Madrid did offer incredible international food though (it’s way move diverse than Malaga) and we ate WELL. Roundtrip train tickets for both of us were 153 euros (~$222 CAD), and we stayed at the Hotel Catalonia Playa Mayor hotel for 279 euros (or ~$405 CAD) for 2 nights.

The pros and cons of living in Malaga 👍🏽/👎🏽

Overall, I’m still really happy with our choice to move to Malaga. Here are new videos I just recorded on the pros, and the cons. I’ve been warned by the locals that summer is unbearable though (it can reach 40 degrees Celsius/104 degrees Fahrenheit) so I am definitely a bit worried about that. Many areas of Spain, including Malaga, are also experiencing a severe drought and some cities have been forced to turn off the water during certain hours. I imagine that may become worse in the summer months.

I’m taking learning Spanish very seriously now…

I’ve taken Spanish classes on and off throughout my life, but now that I live in Spain and am fully immersed in it, I’ve taken my Spanish learning game to a whole next level! I’m hoping to become at least conversational by the end of the year. Here’s my whole plan for how I plan to accomplish that. Wish me luck because I feel like quitting and/or crying everyday. Maybe a future Liberty letter will be bilingual 🤪!

• Did you know that increased sales of lipstick/lipgloss is often a sign of a troubled economy (and/or looming recession)? It’s called the Lipstick Index. Lipstick/glosses are typically less expensive than other beauty items (like foundation, for example) and allow people to indulge, feel good, and look different with just a single product, so sales of them increase. So if you’ve been wondering why it seems like so many brands are dropping what seems like the same lip products right now, that could be why. Read more here or watch this TikTok.

• Mass layoffs across various sectors have continued into 2024. In tech alone in 2024, that number is ~22,000. Source. On that note, are you familiar with the W.A.R.N. act? In the U.S, a “W.A.R.N. (Worker Adjustment Retraining Notification)” notice requires employers with 100+ employees to provide at least 60 days advance written notice of a mass layoff affecting 50+ employees. This is intended to provided those impacted with sufficient time to prepare. On this website (warntracker.com) you can see which employers are already planning mass layoffs this year (though it’s not an exhaustive list since not all states require a full disclosure). If you’re worried about potentially being laid off this year, it might be a good idea to keep your eye on this site!

• The S&P 500 is doing really well right now. New records are being set, and that’s mostly thanks to tech stocks (and layoffs too, but I digress). Source. What’s that mean for the average investor (or a lazy investor, like myself)? Buying ETFs (exchange traded funds) that track the S&P 500 index can be a good and easy way to build your investment portfolio. Here’s a good article on how to choose an ETF that tracks the S&P 500 index.

• For my Canadian friends, a good resource to check out if you’d like to get started with investing (the lazy way, like me) is Canadian Couch Potato. Investing doesn’t need to be complicated or require you to spend hours each week doing research. You really can set it and forget it if you play your cards right!

• If rising food costs are a problem for you right now (like it is for so many), check out Too Good To Go. Download the app and you’ll get notified about what nearby stores/restaurants/cafes are selling their unsold food (usually at a deep discount) to avoid it going to waste. It’s available in many countries including Canada, The U.S., and parts of Europe.

  _{Note: No content in this newsletter is to be considered financial advice. Please do your own research.}

• Travelling to Colombia as a tourist/nomad/expat/immigrant right now is a hot topic because there’s been a recent increase of visitors being targeted (and often robbed and/or murdered) by people they meet on dating apps like Tinder, Grindr, and Bumble. Source. My advice is to be aware of your surroundings in ANY city (not just Colombian cities) and always trust your intuition. It something seems off, it probably is.

• A-chef-turned microbiologist shared what the top sources are for food poisoning. Source. As someone who loves to eat when travelling and therefore has experienced a lot of food poisoning(😭), these are spot on in my (unfortunate) experience!

• There have been quite a few issues with Boeing aircrafts (specifically their “MAX 8 & 9” models) and the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has recently increased inspection requirements of Boeing factories. Source. If any more incidents occur (such as doors flying off mid-flight…), there’s a possibility production could be stopped entirely. As someone who is already a nervous flyer, I’ve intentionally looked at the aircrafts of the potential flights I’m taking and will straight up NOT take the flight if it’s a Boeing MAX. Not so fun fact: A lot of those cheap RyanAir flights are on Boeing MAX 8s…….😣

• Business travel is back! Now that life has returned (mostly) to normal following the pandemic, experts expect business travel volume to exceed pre-pandemic levels. Source. This probably means you can expect longer lines at the airport.

• There have been some truly awesome travel deals being posted lately! If you’re looking for an escape, here are the sites/platforms I personally use to find the best deals.

• If you’re going on a trip soon and need help finding items that’ll make your vacation easier, I’ve just updated my curated list of travel faves here! My partner and I have been using this anti-theft phone lanyard in Europe since some cities have hella pickpockets/phone snatchers 😖.

• For my fellow Canadians 🇨🇦, here are some great interest rates from banks/financial institutions right now (I personally use both listed below!). Getting a good interest rate is easy way to make your money make money 🤑. There was a time where I was keeping my money in accounts that offered 0.4% (or less) interest and I’m still upset at all the interest I was missing out on. Learn from my mistakes 🙃!

  • 💰EQ Bank: Earn up to 4% interest (2.5% everyday interest + 1.5% when you direct deposit your pay). Sign up here to get a $20 referral bonus!

  • 💰Wealthsimple Cash: Earn 4-5% interest depending on how much money you have with them. Use my referral code (WHIM_W) for an extra bonus.

• My calendar is open for February if you’d like to Ask Me Anything, or if you need support Glowing Up your Personal Brand ✨ for 2024.

_{These may include affiliate links where I earn a small commission (and you pay nothing!), which helps me to continue to grow and produce content like this newsletter. Thanks for your support!}