{"id":7339,"date":"2019-04-19T17:55:03","date_gmt":"2019-04-19T17:55:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/internationalschoolcommunity.com\/blog\/?p=7339"},"modified":"2019-07-02T19:47:14","modified_gmt":"2019-07-02T19:47:14","slug":"money-diary-how-much-do-you-spend-in-a-week-living-in-turkey","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/internationalschoolcommunity.com\/blog\/money-diary-how-much-do-you-spend-in-a-week-living-in-turkey\/","title":{"rendered":"Money Diary: How Much Do You Spend in a Week Living in Turkey?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Occupation: International Teacher
Industry: International Education
Age: 33
Location: Mersin, Turkey
Salary: $36,000 USD
Paycheck Amount (Monthly): $3,022<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Day 1:\b Saturday<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the morning, I book a Turkish Hammam for $18, including tip. I messaged for an appointment and was on the table in less than an hour.  I enjoyed a 1.5-hour massage, tea before and a coffee afterward. The hammam is within walking distance to my apartment. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

For brunch, I make a Turkish breakfast dish at home.  The Turkish economy is in a recession, so locals report a significant increase in the price of produce. However, I can purchase a loaf of fresh bread from the bakery for $1, tomatoes, peppers, onions, oranges, lemons and herbs for less than $10 that will last me for the week.  
<\/p>\n\n\n\n

After working at home, I earned a night out so for $2 round I can take a trip train into the next city, the price is reduced when I remember to show my government issued a teacher ID card.  The train station is a 10-15 minute walk from my apartment.
<\/p>\n\n\n\n

$25 dinner out with friends including appetizer, main dish, dessert, and drinks.  The restaurant is a 10-minute walk from the train station in the next city so I avoid paying extra cab fare.
<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Day 2: Sunday<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the morning, I do some professional development and take the Google Educator Recertification Exam for $10.  Three years ago I made my first exam and decided to take the exam to keep myself current. Living in a smaller town means there aren\u2019t too many things to do so I find I am reading more, catching up on TV series and films, and taking online courses while working on my future application materials.
<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the afternoon I go out for a walk to do my weekly snack run. I visit a local candy and nut store.  These shops sell a variety of nuts, dates, corn nuts, and coffee which I take to work and munch on in the evenings and weekends.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I have a busy week that includes late nights this week, so I prepare a vegetable curry that I plan to eat each night after coming home. I use the vegetables I purchased on Saturday, along with some lentils and coconut milk I find in the cupboard.  
<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Day 3: Monday<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

After work, I visit the gym.  For dinner, I check out a new dessert place that recently opened in town.  Lokmaci is a sweet fried dough akin to a doughnut hole with toppings, cost $2. For dinner, I eat leftovers from Sunday.
<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Day 4: Tuesday<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

For $17, I purchase a belated birthday gift for my mother on Amazon.  I was delighted to find I had Amazon card, perhaps from selling some textbooks over the summer.  A benefit from living abroad is I don’t shop online often. There are local sites in Turkey where I can buy online, but I\u2019ve chosen not to register because I can find everything I need locally. Again, I eat leftovers for dinner after visiting the gym.
<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Day 5: Wednesday<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

After work, I visited a burger joint with a colleague and spent $5.50. We go back and forth paying week to week.  This week, but next week it will be on him.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

$12 On the way home we stop by a grocery store.  My school provides daily lunch, so I benefit from eating healthy salads and fruit.  A more significant benefit is that I don\u2019t have to pack and prepare a lunch bag or leak-proof containers. When I visit the grocery store, I stock up on oatmeal, yogurt, and snacks.  I buy fresh fruit and vegetables at my neighborhood market on the weekends.
<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Day 6: Thursday<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Nearing the end of the week, and perhaps feeling a bit tired of leftovers for dinner.  I spent $3 for flavored coffee and simit toast, basically a Turkish bagel with cheese at the school canteen. Each morning I prepare my coffee or tea, throughout the day I visit the school\u2019s instant coffee and tea area, but every so often I enjoy a coffee with a colleague. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

For $2 on the way home I grabbed an ice cream bar with my neighbor and then prepared to visit the gym with a buddy.  For dinner, I finished leftovers from Sunday. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Day 7: Friday<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

After visiting the gym, a friend and I decide to spend Friday night at the local mall. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

For $5, I eat American inspired fast food in the food court. After eating I notice a shoe store I like to check out, and the Mango store is gone, possible signs of the recession in Turkey. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The oddest purchase I make this week is a $2 pair of stockings I see near the cash register as I wait for my friend to check out. I can feel warmer humid weather is coming, but some mornings are still a bit chilly.  I justify that one more pair of stockings may be necessary. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Before leaving the mall, we hit up a beauty store where I spent $6 for cotton buds, a lip mask, and some face cream.  I give the cashier my phone number each time which may result in some discounts, but I don\u2019t speak enough of the language to understand the benefits programs at the various stores.  One change in Turkey is a new plastic bag fee to encourage a reduction in plastic consumption. I generally bring my reusable bags with me to the store and if I forget I buy a new one or don\u2019t shop that day.
<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Monthly Expenses<\/strong>
$400\/month international travel during holidays
$150\/month groceries
$100\/month clothing
$90\/month virtual counseling
$80\/month restaurants and meals out
$50\/month apartment cleaning
$33\/month retirement fund
$16\/month gym membership
$12\/month Audible subscription
$12\/month beauty supplies
$3\/month Netflix<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This article was submitted by an ISC member. Why not submit your Money Diary article for your area of the world and earn free premium membership to the ISC website? Contact us <\/em>here<\/em><\/a> if you are interested.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Occupation: International Teacher Industry: International Education Age: 33 Location: Mersin, Turkey Salary: $36,000 USD Paycheck Amount (Monthly): $3,022 Day 1:\b Saturday In the morning, I book a Turkish Hammam for $18, including tip. I messaged for an appointment and was on the table in less than an hour.  I enjoyed a 1.5-hour massage, tea before […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":7340,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[2694],"tags":[1383,927,2696,2695,414],"class_list":["post-7339","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-money-diaries","tag-life-living-abroad","tag-life-of-an-expat","tag-living-in-turkey","tag-mersin","tag-turkey"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/internationalschoolcommunity.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/mediterranean-2352182_1280.jpg?fit=1280%2C853&ssl=1","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p2flVT-1Un","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":7245,"url":"https:\/\/internationalschoolcommunity.com\/blog\/the-journey-to-school-tarsus-american-college-turkey\/","url_meta":{"origin":7339,"position":0},"title":"The Journey to School: Tarsus American College (Turkey)","author":"ISCommunity","date":"January 30, 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"The journey to work is indeed an important one. \u00a0The journey though is not so clear for international school teachers when they are looking for jobs at schools in\u00a0cities\/countries at which they have never been. \u00a0So let's share what we know! 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