$8.00...Not Too Shabby

While we were in Ipiales, Colombia, back in February we had to watch our money and how much we were spending, as we were not quite sure how long we would actually end up being there! We tried to be consistent about writing down our expenditures for meals, hotels, waters, internet, etc. This made our job easier when we got home in entering it all into our Excel Spreadsheet for the Y.F.B. (Young Family Budget).
Our most triumphant day of pinching pennies, occured our second to last day there. At the end of the day, after dinner, we sat down to calculate Wednesday´s costs. We were delighted to find, that after both eating breakfast, lunch and dinner, the meal part of our day had cost just under $8.00. WE BOTH ATE ALL THREE MEALS FOR UNDER EIGHT DOLLARS. This felt like a huge accomplishment.
Breakfast consisted of bunuelos and coffee. Bunuelos are round pastries, that remind me of abble skievers. They are usually filled with a type of cheese. So, coffee and our little pastries cost us $1.75
For lunch, we found a typical "platos fuertes" type place. We each were served: a bowl of soup, a cup of juice and a "plato fuerte" consisting of chicken, rice, beans, salad and a fried banana. Each meal was a whopping $1.00. We left lunch $2.25 poorer.
The dinner hour arrived. We decided on a place that among many other options, served hamburgers. Hamburger-like, I should say. We each got a burger, which came with some fries, and a beverage. This meal for the both of us cost $3.50.
Now, if my calculations are correct, Wednesdays total came to $7.50. I love that both of us ate all three meals yesterday for under $8.00. Not too shabby. This may never happen to us again!