Tag: Argentina

“Travel” Weeks 44-45

Days 298-314

Though I had enjoyed my Scandinavian modern apartment, after two months through Airbnb, I was starting to get tired of its little flaws and hesitating on committing to a whole extra month. Meanwhile, someone booked a block of time in the middle of the next month. That left two weeks and change in which I was able to negotiate an extension at a cash price, allowing me to save money with the stronger exchange rate.

Rent (15 days)	11000 ARS
Total	USD 94.10

Atomo	1190
Vegetable Shop	250
Total	1440 ARS (USD 12.32)

I decide to make empanadas (fried, because the oven doesn’t work). I catch sight of a 3-for-2 promo of Stella Artois Noir, and enjoy my first beer in a very long time. Thus begins a week long 5-lb weight gain.

Carrefour	1098 ARS
Total	USD 9.39

As if the empanadas and the pound of taco meat I prepared on Wednesday weren’t enough to last me through the weekend, I cannot shake my hankering for butter chicken, taking advantage of a 70% off the second yogurt promotion at the Carrefour. As usual, I now gravitate towards the snack aisle grabbing two bags of galletitas.

Personal phone credit	110
Salad	230
Total:	340 ARS (USD 2.91)

Keeping in touch with my former roommate from Germany, we decide to have dinner together on Friday. I top up my phone credit (for the first time since before the quarantine) in case I need to call for a reservation. The poor phone companies in Argentina have resorted to desperate spamming of promotions: “Add 50 cents of credit and we will give you 2 GB free!”

Vegetables (broccoli)	160
Drinks	2000
Total:	2160 ARS (USD 18.48)

I eat out in a restaurant for the first time since before the quarantine, and it was the first food I hadn’t cooked myself in a long time as well. We are the only customers on the outdoor terrace and having arrived first, I fill out the health questionnaire and have my temperature checked. I am unable to order a beer while I wait because “bars” are not allowed to operate during the national emergency and the definition of a bar is ordering a drink while not simultaneously ordering food. However, once we’ve put in our order for parrillada para 2 and mozarella sticks, there is no limit and we have several rounds of draft beer on top of the glass of wine each included in the dinner promotion. Since the German really wanted to celebrate in style, we head across the street after dinner for more drinks and see how loosely some premises comply with regulations. A round of chocotortas for dessert is enough to order a pitcher of cocktails in the surprisingly crowded bar, where the waitresses had to remove their masks in order for you to understand them over the music. I really hope I don’t die. My friend paid at the restaurant, I paid at the bar, and we called it even.

Atomo: Wine and stuff	610
Die Oma bakery	500
Uber	148 ARS (USD 2.06)
Total:	USD 11.55

So, apparently the asado at the restaurant wasn’t enough, so the last hurrah for a German in Argentina continues with a barbecue at the house he had been renting since we separated back in May. Fortunately, I am allowed out of the house on Sunday morning, so I swing by the Atomo to grab two bottles of wine and the German style bakery which I had been dying to try forever to get an assortment of pastries and alfajores. I book a car out to the suburbs and the two of us eat and drink and eat and drink. Between the Friday night drinks and Sunday session, my weekend is ruined and I remember what a hangover is.

---

Despite the partying, the daily average over this period (9.29) was still fairly low. And with the end of living in that apartment, after 2.5 months, I can update the quarantine costs chart below:

Location	Days	Daily Average (USD)
Hostel	148-159	9.70
House 1	160-174	12.95
House 2	175-186	14.42
Apartment 1	187-201	11.37
Apartment 2	202-238	9.17
Apartment 3	239-314	10.73

---

Running Total: 5579.79 USD (RMB 38158.5)
Daily Average: 17.77 USD (RMB 121.5)

“Travel Week” 41-42

Days 281-297

The days blur together and it is hard to tell the passage of time. I’ve taken up running on the M/W/F schedule when I am allowed to go outside. Police stationed in the park occasionally check my documents to confirm that I am out on the allowed days. Some afternoons reach a balmy 20 degrees, but the occasional cold front reminds me that it is still technically winter.

Carrefour	1480
Onions, carrots, tomatoes, peppers	180
Total:	1660 ARS (USD 17.02)

Nothing much exciting other than a bunch of impulse purchases including alfajores (which I have been craving forever), cookies, and donuts filled with dulce de leche.

Fruit, broccoli, cabbage	280
Total:	USD 2.87

Carrefour	1970
Onions and bell pepper	70
Total:	2040 ARS (USD 20.91)

This shopping trip was a little expensive because I was out of coffee beans again and bought a 500g bag at the supermarket (600+ pesos) to save money after a month of “fancy” coffee.

Atomo	730
Salad and citrus	220
Total:	950 ARS (USD 9.74)

In which I discover that the dried beans and popcorn at the Atomo cost 10-30 pesos less than at Carrefour.

Chicken	100
Broccoli, ginger	110
Total	220 ARS (USD 2.26)

I make butter chicken. It is delicious.

Carrefour	860
Total:	USD 8.82

I also pick up cash at the Western Union inside the Carrefour at an amazing new exchange rate of 119 pesos to the dollar. The alfajores are on sale (70% off second box of six) and I ruin my diet over the weekend on top of the steak, salad and pasta.

---

Since the rent for this period was accounted for in the last post, you can see that I average 3.62 per day on food.

---

Running Total: 5431.04 USD (RMB 37555.6)
Daily Average: 18.29 USD (RMB 126.4)

“Travel” Week 38-40

Days: 260-280

Carrefour

894 ARS (USD 9.16)

Really went in for the junk food on this shopping trip with potato chips, cookies, and cereal on top of my fairly regular purchases of eggs, milk, steak, cheese and popcorn. No wonder I’ve been having trouble with my weight these past three weeks.

Atomo	300
Vegetables (onion, carrot, celery, potatoes, tomato)	230
Total:	530 ARS (USD 5.43)

After the comfort food weekend, I decided to pivot with a big pot of vegetable soup. The Atomo lacks the selection of the Carrefour, but I can always count on it for deeply discounted butter.

Produce

350 ARS (USD 3.59)

I seem to have forgotten to jot down my purchase in my notes, but I know I had to have gone out to buy something this day because after eating soup for two days, I ate salad for most of the rest of the week before subsisting on rice and chickpeas over the weekend. The number seems a bit high considering my average spend at the produce shop is about 200 pesos, but that is the difference between what I have in my pocket and what I picked up at the Western Union.

Airbnb (31 days, July 18-Aug 18)

221.24 USD

Carrefour

1260 ARS (USD 12.92)

Once again caving into my sweet tooth, I picked up dulce de leche, a package of medialunas from the bakery section and raisin bran.

Wine and olive oil	620
Cherry tomatoes	20
Total:	640 ARS (USD 6.56)

It finally occurs to me that although the Chinese supermarket has a couple of reasonable priced bottles of wine, most of the items are slightly more expensive than Carrefour or Atomo (because they are rounded up to increments of 5). Though, they have a reasonable priced bottle of olive oil (180 pesos), so that was something.

Laundry	400
Coffee beans	800
Carrefour Hypermarket	1420
Total:	2620 ARS (USD 26.86)

It must have been at least two months since I last had clothes professionally laundered, so even though I only wear jeans to go outside and I don’t go outside much, they were starting to get pretty grubby. One of the five cafes between my apartment and the Carrefour Hypermarket had a sign advertising retail sale of coffee beans, which turned out to be both more expensive and not as tasty as the Starbucks, so I won’t be patronizing that shop again. At the Carrefour, I bought AAA batteries for my scale, which despite being on sale, still cost me an arm and a leg. Having broken two of the three drinking glasses in the apartment (tipping over in the sink while doing dishes), I bought some new cheap and on sale glasses as well. Finally, because the Carrefour happened to have jalepenos in the produce section, I decided to make fajitas, salsa, refried beans, and burritos over the weekend. And, aha! I also forgot to note the produce run for tomatoes and onions, the cost of which is already included in the mystery shopping trip above. That is the problem of a reliable produce shop one block away, I can go and come back so fast I forget to write down what I spent.

Atomo	970
Fruit and salad	200
Total:	1170 ARS (USD 11.99)

I went to the Atomo because I wanted wine, which averages 20 pesos cheaper per equivalent bottle in the Carrefour. I also discovered on this shopping trip that the dried beans are also notably cheaper (74-79 pesos a bag instead of 99). I picked up some steaks and chirizo as well. In the produce shop, I stocked up on grapefruit and mandarin oranges, which I have been eating a lot of the last few weeks since they seem to be the most “in season” of the fruits.

---

Despite the worse exchange rate, it appears my average daily spend during this period is just under 11 dollars, which is slightly better than the last post.

---

Running Total: 5369.42 USD (RMB 37,452.8)
Daily Average: 19.18 USD (RMB 133.8)

“Travel” Week 35-37

Days: 239-259

The new location, dubbed “Scandinavian” in the Airbnb listing was nicely decorated and more suitable for hunkering down for the coldest, darkest months of the year.

Rent (30 days)

221.24 USD

The apartment was to the west of town, two blocks off the main bar street and closer to Parque San Martin. I saved myself the trouble of taking an Uber and walked my stuff over in two trips (about a 15 minute walk). Though I had reached out to the hosts about a cash price, the blue exchange rate they wanted for dollars to pesos meant it was cheaper to just put it on my credit card with Airbnb’s slightly more than 10% service fee.

Atomo	850
Carrefour Hypermarket	2460
Beer	120
Total	3430 ARS (USD 32.48)

I went a little bit crazy on my shopping and if I had grabbed a single stick of gum at the Carrefour, I wouldn’t have had enough cash to pay the bill. I invested a few dollars in buying a kitchen towel, garbage bags, and cooking utensils because despite the large kitchen, my hygge home had a cold kitchen. Where I really went overboard was the craving to do a picada platter over the weekend (salami, cheeses, olives with wine). Of course, I also took advantage of the reopening of the bars and my proximity to try a pint craft beer. It was a disappointing experience. If table service in Argentina was sketchy before the pandemic, it is a virtual nightmare now.

Carrefour	440
Vegetables	120
Total	560 ARS (USD 5.30)

Mostly just replenishing milk, eggs, and yogurt, but I also sprung for a bag of potato chips. I decided that I should relax and allow myself some sort of treat with each shopping trip.

Chinese supermarket	580
Garlic	40
Total:	620 ARS (USD 5.87)

I mostly just stocked up on wine at the Chinese supermarket, which for some reason has the best selection of cheaper bottles. I picked up something I thought was popcorn (one of my current addictions) but it turned out to be some other form of dried corn, which I later followed the recipe on the back to make a creamy soup.

Carrefour

911 ARS (USD 8.63)

I normally don’t buy fruits or vegetables at the supermarket because the prices are too high, but I found some apples, navel oranges, and prepped salad significant discounts applied. This was the beginning of my “pasta week” where I decided to cook a different pasta dish every day, beginning with using up the leftover curry lentils that were hanging out in my fridge.

Starbucks	610
Milk & Cheese (at Carrefour)	190
Total:	800 ARS (USD 7.57)

I picked up new cash from the Western Union at a much worse rate than my last transaction. For fun, I tried to spend all my old cash across the Starbucks (it is so nice to drink something other than supermarket coffee) and getting the cheese and milk I needed to make macaroni and cheese from scratch. Having exactly 210 pesos I went into the Carrefour and picked up 211.96 worth of goods, counting on them rounding down to be exact. However, at the register, the cheese scanned at a higher price. Fortunately, Carrefour has a policy that they refund you twice the difference between the label and the register.

Atomo	478
Carrots, apples, bell pepper	200
Total	678 ARS (USD 6.95)

I picked up chorizo, white wine, and more spices at the Atomo to make a bolognese sauce and went to a fruteria in the neighborhood. I took a run at the park in the afternoon because the weather was fair.

Suprema (boneless, skinless chicken breast)	200
Lettuce, cherry tomatoes, mandarin oranges	100
Total:	300 ARS (USD 3.07)

Tried out a new community shop where the meat counter and vegetable counter are separate. I was pleased with the prices and selection. It’s easier when the vegetables are all laid out with names and prices on them. After a week of pasta, I need a lot more salads in my life.

Carrefour Hypermarket	1420
Apples, lettuce, bell pepper	160
Total:	1580 ARS (USD 16.20)

Needing to fancy up my salads, I got some cheese, sliced olives, and a seed mix on top of my regular random shopping. It turned out to be much more than I was expecting, but after three weeks, I needed to restock a bunch of shelf-stable foods.

---

Since I paid a whole month, but this post only covers three weeks, I’d have to prorate the rent to estimate my daily expenses. It looks like I am still living quite cheap at about 11.50 a day. I could definitely be living cheaper if I stayed in the last apartment, but this one is much nicer. I get to actually enjoy Netflix on a TV screen!

---

Running Total: 5071.67 USD (RMB 35510.8)
Daily Average: 19.58 USD (RMB 137.1)

“Travel” Weeks 29-34

Days 202-238:

The new place was a bit of a disaster zone, with empty coke bottles mixed into the pile of used sheets and dirty dishes stacked up in the sink. There was also no door handle on the unit, the hot water heater broke after the first use, and I spent the first 5 days showering with cold water until the landlady’s son was able to fix the unit.

Uber to apartment

USD 1.50 + 10 ARS

Laundry	250
Carrefour	2060
Don Pedro (vegetables)	400
Total:	2710 ARS (USD 25.67)

I’d been making due with hand washing and rewearing indoor clothes, but I reached the point where I needed to freshen up. The Carrefour bill was especially high because I needed more coffee beans (602 pesos) and I splurged on the second cheapest bottle of whisky (361), plus steaks and cheese.

Carrefour

1511.75 ARS

The Carrefour market is on the same block and easy to get to, so the French retailer gets my money. Highlights include steak, ground beef, and IPAs.

Carrefour	1004
Contact lenses	1100
Total:	2104 ARS (USD 19.93)

Despite mostly wearing glasses, it was time to change out my contact lenses again. Fortunately, many shops were opening back up and it was easy to buy a pair. I went to a bigger Carrefour to look at their kitchen utensils, buying a spatula and a new knife (which still turned out to be pretty dull).

Carrefour

864 ARS

Shopping highlights include Quilmes beer on sale, cooking oil and liquid hand soap.

Laundry

400 ARS

I took the pile of dirty sheets that had been left to me to the cleaners… it turned out to be three sets of linens.

Rent for 15 days

9000 ARS

I chickened out of asking for a discount on the next period of rent despite suffering through a lack of hot water, inheriting a dirty apartment, and racking up charges on cleaning supplies.

Atomo	710
Carrefour	1052
Vegetables	330
Total:	2092 ARS (USD 19.81)

When I realized I had loosened the purse strings a bit too much in the first week and a half of living in the apartment, I made myself go a whole week without shopping for more food (and more importantly, alcohol). Atomo is another supermarket, which sells much cheaper spices than anywhere else, but for other items (especially eggs) the Carrefour is cheaper. I dropped 334 on new toothpaste, dental floss and mouth wash.

Carrefour

666 ARS

For some reason, I decided to buy oatmeal (137) and a jar of peanut butter (230). I ended up eating all the peanut butter within three days.

Carrefour

412 ARS

Highlights include chicken breasts and a jar of dulce de leche, which I also basically just ate with a spoon over the next couple of days.

Atomo	957
Produce	200
Chili peppers	10
Total:	1167 ARS (USD 11.05)

I wanted to make chili, which took some work tracking down something picante. The Atomo had a great sale on Patagonia beer, but the discount didn’t come up directly at the cash register, so I had to actually speak more than “si” and “no” for the first time in however long. I also really splurged on the chili, buy ground beef and a big chunk of beef for stewing.

Carrefour	700
Rent for 7 more days	4500
Total:	5200 ARS (USD 49.24)

The only exciting purchase was that I decided to invest in a pepper grinder (170). I also decided that I would rather move to a different apartment with nicer furnishings, so I had to pay an extra week to bridge the gap until the next apartment becomes available.

---

So I spent grand total of US$249.22* over these 37 days, plus the previous expenses for this chunk of time equals 339.28, so I averaged USD$ 9.17 a day in living costs.

*this includes the 19 cents of credit card foreign currency transaction fees for taking the three Uber trips.

---

Running Total: 4764.36 USD (RMB 33783.1)
Daily Average: 20.02 USD (RMB 141.9)

“Travel” Weeks 27-28

Days 187-201 (Q39-Q53):

I bid adieu to my French and German housemates when it was time once again to relocate. It’s amazing how “hot” the rental market is during a national shutdown. I was worried that my costs were going to go up, but I found a charming one bedroom apartment at a great price and with only one consumer of food in the house, it was easy to splurge on items and milk them for their full value.

Uber to Apartment	120
Rent (15 days)	10600
Chinese supermarket	660
Vegetables	60

Atomo supermarket

1200

With the introduction of a new restriction that you are only allowed outside of the house to shop or walk depending on the last digit of your DNI (documento nacional identidad), the Chinese owner of the shop I prefer banned me from the shop for being a foreigner.

Carrefour	1468
Vegetables	170

Atomo

851

Rent (15 days)	9000
Round trip Uber	305* + 30 (tip)

Someone booked out my apartment right out from under me, but I was able to find a new one for the next chapter of the quarantine life. I had to get more cash and go pick up the keys to the place from a suburb of Mendoza. I’ll have to update this when I see how much the Uber really costs.

15 day total

24464 ARS ~USD 260.37 (1844.4 RMB)

---

Running Total: 4515.14 USD (RMB 31983.9)
Daily Average: 22.46 USD (RMB 159.1)

Because the daily average for the trip as a whole doesn’t reflect the current reality, I was curious about my daily expenses in each of my living situations:

Location	Days	Daily Average (USD)
Hostel	148-159	9.70
House 1	160-174	12.95
House 2	175-186	14.42
Apartment 1	187-201	11.37

“Travel” Week 26 +/-

Days 175-186 (Q27-Q38)

Don Pedro groceries	680
Rent (12 days)	9200 ARS
Shared Cost Normalization	1800 ARS
Don Pedro veggies	220
Don Pedro	65
Carrefour	560
Vegetables	80
Pizza and beer (groceries)	1270
Ice cream (delivery)	540
Total:	14415 ARS (173.09 USD) (RMB 1225.4)

We had to move to a different Airbnb house because the previous one was booked by someone else (despite a nationwide lockdown). The owner insisted that we pay three nights through the Airbnb platform, which cost almost as much as the cash price for the remaining nine days. With the higher daily price and losing my privilege of the master bedroom, I suddenly became more aware of the extra costs incurred by my profligate housemates, who a lot of things I don’t yet I am on the hook for paying for. When one made a 4,000 peso grocery trip to buy wine, salami, cheese, and 8 overpriced imported grapefruits, I made a decision that I would be responsible for my own meals and expenses. We settled up the expense sheet and without me cooking for them everyday, they figured out how to stretch that last subsidized grocery order. Meanwhile, I started a diet in which I cut alcohol and carbs, and began twice daily cardio in the home gym. I definitely let the diet go in the last week and traded pizza and ice cream for a final Sunday asado.

---

It was a bit more expensive to live in this house, but still under 14.50 USD per day for this period.

---

Running Total: 4254.77 USD (RMB 30122)
Daily Average: 22.87 USD (RMB 161.9)

Travel Weeks 24-25

Days 161-174 (Q13-Q26)

Shared expenses	4278
Coffee beans	660
Total:	4938 ARS (63.72 USD) (RMB 449.2)

Sharing a house with two roommates for (an additional) two weeks of quarantine in Mendoza, we decided to split costs. We have a log of what we spend on stuff and will figure out the differences at a later time. I am a much more frugal shopper, so I will have to adjust these figures when this is all over.

---

Despite paying more per night for the house, I’m averaging under 13 dollars a day.

---

Running Total: 4081.68 USD (RMB 28772.6)
Daily Average: 23.46 USD (RMB 165.4)

Travel Week 23

Day 155 (Q7):

No expenses.

Day 156 (Q8):

Pizza and empanadas	340 ARS
Total:	4.39 USD (RMB 31)

Shared a dinner order with someone from the hostel.

Day 157 (Q9):

Ice cream	100 ARS
Total:	1.29 USD (RMB 9.1)

Really getting the hang of ordering food online.

Day 158 (Q10):

Asado	600 ARS
Total:	7.74 USD (RMB 54.6)

I guess Sunday’s are asado days. The mood in the hostel is considerable more sombre than the previous week and only half as many people share in the food.

Day 159 (Q11):

No expenses.

Day 160 (Q12):

Uber	60
Airbnb (15 nights)	500 + 119.22 USD
Hamburger	320
Total:	130.57 USD (RMB 920.4)

This was supposed to be the last day of the quarantine, which was extended through Easter. Fortunately, I ganged up with a couple of other travelers in the hostel to share a house booked through Airbnb. This was necessary because the hostel had told us both that they were going to raise the rates on us and close down for a week, effectively kicking everyone out.

---

Running Total: 4017.96 USD (RMB 28323.4)
Daily Average: 25.11 USD (RMB 177)

Travel Week 22

Day 148:

Parrillada Lunch	600
Vegetables	100
Total:	700 ARS (9.03 USD) (RMB 63.9)

The last day before an expected nationwide travel shut down cast a somber mood over the city, but I managed to go out for one last restaurant meal. The restaurant I wanted to go to was already shuttered, but I still was able to splurge on a barbecue set of three cuts of meat. Returning to the hostel, I was notified that I and the only other remaining guest were to be transferred to a sister hostel within the hour. In the evening, the president of Argentina makes an address and announces the entire country will be on lockdown as of midnight.

Day 149 (Q1):

Groceries	790
Salad	30
Total:	820 ARS (10.58 USD) (RMB 74.8)

Though the nation is on quarantine, not much seems to have changed in the street as I make one trip out to stock up on food at the Chinese-ran supermarket, which had full shelves and zero customers. Quite the contrast to the scenes of panic in supermarkets from the morning news. There was a police checkpoint on a main road with 30+ machine gun armed officers checking drivers in both directions.

Day 150 (Q2):

Hostel Extension (8 nights?)	2800
Empanadas	420
Total:	3220 ARS (41.55 USD) (RMB 293.9)

I had booked accommodation at the hostel through Sunday, at which time I planned to possibly move to an Airbnb. With the nationwide lockdown, all the Airbnb listings were removed from the website, so I missed my opportunity. Fortunately, I was able to haggle with the hostel to keep a decent price on accommodation when they asked me to pay for the rest of the month. Considering I am getting a four-bed dorm (to myself) with a private patio and bathroom, it is a really good deal. I order empanadas online through the newly downloaded PedidosYa app, which is easy enough to use though substandard.

Day 151 (Q3):

Asado	500
Total:	500 ARS (6.45 USD) (RMB 45.6)

There are 10 guests in the hostel, and we pool our money to buy meat to grill up for Sunday lunch. There is wine, salad, and bread as well. I cook up a pot of ranchero beans, but no one eats them.

Day 152 (Q4):

No expenses incurred as I eat rice, beans, and some leftover meat. The hostel staff tells us we are to remain in our rooms. Apparently the other guests partied until 7am resulting in the police being called. Police do come by in the afternoon to check our documents and explain the quarantine rules to us (which are not nearly as strict as told in the morning).

Day 153 (Q5):

Subway Avocado Salad	300
Total:	300 ARS (3.87 USD) (RMB 27.4)

I eat left over rice for lunch and I order a salad from Subway on PedidosYa for dinner. I tip generously. Not enough lettuce but a generous amount of mashed avocado. Even with the tip, roughly the same price it would cost in China.

Day 154 (Q6):

Contact Solution	506
Groceries	1252+951-420
Beer	150
Total:	2439 ARS (31.47 USD) (RMB 222.6)

I get a chance to go outside and do some shopping (carrying a shopping list for a Spanish couple living at the hostel) because I desperately needed contact solution and coffee. I buy plenty of alcohol, but also break down and pay the hostel for an overpriced beer. The Chinese-run supermarket is closed, so I am stuck shopping at Carrefour.

---

This is one way to save money (17/day for the week), but I doubt I’ll ever get my daily average down to 20 bucks a day.

---

Running Total: 3873.97 USD (RMB 27404.1)
Daily Average: 25.16 USD (RMB 177.9)