So, how exactly do worldschooling families afford their lifestyle? There is no single answer; everybody eventually finds their own way. For most, it sure does not look like a vacation. Sorry, no fancy drinks served pool-side. But, in our experience, the travel life seems to work itself out if you keep patiently trying, tweaking, and re-inventing.
We are currently on a travel break, taking a pandemic breather at our home base in the Bay Area. Today was kitchen cleaning day, and I am pleased to report that my three kids can really handle a mop. They pulled a whole day's workload for housekeeping. Since homeschooling takes us less than 3 hours a day, my kids share full responsibility for chores and cooking. This working-kids-concept totally rocks, especially when I compare it to our previous life, when childcare, extracurricular activities, and housekeeping were huge expenses for me. Having the kids pull their weight saves me from the traditional 9-5 drudgery, and it raises realistic, capable kids with fewer entitlement issues.
But, if your traditional life with kids is already incredibly expensive, how does one even begin to think about world schooling? Here it is, the big secret we were keeping from you: First, you make some significant changes. Then, you make many small changes every day. And lastly, make sure you like rice and beans.
For the significant changes, some families have sold all their belongings and live off those funds for some years. Others rent their homes out and live off the rental income. There is house-swapping for those who do not want to rent or sell their home. Many worldschoolers are working as they travel. Work comes in various shapes and forms; there are the digital nomads, the barter families, and the slow traveling folks finding local jobs. One trick is to earn your income in pricey US dollars while living at a destination with a lower cost base. Most worldschooler families probably use a mixture of these various strategies over time.
I believe that a big part of the magic lies in attaining a more simple life. And yes, simple can mean eating a lot of beans and rice or traveling the budget route with three stopovers where you sleep on airport floors (and there is an App for that). But simplicity is much more. Simplicity is when you own your schedule, and when you lug less worldly possessions, and when you school your children - there is a richness that comes with simplicity.
When you start, there is probably more complexity than simplicity. Most of my coaching clients first approach the perceived complexity of their financial situation with hesitation, so I suggest to take the journey in little steps and to mix up the paperwork with some more lighthearted assignments. One exercise to get the energy flowing on the subject of money is to look for hidden treasures. That's treasures like gift cards, vouchers, almost forgotten reimbursements, and little stashes of coins. Do you have an HSA or FSA medical expense account and some receipts to submit? How about travel expenses from work? Or can you find any gift cards or vouchers in a drawer somewhere? Where does your family stash their coins? These are fun questions to explore, while you start doing your more complex homework. Do you have any toys or clothes to sell? My kids invest the weekly "treasure hunt" money they find in penny stock for added growth opportunities. With less access to banks and coins during the pandemic, we found the Acorns App and love it. It offers various fun micro-investing options, including roll-ups and investment accounts for each family kid. Follow the link for $5 for both of us.
Below I am listing some questions, some food for thought, challenging your status quo, and broadening your thinking to lifestyle options:
Housing:
In what ways can you impact your housing budget to save money for traveling? Can you change your mortgage payment? Can you have a roommate? What is the most radical thing you could do about housing?
Transport:
How can you change your transportation expenses? Can you save on gas or insurance? Can you rideshare? Do you even need a car? What would you do with your car once you start traveling?
Food:
This category includes groceries, snacks, eating out, the office/school lunch money. And if you are a Starbucks aficionado, don't forget to log your pricey treats.
Questioning these biggest three expense buckets of housing, transportation, and food is an exercise to imagine and manifest a different lifestyle. I find it very meaningful to convert these numbers from monthly to daily, to manage our family's budget. Define your cap for overall daily spending, where you are now and where you want to be. Capture your status quo, and then create your goal, the budget you will travel on. Start watching your checking account, write down, and question every single expense item. Figure out whether it will support a traveling lifestyle or whether to get rid of it. Which payments would go away once you travel? Start right now to live without them; cut the cable TV, get rid of the phone landline, and optimize your cell phone plan.
There are many other small changes you can make every day to afford world schooling. The food category is my go-to place for daily savings because my family enjoys cooking from scratch together. Home-made pizza for a family of four costs roughly $5.00-$7.00 total, depending on the toppings. Around here, a basic pizza runs $16.00 plus $4.00 for delivery. Big difference. And how much are you spending on a loaf of bread? We bake our own for roughly $1, using a pound of flour ($ 0.70) and 1/4 cup of oil ($0.30) plus a few cents in sugar, salt, and yeast.
What? You don't have the time to bake bread? Hmm, yes, one does need to find the time to save the little dollars each day. Once you work less, you will have more time, and with more time on your hands, you can spend less. Better yet, teach your kids to bake the bread.
Imagine a new life, a life without child care, in countries that don't have fast food or amusement parks, no need to pay tutors, babysitters, house cleaners. Double-check your dreams now: Do you really enjoy spending time with your kids? Can you imagine a life without Starbucks? It's a process, it's a lot of thoughtful choices, but in the end, your new slower and simpler life will be a lot less costly.
The numbers play out differently in each family. If you can run your show on $3,000 per month (100$ per day in both income and expenses), the averages would indicate that you will spend about $1,000 for housing (book campsites for $33 a night), about $500 for transport or travel (about $16 in gas a day) and roughly $400 for food per month. That is $13 per day, which means a lot of rice and beans. And the remaining $1,100 is for everything else: savings, healthcare, cellphone, clothes, gear.
When we look at it all in terms of dollars per day, it becomes easier to stick to the budget. It enables our many small changes each day. Each time we skip Starbucks, each time we handwash the car, each time we boondock with the RV, we know it's for a good reason. Each night we rent out the converted-to-guest rooms in our house, each hour we rent out our pool to pandemic swimmers (there is an App for that!), each day we clean the house without the help of a housekeeper, we know it's all the single dollars that add up so we can bug out and go walkabout tomorrow.
About the author:
Born and raised in Europe, Insa is a world-schooling mom of three, a polyglot nomad, and a life & career coach. After decades of working for global corporations, she now explores the surprising revelations of a life adrift. She blogs on Kids on Walkabout.