SO much love to all my beautiful friends and family, new and old, who helped make my adieu one I wont soon forget.

It you look at the top of the page you’ll see a shiny new sticker.  This sticker is attached to a store link.  This store link takes you to the store.  Here are many (3) different wondrous (stylish) items for your purchase and use. As soon as we start to run low on these not only will we restock them, but we will ADD MORE/NEW ITEMS.  Even more of a reason to buy.

On a more serious note, we don’t make a lot of money (none, none at all. oh sweet lord do we lose money doing this) and purchases in the store go straight to helping things keep running and making sure you get to see seasons 5, 6 and beyond released in all their jet-setting, poverty filled, culture exploring glory.

If you’ve got a suggestion for something you want to see in the store (hats, robes, wizard robes, skateboards, 40 cozys) just email us at – web@jetsetzero.tv and we’ll see what we can do to help make your dream come true.

I will just say that being sick is great for the wallet. I was taken down with a nasty stomach bug so for a couple days I didn’t really eat much. Spent a lot of time lying on my bed which was conveniently located right next to the bathroom. Although because I was so weak, I spent more on motor-taxis as I kept attending my classes but didn’t have the energy to actually walk there myself. Oh yeah, and I GOT PAID THIS WEEK! YAY!

For my second week (Nov 25-Dec 1), I spent an average of $13.88 per day (263,700 dong/day). Compare that with an average of $20.54/day from last week. This is directly linked to the fact that I was ill so my beer and food consumption went sharply down and I managed to sneak into the Loreto Fest to see Ratatat which was normally a $25 ticket. Here’s a general breakdown of where it went:

lunch/dinner at restaurants: $30.26 for the week, average of $4.32/day

water/snacks/drinks/groceries for breakfast: $9.95 for the week, average of $1.42/day

beer: $0 (you now know how sick I really was)

taxis and buses: $15.85 for the week, average of $2.26/day

motorcycle rental: $1.32 for one day

hotel accommodation: $42.41 for the week, or $6.06/night

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So, for my fourth week, I spent $99.79. I got my first paycheque which was 7,000,000 dong ($368.00). My balance from the end of week three was $72.59, so that leaves me at $340.80. I have started renting a motorbike ($1.32/day), but that will actually work out cheaper than the taxis I’ve been taking. Now if I can just manage not to kill myself…

A bit of a bummer is that our accommodation cost is going up. We had an “arrangement” to fix the price, but apparently the owner forgot about that initial conversation and effective December 1st, our housing is going up by 20% for the remainder of our time here (for “high season”). It’s a bit late to start looking for a proper apartment (we’re only here for two more months), and we all really like it where we are so we will probably suck it up. Still not cool, though, Hai Ha!

For my second week (Nov 18-24), I spent an average of $20.54 per day (3.655 million dong).  Here’s a general breakdown:

lunch/dinner at restaurants: $34.05 for the week, average of $4.86/day

water/snacks/drinks/groceries for breakfast: $9.27 for the week, average of $1.32/day

cover charge for clubs and beer: $21.97 for the week, average of $3.14/day

taxis: $11.80 for the week, average of $1.69/day

gambling: $5.62 (lost a bet)

1 hr massage: $12.36 including tip

hotel accommodation: $42.41 for the week, or $6.06/night

unaccounted for: $6.30

I’m planning on getting a motorbike this week which will save me on taxis…it will cost me about $8.50/week to rent my own. Easy choice if you’re willing to brave the traffic.  I also separated the beer budget out because lumping it in with groceries and snacks is simply misleading.  And I’ve been drinking a lot more beer lately.

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So, for my second week, I spent $143.78.  My balance from the end of week one was $216.37, so that leaves me $72.59. I will have to dip into the credit card until I get paid because the money won’t stretch until the 1st of the month.  But my first paycheque will be about $364.00 so I’ll catch up with that.  But waiting until the 1st of the month to get paid will screw me for a bit…December will be tight but then my cheque in January should be over $1300.  The idea is more longterm…

For my second week (Nov 11-17), I spent an average of $19.69 per day (2.454 million dong).  Here’s a general breakdown:

lunch/dinner at restaurants: $36.91 for the week, average of $5.27/day

water/snacks/beer/groceries for breakfast: $27.81 for the week, average of $3.97/day (to be honest, the majority of this is beer)

taxis: $5.06 for the week, average of $0.72/day (this was 3 separate rides!)

sightseeing: $0.84 (War Remnants Museum)

tailors: $17.98 for two custom made shirts

hotel accommodation: $42.41 for the week, or $6.06/night

unaccounted for: $6.80 (give me a break, I’m not an accountant, all right?)

Considerations:  3 days a week, I will be teaching at a school quite far north from where we are.  It’s around $2.25 roundtrip for a taxi, which works out to close to $30/month, or I could rent a motorcycle for around $50/month.  I’m currently having a dilemma about which route to take.  For just a bit more every month I could have my own vehicle which would be awesome, but you are taking your life into your hands every time you enter traffic here and I’m not sure I’m a skilled enough motorcyclist to pull it off. We’ll see.

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So, for my second week, I spent $137.87.  My balance from the end of week one was $354.24, so that leaves me $216.37. Hopefully I get paid soon and the balance starts going up!

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Nov 4                                                      Nov 5                                                    Nov 6

4000 ice cream                                      30,000 pho lunch                             75,000 2 new shirts

20,000 ice tea                                         6,000 medicine                                 52,000 Thai lunch

54,000 Indian food for lunch             27,000 resumes printed                 65,000 rabbit dinner and beers

8,500 new handbag                              40,000 tea for two                           190,000 beer (big night out)

12,000 groceries (soap, fruit, etc.)     80,000 Thai dinner                        5,000 fudgsicle

6,500 pho dinner and dessert              7,000 chips                                 108,000 accommodation

108,000 accommodation                     202,000 massage and pedicure

.                                                             108,000 accommodation

TOTAL: 213,000 dong ($11.83)           TOTAL:  500,000 dong ($27.77)      TOTAL: 495,000 ($27.50)

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Nov 7                                                      Nov 8                                                          Nov 9

70,000 moto-taxi                               150,000 Mekong tour                            38,000 pho lunch

53,000 Thai lunch                             35,000 dinner                                          288,000 cell phone

20,000 taxi                                     108,000 accommodation                     22,000 avocado shake/H2O

40,000 Vietnamese dinner                                                                                    150,000 groceries

42,000 dessert (sundae)                                                                                         20,000 taxi

8,000 water                                                                                                        108,000 accommodation

108,000 accommodation

TOTAL: 341,000 dong ($18.94)     TOTAL: 293,000 dong ($16.28)   TOTAL: 626,000 dong ($34.77)

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Nov 10

40,000 Indian lunch

40,000 taxi (to and from job interviews)

50,000 dinner

80,000 taxi (to and from airport)

108,000 accommodation

TOTAL: 318,000 dong ($17.67)

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Started with $500, spent $154.76, which leave me with $345.24.  Luckily I start work on Saturday.

So that gives me an average of $22.11 spent per day.  Of course, there are certain start-up costs when you land somewhere, like a cell phone lots of taxis while you get oriented with a city.  I only anticipate my budget to tighten up, but there is always the possibility that as I meet more people, that will mean more social time (read: beer), so we will see!