Sure, occasionally, I write a check and there are situations that I use my debit card, but for the most part it's ALL rupees.
At first adapting to the exchange rate makes your HEAD spin. When someone tells you that a bottle of wine is Rs. 2800 you have NO idea how to quickly calculate in your head that it totals approximately $56 USD.
The newspaper man comes to collect his payment and you shell out Rs. 110, then Rs. 100 to the guy that comes to collect your trash, then Rs. 60 to the woman who sweeps the street in front of your house, then Rs. this and Rs. that ... after a couple of days, you realize that your recent ATM withdrawal didn't even last you the week.
I am totally a cash-less girl ... so much so that my wallet VERY rarely ever contained cash back in the States.
This has taken some getting used to, for sure!
I've decided that one thing that will take HIGH priority for my time while I'm here ... is our budget. That's kind of hard to do for me ... to maintain a budget ... (Husb - when you read this, don't keel over in laughter!) and even harder when everything is paid by cash.
I've finagled a pretty sorry looking "wallet" with lime green poster board dividers in it (following the envelope system) labeled with each necessary category (i.e. activities, terran lunch, groceries, clothes, snacks, naomi lunch, etc.). We will just have to SEE how this works (or rather, how long this lasts!).
My plan is that twice a month, I will withdraw the amount of cash that coincides with the budget needs (or should I say budget requirements, since "needs" describes things like more earrings, one more lime fizz soda and an extra date night with husb) for every two weeks.
I will cut down on random trips to the ATM, be more cognizant of my spending here and be more frugal with my "therapy" .... otherwise known as 'lunch with the girls' and shopping trips to the crafts market.
I will be more effective at saving for some special family goals and will be better about not making purchases based on our 'need' to self-medicate our Delhi woes away.
Anyone want to hold me to it? Anyone want to join in? See if we can't stick to a budget for say ... 30 days?
