How to Live on a Budget in Spain as an Auxiliar de Conversación
If you’re planning to move to Spain to work as an auxiliar de conversación, you might be interested in learning some tips for how to live on a budget in Spain.
Auxiliares de conversación receive stipends from the Spanish Ministry of Education in exchange for serving as language assistants in bilingual schools throughout the country. These stipends are consistent with competitive hourly wages in Spain, but since auxiliares only work about twelve to sixteen hours per week, it only comes out to part-time compensation.
As a result, auxiliares often need to live on a budget, especially if they plan to set aside some money to travel.
So if you plan to work in Spain as an auxiliar de conversación, and if you plan to do some traveling during weekends and breaks, you’ll want to be sure to learn how to live on a budget in Spain.
In this post, I share my top five tips for living on a budget as an auxiliar de conversación in Spain. These tips are based on my own experiences and are only meant to serve entertainment purposes.
I’m no expert on budgeting. I’ve just lived in Spain for a school year as an auxiliar de conversación. And since I had to budget, myself, I figured I’d share about how I did just that.
This list is by no means comprehensive. But hopefully, it can get you to start thinking about helpful ways to cut corners, save money, and live on a budget in Spain.
1. Choose where to live wisely, as the cost of living varies widely throughout Spain.
First and foremost, if you’re serious about living on a budget in Spain, you’ll want to be careful in the process of deciding where exactly to live. You ought to research the cost of living (including rental and grocery prices) in the areas where you’re considering moving to.
The cost of living varies widely throughout Spain. And living on an auxiliar de conversación stipend in a city with a higher cost of living can quickly eat into a monthly budget.
Of course, bigger cities tend to be pricier than smaller towns, especially in terms of rent, but this isn’t true across the board. So be sure to do your own research regarding cost of living when you’re weighing the pros and cons of living in different places in Spain.
2. Eat in.
A great way to stick to save money while living in Spain (or most places, for that matter) is to eat in. Rather than spending extra money going out to eat, opt for buying groceries and cooking your own food at home.
Of course, living in Spain, it’s exciting to think about going out to eat all the time—and taking full advantage of those yummy tapas. And I definitely recommend budgeting some money to take yourself out to eat to try the local cuisines.
But making a habit of eating out can quickly eat into a budget. So just try cooking your own food at home and eating in as much as possible.
I’ve saved a lot of money this way, so I highly recommend it.
3. Take advantage of Too Good To Go.
Now, if you’re looking to cut corners even more, you can get cheap food in many places in Spain through Too Good To Go.
Too Good To Go allows grocery stores, bakeries, and restaurants to sell their slightly older food items at discounted prices. So it’s a great way to get groceries and baked goods on a budget.
Users can even see reviews from other Too Good To Go customers to see just how good of a deal is offered by each participating business.
To save extra money on groceries, consider using Too Good To Go.
4. Plan your travels in advance.
If you’re like me, you’ll want to be sure to travel during your breaks as an auxiliar de conversación. And to do so, you’ll more than likely need to be very intentional about traveling on a budget.
If you plan out your travels in advance, you’re much more likely to be able to take advantage of deals and cheaper prices, especially for flights and other forms of public transport.
I know it can be fun to play things by ear and go with the flow as far as travel, but that’s not necessarily the most effective way to ensure your trips are budget-friendly. Instead, see if you can spot any cheap flights (or train tickets, or lodging, etc.) far in advance to cut costs.
5. Be flexible with your travel plans.
Here’s another tip for traveling on a budget: be as flexible as possible with your travel plans.
If you’re set on visiting a certain city on a certain weekend, you’ll be stuck with whatever limited prices are available. Whereas if you know you want to travel during a certain weekend, but you’re flexible as far as location, you’re more likely to be able to find a cheaper option. Likewise, if you know you want to visit a certain place, but you’re flexible as to when exactly to make the trip, you’ll likely have more options as far as prices.
Google Flights is a helpful tool for filtering by location or by dates to find the least expensive options.
I hope these tips help you think about how to live on a budget in Spain as an auxiliar de conversación.
Happy budgeting, and safe travels!
