Story time with Meagan:
Back in college, I worked a banquet job that paid me minimum wage with part-time hours. Each paycheck barely gave me enough money to pay my basic bills each month – forget about splurging on fun things. After college, I didn’t really have a job there for a while. I cautiously counted my pennies, and splurging was absolutely out of the question. Then when I did get a great paying job, I began saving for this trip. I was ruthlessly rigid on my spending so that I could save as much as possible. And even now as I travel around the world, I weigh the pros and cons before dipping into my savings for fun activities.
I don’t know how to just … live my life without thinking about money.
But since being in Bali, I’ve finally been able to live the life I enjoy. The U.S. dollar goes really far in Bali ($1 = 13,550 IDR), so each day I barely make a dent into my savings.
- $15 – hostel (A/C, incredible pool area, super clean) per day
- $4.50 – scooter rental per day
- $2 – fill up my scooter’s gas tank (once a week)
- $7 – brunch (smoothie or coffee and meal)
- $2 – a 20-minute scooter taxi
- 4.50 – movie theater ticket
Each day is a new opportunity to do whatever my heart desires – generally brunch and coffee shops. And at the end of the day, I never feel guilty for spending money. With this new attitude towards spending, I choose to order dinner and dessert. I book a 2-hour massage simply because I feel like it. I buy green juices everywhere I go. I try interesting beauty products without doing extensive research on reviews.
Y’all. It’s such a freeing feeling.
So for those of you back home that are still counting those pennies, I know how you feel. It’s a heavy weight on the shoulders. I truly hope that one day you are blessed to experience this lightness that I feel right now.
But don’t get me wrong, this feeling won’t last forever. I head to Australia next, so my spending will decrease exponentially. Whomp whomp.
So below are the two cafes that I picked for today.
Hungry Birds Cafe
There was a lot to like about this cafe. A/C, a strong but tasty frappe, and yummy breakfast options. Though I would’ve liked to see the portion sizes a little bit bigger.
But the thing that really sold me on the cafe? The playlist. Every single song that came on was my jam. I went to the counter to ask what Spotify playlist they used, and the worker said it was his! So I’m the 3rd person to follow his playlist now. Take a listen below!
Nude
Later that afternoon I went to Nude cafe to edit photos and write. I can’t really speak to their coffee or food, but their green “goddess” or “monster” or “mermaid” or whatever silly name they gave it was quite good. Plus there was tons of seating, outside or inside with A/C. The vibe made me feel very comfortable to open up my laptop and work for hours (at one point I counted 8 other people on their laptops).
Overall, this is the life for me.