Confession of a freelancer rogue, or live in a foreign country in half the normal amount

Every time I stumble upon articles about moving a freelancer to another country for temporary or permanent residence and work, I’m surprised at the incredible amount of money that a relocator spends on moving himself. It may be good when there are such funds, but due to the specifics of my work and unwillingness to change it, I earn 2 times less than the “average hospital” salary of a freelancer, but, as a bonus, I have a lot of free time and relative stability and predictability of my low income.

Now in my life the circumstances are such that I have to move to another country for a while. However, forced - not the word. I moved with joy, which is already there. I want to share with you a way to save on foreign land in the period of your becoming as a resident of a new country, in the most difficult time of adaptation, which takes the most money. I will try to write general theses, but under each section there will be a spoiler specifically about Montenegro and my experience of moving and living here. I hope I will help you save the first time you stay in a new place.

How to get there

The first question that confronts a future immigrant to another country is how to get to that country itself? The answer is usually obvious - buy a plane ticket, what could be easier? In the case of moving to the southern countries in the summertime - the question is generally not worth it: we buy a ticket for a direct charter and fly in a couple of hours. However, do not forget that the charters are designed to bring the pups-tourists to the seashore, where they will warm themselves under the southern sun for several weeks, so that this charter will fly back, so one-way tickets are very expensive. Let's try to get cheaper. If you still prefer air transport, then you should look at the low-cost airlines flying to / from the country. It’s rare when you can buy a ticket directly, but it’s probably possible with one or two transfers. Perhaps you should calculate the route yourself by resorting to the help of two or three different airline sites, since Docking is often not visible in known online booking systems. Sometimes planes arrive in a neighboring country, which is closely connected by bus or train with the destination country of your trip, so it is worth considering the airports of neighboring countries.
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And further. Ignore airport transfers that you will definitely impose.



Do you think saving 2 times is the limit? Not yet. It is no secret that in the “near” freelance countries there is a strong diaspora of compatriots, which is often strongly associated with the Homeland by many different strings, one of which is private freight transportation. Often carriers have free seats for passengers. Using the services of such carriers, you can save an extra 20-50 euros, which will not be superfluous in a new place. The downside is the need to have visas to countries that are in transit. By the same way I can add the option to get hooked up to someone who drives a car under its own power, and share gasoline. If 4 people drive in a car, the cost of gasoline will be about 2 times lower than the cost of a plane ticket.

Housing

And so, having considered the air route or having reached a destination country with a fellow traveler, you landed in the center of the desired city with a backpack, frantically trying to find the nearest hotel or hostel in your smartphone. This is where you make a big mistake. Remember, I was talking about the diaspora? Usually this diaspora communicates somewhere, whether on Facebook or on thematic forums, such as the Vinsky forum. It would be nice to ask the council where to stay before a visit to the country, or it’s banal to ask for a small bribe. Compatriots will be pleased to receive the latest news from the Homeland, meet new people, so I am sure that many good people will respond to the request, who will later become your friends.


If you are still settled in a hostel found on the site and decided to move for a long time to a rented apartment, then do not rush to go to the agency. Always have time to give them half the first month of housing. Stay 10-15 days in the hostel, ask for a discount and start looking for this accommodation. A good option is to ask the locals. For example, take a walk in the surrounding villages, read the signs on the houses, just talk in the local Silpo, and does not anyone rent an apartment cheaply? Surely there is a good option. Why precisely on villages? In the village, firstly, it will be cheaper, and secondly - quieter. The noise of big cities, carnivals and disco music you will like only the first time, while you are a tourist in your soul, but after “naturalization” you want peace and quiet. As a bonus, you can get a great view from the window.

And a third piece of advice after. Few people are interested in renting an apartment to you if you live a month or two and leave in the middle of the season. The landlord will lose a significant portion of the income. Therefore, if you really like the apartment and you decide to stay in the country for a long time, enter into a contract for a year. The cost in this case will be “out of season”, i.e. often half as much as in season.

Transport

Buy a scooter. Seriously. Probably, my advice is not relevant for those who move to Israel, but in any southern country the scooter is a very good, profitable and practical vehicle. If you listened to me and rented an apartment in the village, you have already saved a decent amount. A moped also uses 3 times less gasoline than a car for the same money, thus it pays off in less than half a year. Plus, you can always sell it, thereby saving even more. And remember, at first you will have to move very, very much. In the first months you will find such problems, the existence of which you never thought about while living in your homeland.



I know that a moped is not an ideal vehicle, but all those two times when you need a car will be easier to rent. It will be significantly cheaper.

Food

And so, you have a moped and a cheap apartment in the village. Now you can save a lot on products by buying them in cheap wholesale stores. In a big city you will have a huge temptation to go to the nearest store for 5 minutes, buy there everything you need for the day, and so every day. Having a scooter for you is no longer a problem to get to a large country shop and buy groceries for a week. If you are too lazy to go far, then try to find out from local secret places with the best prices. They know, believe me.

Services

Oddly enough, the first thing I advise is to learn the language and smile a lot, a lot. At a simple household level. It doesn't matter if you say good or with a lot of mistakes. Let it go. But for the locals, you will be transferred from the status of a tourist who has come in a lot to the status of “yes, a normal foreigner, living here ...”. You will be sold at prices "for your own", you will rent out household goods, help with difficult issues. Be friends, in the end. And this is very important. Making friends with the locals and a couple of times having provided them with a little help in the style of bring-bring-hold-dig-tint, you will be respected and will try to help in return. A freelance IT professional can, for example, help with setting up a computer or the Internet, in response to receive permission to park the moped closer to the door.



Knowledge of the language will help you read the original websites of Internet providers, electric companies, mobile operators, and choose the most optimal Internet tariff package, check the status of payment for energy, water, etc.

Legalization

If you come to the country not just to bask in the sun for a couple of months, then you should still get a residence permit, that would be in the country without a problem for a long time, and may even get citizenship in the future. It’s a big mistake to find out everything at home and “resolve issues” through lawyers offering packages of paperwork services. Usually, their services are significantly more expensive than those of the same lawyers, but residents of the country. Having stayed in the country for some time you can find the people you need and issue a residence permit 2-3 times cheaper than if you applied from home in advance. However, I do not give up hope that you took into account my previous advice and already have a basic knowledge of the local language and a scooter. Now you can deal with the issue of self-legalization on your own. Yes, it is necessary to beat the thresholds of instances almost daily, but then you will spend 5-7 times less money than originally planned.

Useful stuff

There are many small little things that are usually forgotten, but allow you to save well. Run through them in a short list.

1. Before moving into an apartment, make sure that there are no debts on utility bills or taxes. a decent host will easily provide this information.
2. Record and monitor the consumption of electricity. Forget about cheap tariffs in the Homeland, electricity is now your main expense item for utilities.
3. Change in the apartment all the bulbs for energy-saving, buy a bedside lamp. It's amazing how many kilowatts you can save!
4. Find a store Yusk or market Chinese goods. Always for the house will need some little thing, it is better to buy it in cheap stores.
5. Know how to make minor repairs yourself. Innocent replacement of the outlet with the departure of a specialist can cost you up to 50 euros.
6. Hitchhike between neighboring cities, if you are left without a moped far from home.
7. To buy used items, look for local online flea markets. Goods will sometimes be several times cheaper than the same, but sold by compatriots
8. Bring expensive things from the motherland. Remember, I mentioned private haulers? It is cheaper to transfer expensive equipment with them at humane rates than to buy it on the spot.
9. Transfer small parcels with compatriots traveling home or from home. For example, for a couple of euros to transfer the desired document or small package will be much easier than sending it by mail, pay substantial sums and wait for months, with reliable, that your favorite mail will not lose it.

And most importantly, remember: it is better to ask the locals. They live here all their life, they don’t like to spend too much, therefore they have long known all the ways to save money. They know where the cheapest beer in the city is, where the best haircut for less money is, where you can eat cheap and so on.

Instead of output

All the tips described above seem obvious, and it seems to make no sense to repeat them. However, my experience shows that the shock after moving completely turns off the part of the brain that is responsible for saving money. This is used by locals who so love to “milk” naive tourists. Arriving in another country, immediately adjust yourself to the fact that you are not a tourist. You live here, and live long. Do not be afraid to count expenses for long periods of time, approximately the way you did at home.

I can say for myself that I now live in Montenegro for about 450-500 euros per month, including all expenses for housing, food, transportation and entertainment, while eating good, healthy, high-quality food and traveling around the country and its environs without restrictions .



I am pleased to read in the comments your opinion on the cost savings in a foreign country.