Motivation

EXPLORING OTHER CULTURES FOR LESS

What gets you out of bed?  Why do you work?  Where is life taking you?  Is money your answer?  Money may not be enough.  Think harder.  What are you doing with that money?  That is your true motivation.

Do you travel?  DO you explore new cultures?  New places? New people?  Drill that down.  If you travel because you love trying new foods, new flavors, you could easily do this at home.  Or at least near it.  Pick a culture, now find a restaurant, cafe, grocery store or eatery.  Perhaps this culture has an annual festival near you.  Research online for all of these.  Nothing near enough.  Can you take a day trip?  

Don't give up.  If you cannot afford the time or the money for the trip, what about exploring the culture another way?  Is there any remnant of that culture near you? Can you take a class?  Do you qualify to take a class at a nearby university?  Can you get an on-line class in the subject.  How about your local library?  What does it have, check the books that are available on your topic.  You can reserve books.  If it -doesn't have what you want, ask your librarian about interlibrary loans.  Some libraries are inter connected and will allow you to reserve a book, and even deliver it to your preferred branch of the library.

Perhaps you have a friend, coworker or family member who can connect you to an elder or a story teller in your chosen area.  Learn the language, or learn more about life for this person.  Ask questions, be willing to exchange information.  Perhaps someone will teach you to cook one of their preferred recipes.  A coworker and I used to exchange leftovers, I would eat Phillipino food and she would have my American food.  

Maybe this isn't enough.  Can you save?  Make a budget for your travel to this area, consider what you need to do.  You are working for money so you can travel, so start making this money WORK.  Prioritize travel over other things.  Movies, watch at home.  Coffee, ditto.  Learn to cook if you don't already know how, it saves tons of money.  Two books that teach cooking and menu plan for less are:

Saving Dinner Basics: How to Cook Even If You Don't Know How: A Cookbook

by Leanne Ely

Saving Dinner: The Menus, Recipes, And Shopping Lists To Bring Your Family Back To The Table by Leann Ely

These books include menus and shopping lists to make life easier.  The second one's recipes are for 6 servings, but can easily be halved.  The recipes are seasonal, getting seasonal produce, which is another way to save money.  She also uses a lot of different spices and seasonings, the recipes do not all taste the same, unlike some cookbooks.