I've been crunching some numbers. Yes, that just came out of my mouth. I know that most of you think I must just read books and write essay topics as an English teacher but once not so long ago I worked at Georgetown and as part of my job I managed the entire department's budget.

Since my post last week, I've gotten tons of feedback and encouragement on my blog and in person for the challenge I've set myself: to see if I could live with the salary of a twenty-something (nearly-thirty something) educated Bulgarian for a month.

[caption id="attachment_1926" align="alignleft" width="500" caption="I wouldn&#39;t be living in downtown Sofia  on my own"]<a href="http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/01/img_0772.jpg"><img class="size-full wp-image-1926" title="Downtown Sofia " src="http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/01/img_0772.jpg" alt="" width="500" height="333" /></a>[/caption]

The question that arose from all of this how much could I expect to actually make as a Bulgarian and what are my options regarding housing? Of course, it shouldn't come as a surprise but I received answers that were all over the board.  Salaries seemed to range from 550 leva to 1500 leva and housing options ranged from living with my parents to sharing an apartment to renting an apartment.  Thus I've arrived at the following three options.<!--more-->

First, I make 1000 leva a month and I pay rent. Second I make 700 leva and share an apartment with friends and I split the rent with them (and in this sereno the thing that makes sharing an apartment acceptable is the fact that I like my roommates and they do their dishes and we take turns cleaning the apartment and taking out the garbage).  Third, I make about 550 leva and I get to live with my parents, help them out with bills and hope that one day I can afford to live on my own.

Well, unless I owned my own apartment and on 560 leva a month I assume the only way that would happen would be if I inherited one. And I assume the only way that would happen is if someone related to me vacated one (which is probably a twisted euphemism for the death of a loved one) and it's not exactly like this is something one should wish for.

Thus if I stuck to the 560 leva salary it seems pretty clear that I would have to continue living with my parents.   I guess the good news is that I like my parents.  I just wonder if I'd like my Bulgarian parents (well my parents in Bulgaria) after living with them in a two bedroom apartment for more than two decades of my life. But that's not the direction this post is going in.

So, because I like the first two options best and because I think they would most likely represent my situation if I were actually a twenty-something Bulgarian, I decided to run the numbers. This is what I came up with:

Option one: I make 1000 leva a month and rent an apartment.
<table width="287">
<tbody>
<tr>
<td>Rent and bills</td>
<td>400 rent, 150 bills</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Food</td>
<td>120 L</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Transportation</td>
<td>70 L</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Entertainment and clothing</td>
<td>80 L</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Debts and Savings</td>
<td>60 L</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Medical and insurance</td>
<td>30L</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Misc.</td>
<td>90 L</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
Basically this breakdown has me paying about 600 leva for fixed expenses--rent, bills, and transportation--and gives me about 400 leva left for my other expenses.  And as the numbers show I will be spending 60% on these fixed expenses.

Option two: I make 700 leva and split an apartment with friends.
<table width="287">
<tbody>
<tr>
<td>Rent and bills</td>
<td>230 rent, 70 bills</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Food</td>
<td>120 L</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Transportation</td>
<td>50 L</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Entertainment and clothing</td>
<td>80 L</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Debts and Savings</td>
<td>60 L</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Medical and insurance</td>
<td>30 L</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Misc.</td>
<td>60 L</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
When we look at these numbers I would spend about 350 leva on fixed expenses and I would have 350 leva to spend on everything thing else.  Thus in this case, I spend exactly 50% of my salary on the fixed expenses which is slightly less than I would spend if I was earning 1000 leva a month.

What's the most interesting to me is this given the two different salaries after estimating my fixed expenses I end up with about the same amount of money to spend for the month--either 400 leva (for the 1000 leva salary) or 350 leva for the (700 leva salary).

So based on what you, my dear Bulgarain readers, spend on average each month do these numbers seem reasonable? Have I somehow make a mistake in my math or have I overlooked anything?