Accounting

I'm finally getting caught up on my accounting for the end of March and first of April. It is a mess, with money in dollars, euros, and forints. I don't think I'll be able to sort it out completely until May. But, as part of the accounting, I looked at how much I spent on groceries in March (and this is not ever "eating out" as a family, though we did buy Easter candy and ice cream cones once and Kirk buys cheap meals at the university café in Budapest when he is there working): $1,700.
I think I will pretend that figure doesn't exist.
People weren't kidding when they said that food is expensive here. I guess I shouldn't be surprised when we pay $4 for 10 (smaller-than-medium) eggs. The other clue was that the U.S. State Department per diem (food) allowance for one person in Vienna was about $1,300/month.
The other day we had to pay for something and I handed Kirk a 100 Euro note. He sort of gasped and said something about my not blinking at handing over that much money. I thought for a minute and said, well, this is just about what I hand the clerk at Billa grocery store every time I go shopping.
It is sort of like the exit fee at Costco, except instead of having enough food for several weeks piled in your cart, you have enough to get you through two, maybe three, days, if you are lucky. And 4-year-old Lucy  and I can wheel it back to the apartment in a small hand trolley, with a few extra bags for strawberries (so they don't get smashed) and toilet paper.
Budapest was cheaper. But, after a week there, Kirk and I realized there was a reason the Spirit told us to stay in Vienna as a family. Vienna is much easier for a family with young children, though ironically, the health care is worse.