Valerie Valcourt spent the early part of her career working for some of the most powerful tech companies in the world, including Google and Amazon. But it wasn't untilIn late 2022, Valcourt left the U.S. to move to France and go to pastry school.
Valcourt was accepted into the program by the spring. She had $10,000 in savings at that point and made a goal to stash a total of $25,000 for the move. She officially left for France in December 2022 and paid about 10,000 euros for tuition and another 1,800 euros for three months of housing during pastry school.
Her second-largest monthly expense is paying off two credit cards with a balance of around $6,050 and a personal loan with a remaining balance under $1,200. Her discretionary expenses for the month included some home decor, a new bike and entertainment, like going to laser tag with her colleagues. Valcourt emptied her savings to move abroad and attend pastry school, so she's currently rebuilding her savings and getting started on her retirement and investment goals.Valcourt works around 40 hours per week and gets five weeks of paid vacation every year.