I have to watch my budget too. That's one of the reasons I picked Thailand. It's affordable. I'm renting a place for 237 USD/month in Chiang Mai as home base.
It would be so cool to get together in Bangkok and do some meetups with @waybeyondpadthai's friends. Then maybe hit some beaches down south as it's the perfect time for that weather-wise. But hey, the cool thing about slow travel is it makes for the most flexible schedules. Hahahaha!
I guy I met here from Washington said to me the other night, "Living here, you have to pick your Monday's. Pick one day to be the start of your week." Thanks to Open Mic and Steemit for creating my work week for me.