Every month, I post a report of our expenses to show that it is possible to live a comfortable, exciting, and adventurous life without breaking the bank. The less money you spend, the less you need to make. 🙂

This report includes ALL of our expenses, in US$, for two adults and one 60-pound dog (we adopted Maya on June 4th, 2019). Under groceries we incorporate food, produce, and non-alcoholic drinks predominantly bought in supermarkets. Toiletries belong in that category as well. Dining out means eating at a restaurant/event or purchasing take-out food. The health category covers non-prescription medicines and vitamins/supplements; medical contains prescription drugs and doctor’s visits. Because of our income level, Mark and I are eligible for free health care within the state of Massachusetts. For check-ups, we both return to the East Coast.

During the entire month of September, Mark, Maya, and I lived in our “room above the garage” in Newburyport, MA – no side-trips in Zesty. Mark had a job with the US Census bureau in August and September and I’m 100% focused on my upcoming travel memoir. He made good money at $27.50 an hour, especially when working overtime for1.5x that amount. During his week-long stint on Cape Cod, putting in 12-hour days, he sometimes made $500 a day! I generated zero income working on my memoir… Instead, I spent a bunch more on it and will keep doing so this month.

Sign for the parked car when Mark performed his Census job

My editor would have been the most expensive category last month (and for four months in a row), if it wasn’t for us buying tires. Zesty made it through the annual Massachusetts inspection with flying colors, but a new set of tires was recommended and – as a matter of fact – we had been planning to replace them before heading west. Mark’s careful research and patience paid off. We managed to upgrade our tires to all-terrain and bigger ones for less than $600. Not only will we be better equipped for dirt roads this winter, but our clearance is an inch or two higher; just what we needed!

New all-terrain tires

Zesty gained a couple of inches! Yay!

For my father-in-law’s 90th birthday, Mark, his brother, our sister-in-law, and I organized a socially distanced outdoor party, where the four of us cooked and provided food and drinks. Sixteen family members were present and we were grateful for the sunny weather and space on the patio of my in-laws. The second expense in the gift category went to a non-fiction book written by a friend.

Birthday party outdoors

The adorable twins in their play corner

The buffet table and cooking station

Happy 90th birthday, Stan!

Not quite ninety candles, but good enough – Stan has his own (favorite) pie: strawberry – rhubarb!

Modern-day kissing

Another perk of Mark’s temporary relocation to the Cape was a daily food stipend of $70, which he never used up. So, we managed to get a few take-out meals and even an outdoor restaurant dinner that didn’t cost us anything! Also, with the last of our credit card points being allocated to food, we actually spent $400 less than this report shows. But, Maya’s fish oil cost almost as much as a 28-pound bag of dog food last month!

Usually, we manage to buy Maya’s fish oil supplement for under $20, so the $30 expense for it last month was painful.

Does this mean Maya is ready to hit the road? Or, the opposite?

At $1,800, September was an above average month in which we spent much more than usual, but for good reasons! 🙂

September 2020 Overview:

Camper (inspection: $36; tires: $558):

Writing (editor):

Groceries:

Gifts (party: $107; eBook: $25):

Dining out:

Computer (domain hosting):

Utilities (phone):

Dog (fish oil):

Alcohol:

Household (brake pads bike):

Transport (train ride from dentist):

Health & Fitness (meds):

Accommodation:

TOTAL:

$594

$528

$342

$132

$56

$36

$35

$30

$24

$12

$4

$4

$0

———

$ 1,797