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. 🙂 That being said, Mark and I seem to manage one big expense a month for some reason, whether it is camper, plane, travel or computer-related.
This report includes ALL of our expenses, in US$, for the two of us. Under groceries we incorporate all the 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 Mark's vitamins and supplements; medical contains prescription drugs and doctor's visits. Health insurance and costs are related to my health care as a permanent resident in the US. Mark is still eligible for free health care in the state of Massachusetts as of today. If a non-emergency were to happen outside of that state, it will be expensive! For check-ups, we both return to the East Coast. I still pay a small quarterly fee in Belgium for health care (required to retain citizenship), which I mention in my year report.
August was different from all previous months, because it was the first full month we've lived in our camper van Zesty. We have been on the road full-time since the end of July and are slowly adjusting to a lifestyle switch from house and pet sitting to van living. Since we drove quite a bit last month (from Santa Fe, New Mexico to North Cascades National Park in northern Washington), our fuel cost was high. We also needed to have medicines shipped to us from Massachusetts last-minute (hence the high shipping expense), bought - and drank - more alcohol than usual, and one of our credit card fees was due. No more house sitting means doing laundry at a laundromat, so there's a new category for that.
We rarely pay for camping, but in Yellowstone National Park the distances are huge and what we would have spent on diesel driving back and forth to a free campsite, easily covered our two nights in a central campground within the park and saved hours on the road. As it was, driving the Grand Loop (142 miles long) was time and distance-intensive.
September 8, 2018 at 17:34
Hi Liesbet. I’ve been following your photos on FB and know you have seen some incredible sights this month. And your post proves once again that you can “rightsize” your life and still have a wonderful and fun life. Of course, fortunately for you your healthcare costs are so low. We actually pay more than your entire monthly budget for our high deductible insurance! Still, I admire your commitment to a rightsized life and continue living your dream. ~Kathy
September 9, 2018 at 14:14
For me, that seems kind of high. However, we are extremely Frugal.
Just wondering if by one out there goes old school and takes the risk of opting out of health insurance? I get wht its needed if u have health issues, and I understand emergencies come up, but completely disagree that it should be mandatory.
Thoughts?
September 10, 2018 at 16:42
As you write, all is well when one is healthy. But, that can change any time and at any age, as we know from experience. Not getting insurance, whether it is for your health or your sailboat, is always a risk. And, taking that risk is up to us. We don’t have insurance outside of our home state, so that is our risk. We also know that when we travel outside of the US, health care costs are cheaper. So, when in Mexico for example (or even now in Canada), we are not covered and would just pay the relatively low cost to see doctors when needed.
As to the frugal living part, I think everyone can do better all the time (I admit we could roughen it more as well), but we’d rather maintain a certain comfort level and eat healthy (which isnprocoer than unhealthy food) and don’t want to miss out on seeing certain areas because the diesel is expensive for example. Again, it’s a choice…
September 10, 2018 at 16:29
I was used to paying 200 euros a year for my health insurance in Belgium (which I still pay), so $44 a month makes this category higher for me than before. Of course, I realize this is cheap and unique for the US, as is Mark’s free healthcare. The numbers are so low, because we are in a very low income bracket. Another good reason to not work “too hard” and make “too much” money. 🙂
September 9, 2018 at 06:34
Some places it’s easier just to pay for camping. So much to see in Yellowstone – you don’t want to waste all that time driving.
September 9, 2018 at 14:11
Sorry, I have to disagree. Yes, there are tons to see at Yellowstone, however, we have not paid to camp in years, and always find AMAZING places to camp for free
September 10, 2018 at 16:37
Where did you camp for free in or near Yellowstone? All the legal places we found were outside the park boundaries, meaning quite far from the sites. If we would have stayed there, it would have cost more on diesel than $20 per night.
On average, we have stayed about two nights out of the sixty in a paid campground for $20 or less a night. Sometimes, convenience pays off. 🙂
September 10, 2018 at 16:33
I totally agree, Alex. As it is, the distances are huge in Yellowstone. We felt we drove all day, each of the three days we explored the park.
September 10, 2018 at 15:00
Love the photos, Liesbet! I’m always amazed by your budgeting abilities. You and Mark are a great team! Be safe.
September 10, 2018 at 16:42
Thanks, Jill. And, I agree, we are a pretty amazing team. 🙂
September 10, 2018 at 21:35
You are doing a fantastic job Liesbet, despite the odd extra expense. 🙂
September 11, 2018 at 11:42
Thanks, Debby. Now that we are in your home country, I’m hoping our “30% discount” (due to the exchange rate) will help out for September. 🙂
September 11, 2018 at 18:01
Welcome to Canada! Your dollars are very good here, except our prices are very expensive so it may be a break even LOL 🙂
September 12, 2018 at 18:48
Thank you. A break even is about right. 🙂
September 11, 2018 at 13:24
We pay for camping every now and then. I have found that there is usually a free or very low cost camping option in or near most national parks, but some places like Chaco Canyon (definitely worth the price of camping) there isn’t. We have also paid to camp in parks when we wanted to do a night ranger program and didn’t want to drive out of the park so late in the dark. Sometimes paying for the convenience is just worth it.
Your expenses look so much better than ours – I am a constant saver and pretty frugal, but I have just decided that I need to let go a little bit – there are so many wonderful free experiences out there, but I hate to miss all the wonderful ones that cost just a bit of money.
September 11, 2018 at 13:43
It’s all about finding that balance that works, whether it comes to free or paid camping (we are happy to stay for free almost everywhere we can find an “official” spot, unless it makes more sense to pay a little bit, like in Chaco Canyon :-)) or treating ourselves once in a while. Even though our expenses are not extremely low, we make a lot of “sacrifices” most people don’t, just to extend our savings.
So, I often am like you and think we should let go and have some fun once in a while. Especially when it comes to eating and drinking out, and buying treats in grocery stores, we are pretty tight. And, I agree with you about activities as well – we prefer the free stuff and usually that’s what we focus on, but paying for an activity once in a while shouldn’t break the bank. Yet, that is certainly something we rarely do. Luckily, we prefer being in nature to being in urban environments, and that certainly fits the budget. 🙂
October 11, 2018 at 12:07
The last time I was in Yellowstone was 30 years ago, and the park was on fire. We were still able to see many of the most famous sights, like Old Faithful, despite the wild fire.
Jude
October 17, 2018 at 00:48
What a great experience, Jude. I think Yellowstone National Park was on fire last year as well. It’s crazy how people have to plan their trips around wildfires! This must have gotten worse over the years, or I was blissfully unaware of all these summer forest fires throughout the country!