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.
How did the outbreak of the Coronavirus affect our expenses? Less than you might think. The only category that spiked is groceries. I think that happened because of our “constant” topping up of the fridge and cupboards, each time we anticipated self-isolating in the woods of Florida. But, as I wrote about previously, most of those attempts failed, so we kept buying more provisions and – in the beginning – our only choices were name brands instead of the cheaper generic brands we usually buy.
We drove a lot during our quick circle down and around and back up Florida. If we would have been able to sightsee, we would have driven more, but we would have traveled slower. We boogied north quicker than expected, because of our rising discomfort with heat, humidity, and bugs and not so much COVID-19. Therefore, our monthly fuel expenses are pretty much what they would have been otherwise. The diesel price was as low as we’ve ever seen it!
If it wasn’t for the recent pandemic, our entertainment and camping categories would be higher (I really wanted to visit the Dali Museum in St. Petersburg and spend time with the manatees while camping at Manatee State Park), the health topic would have popped up as I urgently needed a haircut, and doing laundry might have cost twice as much. Instead, Mark cut everyone’s hair and we did a load of laundry by hand.
The drinking and eating out expenses can be blamed on hanging out with friends and Mark’s birthday (a self-proclaimed brewery tour) before social distancing took effect. Since then, I have been able to keep in touch with friends and family via email, social media, Skype, and Zoom!
All in all, March was not a bad month under the circumstances, but it is the most expensive one this year so far.
To find out what other full-time nomads spend each month, check out the blog of our vanlife friends Duwan and Greg at Make Like An Ape Man.
April 8, 2020 at 12:22
I just visited Duwan and Greg’s website. Obviously, you are doing much better than they in the expense department, at least in the month of March. Even though you say this was the most expensive month this year, you stayed very close to a 3-figure/month budget. Give yourselves a high Five. 😀
April 8, 2020 at 14:54
We always make Mark and Liesbet look good. Next month should be much better for us. Thanks for checking us out.
April 8, 2020 at 17:45
Thank you for making us look good, my friend! 🙂
April 8, 2020 at 17:29
Hi Marian! All in all, we’re doing pretty well with our expenses so far this year. May is usually our highest month, as our car insurance of $1,000 is due then. We’re obviously not traveling as much as usually – sitting still for longer periods of time and this COVID-19 pandemic should keep things under control. 🙂
April 8, 2020 at 12:41
How cool to see Zesty’s cousin over on Duwan and Greg’s website. 🙂 See…you need to write that surviving on a tight budget book sooner rather than later! Nice job keeping those purse strings tight.
April 8, 2020 at 17:31
Haha! One day, Jill. Of course, now I often think about that e-book I should write. All because of you. 🙂 We sure hope to see our friends and their van – Ballena Blanca – out west again this year.
April 8, 2020 at 12:46
Hey Liesbet! Once again an amazing report of your ability to keep your expenses to a minimum. You continue to be an inspiration to everyone showing how all of us need far less than we think we do to have a wonderful life. I hope your April is equally as wonderful. ~Kathy
April 8, 2020 at 17:34
Hi Kathy!
Usually, we don’t do much effort to keep the expenses low, as it’s just a way of living (and buying) for us, except for the previous month where we tried hard to not buy any alcohol. 🙂
April should be a low-ish month, except for driving the 1,000 miles to our Massachusetts “home base”. Not being able to eat out and spent money other ways due to COVID-19 should keep costs low as well. We don’t even do take-out during this pandemic, so I am looking forward to a splurge of good food, no dishes, and no cooking whenever all this is over.
April 8, 2020 at 14:24
I can understand wanting to top off your supplies at every stop, not knowing it that would be the last time you did so for a while. You still hit some beautiful places.
April 8, 2020 at 17:36
This country has many beautiful places – one could never get bored traveling in the US.
Our issue with topping up our stores is that we hate waste and food going bad, so we need to find a balance between having enough food for a week and not too much, so nothing goes bad.
April 8, 2020 at 14:52
Thanks for adding a link to our expense report – but what an expensive month to link to. I think we will do better this month since we are Already a week in and haven’t spent a dime – and don’t plan to (now that we have found free water) until our 2week quarantine is over in another week.
Of course, your bad month is always a good month for us. I’m always amazed at how low your gas costs are. Out next vehicle will be a diesel.
I hate it you didn’t get to go the the Dali museum or hang out with the manatees. I’ve been to the Dali museum but my only experience with a manatee was when we went aground once on our boat in the New River in Fort Lauderdale – a manatee came right up to the boat. Very exciting!
April 8, 2020 at 17:45
Hi Duwan,
I have been wanting to add your expense reports to mine every month, but somehow keep forgetting. Except when I posted the annual one. I guess I could have linked to another month, but since you already posted the March one, I figured using the same months would be cool. 🙂 Plus, your month was high because of your generosity! I should check how you do the linking to Roaming About.
I think April will be low for all of us, frugal nomads, as there’s not much to spend money on. No more eating out or take-out food, only buying the essentials in stores, and staying put. Well, we still have a long ways north…
I’m glad you got to see a manatee, despite the unfortunate way in which it happened. We once saw a whale and her calf driving Irie into a narrow pass in an atoll in the Pacific. Not the way you want to see a whale! Haha. The Dali Museum is very expensive, unless you can go on a Thursday evening.
How many miles to the gallon does your van do. I thought it was similar to us (23 miles/gallon). And, gas is cheaper than diesel… maybe you guys are driving more (you sure have been) than us??
April 8, 2020 at 18:08
OK. I found a better link to use for you next time, the one that mentions “all your expenses”, which – by the way – I should put a similar link to ourselves as well, next time – the click “here” to see all our expense reports. Good idea! 🙂
April 8, 2020 at 15:11
You did quite well. I didn’t fair as well in March due to stocking up on groceries and paper products but that should be reflected in less expenses in April … or so I hope. Enjoy your stay in SC.
April 8, 2020 at 17:48
Hi Indrid!
The way you stocked up and shopped in March is the way we used to do it on our boat. This resulted in some very expensive ones (sometimes close to $3,000!) and very cheap ones (close to $300). What mattered most those days was the monthly average after we tallied the numbers at the end of the year.
Not so much enjoying SC anymore as it’s upper eighties, extremely humid, and swamped with mosquitoes, gnats, and flies. Our luck again with these record highs…
April 8, 2020 at 15:41
You and Mark remain my heros, and true inspirations.
And that cheese — has totally caused intense cravings for me! 😀
April 8, 2020 at 17:50
Oh Donna. Those are powerful and wonderful words. If that doesn’t make me smile than what would? Oh, that doggie you are fostering! Talk about a good blog topic – go, Sadie, go! Xxx
April 8, 2020 at 16:39
I love living inexpensively. I did well before I got married. I could live on almost nothing. Love to see your budget.
April 8, 2020 at 17:54
I so love living inexpensively as well, especially while seeing the world. Luckily, my husband and I are (mostly) on the same page about this. When he recently suggested staying in a resort with our air miles for one week (plus $200 for resort and pet fees), to get a break from the road (things had been challenging), I declined. Haha. He said: “You are so frugal! I can’t believe you are not taking this offer!”
We’ve never been on a vacation together in 16 years and we never splurge and – to be honest – I could use a bit of comfort, so I agreed to go to this resort a few days later. That’s when it closed due to COVID-19. So, back to being extremely frugal it is!
April 8, 2020 at 16:47
Groceries have gone up for me this month too, as I’m only ordering online for safety, and they always require a minimum.
I’m not being too hard on myself right now–we need to do what we can to get through this.
Stay safe, my friend.
April 8, 2020 at 17:58
Hello my friend,
You stay safe and healthy as well! It sounds like you’re doing the right things.
I can totally understand how groceries are more expensive now, by ordering online. Plus, you usually can’t pick things yourself and the people grabbing your food don’t care about the weight of things. Or the brands. It’s much harder to shop consciously. But, in these times, we all sure care less about all that. As long as we have food!!
I’m glad to read that you’re not too hard on yourself. While more people read now and writers – presumably – have more time, staying focused and inspired is darn hard to do. Take care of yourself! I mean it!
April 8, 2020 at 17:06
The cheese board looks fabulous! Have you found somewhere to settle or are you still roaming in search?
April 8, 2020 at 18:01
Hi Anabel!
Wasn’t that a treat, the cheeseboard! I’ve been wanting to take that photo and boast about it for ages. By the time we finally made and ate it, I was worried the Brie would have gone bad. 🙂
We have been settled in the same spot for almost two weeks now, but it’s getting increasingly uncomfortable – temps in the thirties (Celsius), high humidity, and hordes of mosquitoes, gnats, and flies. Extreme and unseasonable temperatures expected. Conclusion: we will have to get out of here soon, as we are getting eaten alive and don’t have a comfortable place to sit or work.
April 9, 2020 at 00:42
Glad to hear you’re still finding places to camp! And it’s great when you can cut each other’s hair. Hubby and I do that – it’s one way to make sure there are no latent hostilities in the marriage. If you still trust each other with scissors, it’s all good! 😉
April 9, 2020 at 18:28
I love that theory, Diane! Yes, we still trust each other with scissors. Or clippers. We used to cut each other’s hair during our eight year sailing voyage as well, but since then, I had been OK spending the $20 twice a year at SuperCuts to get my hair “stacked” or “layered” versus just “cut kinda straight”. 🙂
April 9, 2020 at 17:59
You always do an amazing job, despite any challenges. Staying at home is impacting our budget too. We spend less (none) eating out, but I’m pretty sure our groceries are more expensive. Fortunately for me, I don’t have to keep track so there are no great shocks to the system. We have veggies/fruit/crackers/cheese/wine nights too. They are a house favorite!
April 9, 2020 at 18:34
Hello Janis!
Groceries always seem more expensive when someone else takes care of them. During those times, we are less picky as well. We’ve ordered Walmart groceries online a couple of times in the past, before the pandemic (because of generous coupons), and it’s always hit or miss with produce and chicken and their amounts…
I love your “house favorite” evenings! This cheese and cracker feast was long in the making and is the first time it happened in three years. In the camper anyway. Mark’s mom loves cheese and crackers when guests visit. 🙂
April 12, 2020 at 20:16
I think it look good especially with perhaps lack of choice of generic products and the need to stay stocked up.We aren’t eating out but our grocery tab is certainly higher.
April 13, 2020 at 18:40
Hi Sue! It seems like most people are “saving” on eating out (or take-out) and spending more on groceries. We will have to see how our April works out. Initially, I thought it would be a cheap one, but since we are driving a lot and stocking up again (food, paper goods, and alcohol), who knows? But, we should have enough to quarantine for another two weeks and by then it’s almost May…
April 13, 2020 at 17:43
Kudos to you for staying well in a great budget – despite! 🙂 Hope you’re almost back in Mass. 🙂
April 13, 2020 at 18:41
Almost… Two more hours, Debby! It has been a very LONG two days of driving and barely stopping. My bandana and our wipes (yes, we finally found some) have come in handy. 🙂
April 13, 2020 at 19:45
Oh thank goodness Liesbet! A nice shower, a cocktail and a nice warm bed to sleep in. Enjoy! 🙂
April 13, 2020 at 23:09
Haha, Debby! The cocktail will have to wait, since we don’t have a fridge (or ice) in our room, but tomorrow we will be able to borrow a small one for the time being. Yes! Looking forward to a good night sleep (it has been a looooong time) and a shower in the morning. Aaaah. We have arrived! 🙂
April 14, 2020 at 09:14
Liesbet, I can’t believe how cheap is diesel in the US. We have not been eating out at all, not even getting any takeaways…although we might have some soon to help support the local restaurants. As always you have done a great job at keeping your expenses under control. I loved that photo of Maya enjoying the beach and the sea.
April 15, 2020 at 16:10
Hi Gilda! I assume the fuel prices in the UK have dropped as well, because of this “fuel war” that was going on. Now that this is resolved, the prices will go up again. But, we have never paid as little for diesel as these last couple of weeks! Mark was just saying how, not that long ago, we paid almost US$4/gallon in California. This time, we paid around US$2/gallon!
We have yet to take out food… but it’s not something that we usually do either (we almost always cook at home) and we don’t live anywhere to know the local restaurants. It’s a nice thing to do now, though, and it would be a welcome splurge. 🙂
April 17, 2020 at 13:58
Hey! Looks like a solid month report. Now is a difficult time, and I hope that there will be no loss!
April 17, 2020 at 16:55
When you don’t have a lot, you don’t have a lot to loose. 🙂
April 17, 2020 at 14:14
It must have been stressful passing through New Jersey and New York, the epicentre of the pandemic, during your travels north. I’m glad to hear you’re in Massachusetts now. It must be a relief to Mark to be close to his parents to help out during this scary time, but at the same time, not physically close, which could risk exposing them.
Jude
April 17, 2020 at 17:01
Hi Jude!
We planned our trip north carefully. The idea was to not stop in New Jersey, New York, and Connecticut (I hope to blog about that journey next Wednesday), except once for fuel. But, the only Trader Joe’s along our route was located right across the border from Pennsylvania into NJ. That’s when we learned you could only enter stores in NJ when wearing a mask. Since I only have one bandanna, Mark got to wait in Zesty.
We are extremely careful with my in-laws. We also don’t want to expose ourselves too much, as MA is a “bad state” as well. So, our rules are that one of us goes out once a week and we will pick up whatever they need on that day. If we don’t put boundaries in place, we’d be out running errands for them every day, even though the two of us are set for two weeks. 🙂
April 21, 2020 at 13:53
Hey! Looks like a solid month report. You inspire me by showing that we all need much less than we think in order to have a wonderful life.
April 22, 2020 at 11:07
Thanks, John. I’m finding it a fun and rewarding “challenge” to live well within our means and see the world at the same time. 🙂
April 22, 2020 at 11:48
Given the current situation with barbershops and salons closed, being able to do haircuts at home is a great skill to have. My husband is the family barber and stylist, I take a seat every couple months and get my long hair trimmed and my teen boys get their haircuts every three weeks. This has been our routine for years, so hubby has gotten a lot of experience with the shears and the clippers. He has given hundreds of haircuts to my Boys, my mom, and a couple friends of mine. So I don’t think there is anything strange about having a friend mention that she needs a haircut and having hubby get his tools, while she takes a seat gets caped and has her hair cut while we chat and sip coffee (or wine). My best friend gets compliments on her hair at work and told me she got requests for the contact information of her stylist. I know I save over a grand a year and my boys are not looking scruffy nor my ends straggly. I am diabetic and have asthma, so I am definitely not having any visitors, but I expect next month I expect a couple friends will be stopping by to get their tresses trimmed.
April 22, 2020 at 12:12
Hi Carolyn!
Thank you for reading and leaving a comment. I love your hair cutting story. Does your husband have room for one more client? 🙂 Especially during these times, it doesn’t only save money but it is such a safer situation. Good for you and your family and your friends!
When we were living and sailing on our boat for eight years, my husband started cutting his own hair (with my help) with clippers. I remember him saying way back when that buying those clippers was the best $16 he ever spent. I think they lasted a decade. We are now on our second set. It works for humans and dogs! 🙂
During those sailing years, I had friends cut my hair or another cruiser, making a quick buck. They knew how to cut layers and a stacked hairdo. In the States, I would go to SuperCuts once or twice a year. I never spent more than $20 on a haircut. When my hair was longer, hubby just trimmed it, which he is now doing with my short hair. Not exactly how I would ask a hairdresser to do it, but it suffices, is free, and is safe! 🙂
April 23, 2020 at 13:24
Hubby definitely spent more than $16 on the Wahl Designer clippers, I think they were around $60. The peanut clippers were $45, plus the capes, combs, hair clips, clippercide and the good Japanese steel hair shears were over $75 on sale as they were lefty. Not cheap, but good quality tools are definitely a great investment, that last for years. So when he does haircuts, he has the proper tools, he is not grabbing kitchen shears. He enjoys doing the haircuts and last summer, my best friend invited us to a barbecue and requested he bring his haircutting shears as she needed a trim. After we ate, she got a stool from the kitchen and set it on the patio. Hubby caped her and trimmed her midback length hair while we sipped wine coolers. One of her friends that had extremely long hair (she could sit on it) held her ponytail up and mentioned she needed her hair cut as her ends were a mess. She had been thinking of grabbing a pair of shears and hacking it herself. She let it out and turned around, hubby said if she wanted it evened up, she would need to take off at least 5” off the longer pieces. She told him to cut it to her hips as she was tired of sitting on it. He did as she asked as we all watched, and her hair looked so much better afterwards. It was still quite long, her husband loves her long hair and he was happy with it. So I know that if he gets asked to do a haircut, I am sure he would. I don’t go volunteering him, but if a friend asks, I tell them to ask him directly. He does not ask for a penny, and if offered, he refuses. One friend of mine tried to leave him a $20, but he saw it and slipped it into her coat pocket. He does not have a license, so he could not charge for a haircut anyways.
April 24, 2020 at 16:29
Wow, Carolyn! Your husband sounds like quite the skilled hairdresser. What a nice talent to have. And, it’s so nice of him to do it for free and not even take anything back as a token of appreciation. Thanks for sharing these stories. Have a wonderful weekend!