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.
Mark, Maya, and I lived in a guest room in Massachusetts for the first half of September and returned to the road, in a new-to-us camper after that. The second part of the month was spent driving through and/or visiting the states of New York, Ohio, and Illinois, arriving in Chicago by the end of the month.
Free overnight parking in Chicago, at Lincoln Park
Those first two weeks of September were quite hectic, as we prepared for our trip, installed more parts to make our mobile lives easier or more comfortable, and I aimed to get to a stopping point with my book promo. Mark added an inverter and charger to our home on wheels and rewired parts of it to suit our homebuilt Lithium battery.
(As always, click on or hover over photos to read the captions.)
The most tricky – and annoying – task was figuring out a way to bring our e-bikes with us, now that an extension swing-out hitch and our original bike rack were not an option anymore. We ordered durable hooks, a backing plate, hardware, and straps to come up with a decent solution. This configuration on our ladder had to be changed – in Massachusetts and on the road – multiple times to avoid chafing and reduce damage on our bikes. It’s been an ordeal!
We covered about 1,000 miles last month, which is reflected in the high fuel cost, but is nothing compared to this month. Our fuel economy is terrible! Even worse than we expected. This is hard to swallow for us “thrifty travelers” as we are still getting used to our new camper set-up and weigh the pros and cons compared to a campervan. That topic will be for a future post!
Now that we live in our truck camper, we needed to change its insurance policy to reflect its higher value. We also bought more household items, like an outdoor mat, shower curtain, towel bars… Our first propane refill was expensive. Hopefully this is related to us messing about with the refrigerator setting. This fridge, unfortunately, runs on propane.
Remember that pricey Mexican lunch last month? The friends we treated back then, covered our part of a take-out dinner before we left on our trip. Hence, no dining out category for September. Since we mainly drink in company these days, the alcohol cost is for beer, wine, and sangria that we brought to “parties.”
We decided to spend money on entertainment this time around, by visiting two of New York’s most iconic state parks, sporting loads of waterfalls and hiking trails: Watkins Glen SP and Letchworth SP. You can read more about those sites here.
And, some attractions are free, like Indiana Dunes National Park, where we hiked, biked, and even spent the night! 🙂
In true Liesbet and Mark fashion, we once again boondock every night. This means camping without hook-ups or – usually – facilities. It’s also called “dry camping” or “wild camping” and is often (in our case, always) free. We use the no-cost app iOverlander (for campers by campers) to find suitable locations to spend the night. We also contribute to this service by adding new places, reviews, photos, experiences, and updates.
This expense report was a tricky one to create, because my accounting is different than Mark’s, who actually keeps track of everything in Quicken. His total expense for September 2021 resulted in a negative number, because we – finally – sold many valuable items that came with the truck and camper that we didn’t want. The idea being that this amount went towards our expenses for the truck and camper. Based on that math, the first category in my list underneath boiled down to only $20. Yes, we sold $990 worth of stuff. Most of it last minute!
The second “discrepancy” (a credit of $857) came from our Chase credit card points that had a value of 1.5x the amount if we used them before September ended. We still have another $300 (at 1x the amount) left for this month. If anybody is interested in checking out an incredible credit card offer – 100,000 free points (a value of $1,000 at 1x the points) – this is my Chase referral code: https://www.referyourchasecard.com/6c/PR3FJUQ8CP.
Telling the readers of this blog that we spent -200 dollars wouldn’t make any sense, so I decided to itemize our expenses like I usually do and the credits and returns on our money will be incorporated in our yearly report. Now, let’s hope that we can finally bring our costs down to the $1,300 monthly average soon!
Find all our expense reports here. To learn what other full-time nomads spend each month, check out the blogs of our vanlife friends Duwan and Greg at Make Like An Ape Man.
October 13, 2021 at 18:21
Ouch on the MPG, but you’ve got a big rig carrying a fair amount of weight. Gas prices these days exacerbate the problem. We’re almost paying $5.00 per gallon in California, and my wife’s car only takes premium, so it’s something like $5.20 per gallon. Otherwise, are you enjoying your new rig? I know Mark is like me and put a ton of research into your purchase. I don’t beat myself up if freak things happen (you get a rare lemon), but I’m hard on myself if things go amiss when I haven’t put the time in.
I’ve basically written off any publicity toward my first book since I’m switching genres, and my sales reflect that. I want to invest most of my time into writing and learning more about children’s writing. I know I’ll never get rich with this, but quite honestly that is pretty far down on my list of priorities anyway. We’re in good financial shape which relieves a lot of pressure.
Safe and happy travels!
October 16, 2021 at 17:20
Hi Pete,
Yes, Mark is like you. He’d beat himself up when something goes wrong that he could have avoided. But, even when freak things happen, his mood is dismal…
Wow, I can’t imagine paying $5 for a gallon of gas. This is insane. Yet, compared to Europe, it’s cheap. My mom just told me they pay the equivalent of $8 a gallon for gasoline (after I complained). If you don’t have any road trips planned, it’s possible to be careful. Otherwise: bad timing!
We are still getting used to the rig, even after a month on the road, but the camper is growing on us. The truck has been awesome in certain cases (as in mud and snow – areas we wouldn’t have been able to go with Zesty), but the ride is still incredibly rough.
You totally switched genres big time! I can see how you would like to focus on the children’s book approach. Few people get rich from writing. Like you, it’s low on my priority list, but it would be nice to finally start making some money after all the effort (and years) invested. I’m really good at working for little money. Luckily, I’m not spending much either. 🙂
October 13, 2021 at 18:23
$1647 is still a pretty impressive number. It looks like you found some really nice places to stay.
October 16, 2021 at 17:22
It’s been wonderful to be back on the road and in nature, Janis. Now that our camper is equipped, we hope the expense number will go down a bunch. Other than fuel…
October 13, 2021 at 19:54
Is it more or less room than Zesty? It looks like a lot less, but just might be the angle.
October 16, 2021 at 17:24
I’d say it’s about the same room as Zesty, but organized differently. The floor space is much less, but the “bedroom” is huge. Having the camper and truck as separate entities takes some getting used to. Both set-ups have ups and downs…
October 14, 2021 at 10:30
You always have a good expense report here, in my view. I remember visiting the Badlands long ago. You are in your element now. Enjoy!
October 16, 2021 at 17:27
Thanks, Marian. Mark and I visited the Badlands before too, with our exes, but this time we managed to see loads of wildlife and enjoy a few days of wonderful weather.
October 14, 2021 at 11:28
Impressive, as always. Sounds like you are off to a good start – fingers crossed that gas prices will ease. .
October 16, 2021 at 17:28
Thanks, Suzanne! Lower gas prices would be wonderful! Especially on these long drives. 🙂
October 14, 2021 at 12:58
I think of you as I watch gas prices skyrocket. Yikes! Here in CA, they’ve gone up over $2 a gallon. We’re headed on a cross country road trip in about a week (probably pass you on the way!) and I am not happy with fuel costs.
October 16, 2021 at 17:29
Oh no, Jacqui! Road trips are a bad financial decision these days. But, we have a life to live and places to go, right? Where are you headed and what’s your route?
October 14, 2021 at 16:14
You had such a sweet deal with fuel costs in Zesty. So sorry gas is taking such a bite out your money now.
NY state parks are such a good deal. Love the pic of you, Maya, Mark, and the waterfall.
October 16, 2021 at 17:33
All of us nomads on the road are dealing with these high gas prices. I guess the solution is to go somewhere nice and spend a few months there at a time. Yeah, giving up that fuel economy of Zesty hurts.
I better start collecting photos of the three of us for that yearly family calendar soon…
October 16, 2021 at 21:33
I agree with Janis. This is still a VERY impressive number. Looks like a wonderful summer and a great series of adventures ahead!
October 19, 2021 at 13:57
I’m only looking forward right now, Donna! The summer was a mixed bag, but the adventures ahead are luring us in! Have a wonderful week and I hope you had a fabulous birthday. Xxx
October 18, 2021 at 22:21
What an interesting life you live. And your expenses are about the same as what we spend here in Malaysia for ‘normal living’, conversions and all. It’s a very enlightening post, and I also enjoyed living vicariously through you. Thanks for sharing!
October 19, 2021 at 14:27
Hi Stuart!
Thanks for swinging by, reading, and commenting. Welcome to Roaming About. I’m glad you enjoyed this post and am surprised that our monthly costs are similar to what you spend in Malaysia (I visited your country when backpacking SE Asia in 1998), but I assume that amount includes utilities and rent/mortgage payments, costs that we never have.
I hope you’ll keep following along! 🙂
October 18, 2021 at 22:43
You guys are doing fantastic. The gas is getting everyone! Our gas prices are equivant now to California’s! Time to go electric. 🙂 xx Safe travels.
October 19, 2021 at 14:28
Have you ever heard of an electric camper, Debby? 🙂 I guess we might have to build our own, haha. Thanks for the safe travel wishes. So far so good.
October 20, 2021 at 11:34
Don’t laugh. No doubts by 2030 most vehicles will be electric, considering most auto manufacturers are promising only electric by then! 🙂
October 20, 2021 at 12:37
That would be awesome! I know that Ford is working on an electric pick-up truck, so having an electric camper set-up is not that futuristic! A small one anyway… 🙂
October 29, 2021 at 17:05
As always I appreciate the honesty of your reports and your responses to comments Liesbet. Still a good number for expenses by most anyone’s standards however I know you are determined to get it a bit lower. safe travels and may the gas prices be in your favor.
October 31, 2021 at 21:23
Hi Sue,
Yes, we are struggling with the cost of things these days. The only solution to the high gas prices is to move slower and spend more time at each camping spot we pick. Like now. We attempted to not drive or buy groceries anymore until October is over.
Mark and I have been talking about where we can cut our expenses to make up for the high fuel prices, but there isn’t anything, honestly. We don’t eat out at all anymore and are careful with alcohol – usually bought when meeting friends. We will see what happens. Maybe we can slow down once we enter Mexico again.