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 and extensive care, we return to the East Coast.
A lot has been going on the last few weeks (again), which means I barely have time to breathe, let alone keep up with my diaries, answer emails, practice Spanish, read a book or blog posts, write, research products and destinations, or work on my own blogs. This one has been ten days in the making, half an hour each time I make an attempt, not my usual approach.
It’s been busy on the road – driving huge distances, dealing with logistics to get us all to South America, returning wrong Amazon packages, fixing items that shouldn’t break, maintenance on the car, dealing with failing equipment, disappointments, and limited customer support, and keeping up with our current life – finding free camping spots, locating stores to buy specific items, picking up packages (which require an address), finding the resources we need, and hopping from store to store and campsite to campsite and fuel station to fuel station.
I’m due for an update here on Roaming About, but first we have to find a decent (and free) location to sit for a while. This proves to be hard in the Houston area. Maybe next week. Back to our expenses of last month…
In September, Mark and I drove a lot – from the middle of Oregon through Idaho, Utah, a tiny piece of Colorado, and New Mexico to the Houston area in Texas. And then a bunch more in this state as well. With our crappy fuel economy (10.5 miles to the gallon), it is no surprise we spent $900 on gasoline to drive 2,000 miles. The idea was to sit still somewhere, once we arrived in our last US state, but the weather has not been cooperative. High heat and humidity, nasty bugs, and heavy wind have kept us moving about.
We did another oil change and bought spare parts for our engine. Our grocery expenditure was relatively low. One of the reasons for that was needing to empty our fridge, because we had to “swap it out” and staying for a few days at a decent beach without shopping for food beforehand. I really enjoy getting rid of things – whether it is by eating food or donating material belongings.
On the opposite end of the spectrum, we keep on buying and buying for this upcoming South America trip – mostly on Amazon. Mark and I purchased new KEEN hiking shoes (you can find Mark’s here and mine here), ZEEPORTE snorkel gear (Mark picked grey ones here and I chose blue ones here), and a new CUISINART grill (which you find here). We are still considering replacing our 5-year-old COLEMAN camping chairs before leaving.
The advantage of this particular CUISINART grill is that the regulator is easily removed and it allows you to use the low-pressure propane from your RV tank. As always, we researched these products, checked their reviews, and bought them at a great price (at half their original price or heavily discounted), because they are Amazon warehouse deals – the perfect way to save lots of money. To see if there is a warehouse deal on the product you are interested in, click on the “New & Used” box at the right side of the purchase page. The same Amazon rules and conditions apply.
Finally we own a grill again – this has been since 2015 on Irie as well
Side note: My parents usually give us Amazon gift cards as New Year and birthday presents and I asked these in advance this year, because we won’t be able to order stuff down south. The money is to be used for “fun stuff”, not camper parts or necessary items to sustain ourselves. Yet, based on the timeline and returns and refunds for wrong parts, the categories of these might change over time. Our end-of-the-year expense report is therefore more accurate in terms of categories and amounts. The personal goods in this report are supposed to come off the gift cards, which are currently used for spare parts, car maintenance items, and household necessities as well.
The alcohol and gifts (dessert goodies) last month came with us when visiting friends and family, and we paid the annual fees for one of four website domains. The total for our hosting fees is around $200 a year. I hereby want to thank everyone who has donated to this cause, so far.
This truck passed us at a 75mph and – no doubt – scratched the driver side of our camper. It was hard to catch up with him to take this photo. Luckily, the damage was negligible but we did chew through extra gas as it took twenty minutes, before we caught up!
Accommodation last month was free again, thanks to friends inviting us to camp on their property or offering a guest room and us boondocking everywhere else.
We also never paid for sightseeing – once because our friend Christine has a National Park pass; other times because the destinations and activities didn’t cost anything.
September wasn’t a cheap month, but it brought us to Texas (prematurely, but more about that another time) and we are now biding time in the Galveston area, which is where we will ship Thirsty Bella from. Plus, we stayed under $2,000. Maybe that should become our goal, instead of the usual average of $1,300. It is certainly more realistic. For now.
(PS: We did have $1,711 of Lance camper expenses in September as well – mostly to buy a new fridge – as preparation for our upcoming multiple-year South America trip, but since we budgeted for that, it becomes part of our purchase price. I plan to write a separate post about those projects and costs in the future.)
This post contains affiliate links to Amazon. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases without extra cost to you.
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.
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October 11, 2022 at 16:28
Your schedule makes my head spin, Liesbet. Know that you’re making progress even if it feels slow and sometimes zig-zaggy.
Travel is intense living, and you and Mark know that for a fact. When I read your blog post, though, I saw how the challenging (more expensive gas and a sideswipe) is balanced out by free stays and gift cards. At least, sort of.
Right now, I’m preparing for a presentation tomorrow. I came across this little nugget, which can apply to writing and to life in general. “Writing is like driving at night in the fog. You can only see as far as your headlights, but you can make the whole trip that way.”
E. L. Doctorow (It’s stressful, but you’ll get there, is what I make of it.)
Take care, and you know there is a stadium of readers here, rooting for your success now and in South America. 😀
October 12, 2022 at 10:00
I hope your presentation goes well today, Marian. And what a great quote about the fog.
I’ve often realized (and mentioned to Mark), even just yesterday, that the only way we can keep up with this lifestyle, financially, is because we never pay for campgrounds and accommodation. Otherwise, RVing would become unaffordable.
But it’s during times like these – where we work a lot on projects and are uncomfortable for months at a time – that I wonder if it wouldn’t be better to take a break or live a “normal life” for a while. The period of exhaustion. The end is in sight, but is now being postponed outside of our control.
October 11, 2022 at 17:17
Woo hoo! You managed to keep it under $2,000 with all of that driving. I serve as the transportation guy on our Children’s Author Festival Committee. We’ve got 24 chilren’s authors coming to our area next week, and we we either pay for the airfare or gas. The IRS got around to raising the per mile rate since gas prices are so outrageous these days.
What’s the long range plan for South America in terms of time, or do you make that up as you go along? Perhaps that’s part of the lifestyle, though I can see how much preplanning has to go into these big ventures.
October 12, 2022 at 10:05
Wow, it’s already time for another Children’s Author Festival? Time flies! I hope you will learn a lot and come home with amazing experiences next week, Pete.
Long range plans… What are those? As usual, we will make it up as we go. Right now, our focus is on getting everyone and everything to Colombia as quickly and as safely as possible. I was going to add “as cheaply” as well, but that’s impossible. Everything proves to be a challenge.
Once we reach Cartagena and we have time to breathe, we will probably look at a map and read up in the Lonely Planet (which we have bought already). 🙂
October 11, 2022 at 18:23
I hate that your gas expense is so much! We traveled 5000 miles and only spent about $1300 in gas. I was super surprised. Maybe I miss a receipt somewhere.
$2000 sounds like a better goal than $1300. We haven’t hit $2000 in a while and won’t this coming month but without expenses for broken things I think we could do it.
It looks like you had a lot of good times with friends and family on your way to Texas.
So glad you splurged on snorkels and fins. I hope there is a lot of good snorkeling in your future in South America. And what a nice looking grill. I miss having a grill.
October 12, 2022 at 10:11
Your engine is way more fuel efficient than our truck one. We remember the days of Zesty, where we could drive 23 miles with every gallon. We are at less than half with Thirsty. It remains a tough pill to swallow, but we try to keep all our other costs low to even things out. The cost for fuel is our price for freedom! 🙂
At the moment, it’s really tough to keep to a low budget because we are preparing for this trip and are buying extra gear and essentials. Hopefully, we get it all safely and intact to South America!
The fun times we’ve had with friends over the last months are certainly a highlight of our summer. We are looking forward to catching up with you two; we will have to make at least one meal on our grill. It’s ready now to be hooked up to our main propane tank.
October 11, 2022 at 20:35
Scary how much gas costs in some places. We’re a bit over three bucks but I know some places are over five. Hope you get everything you need for you trip.
October 12, 2022 at 10:13
Thanks, Alex. A good thing about Texas is the fuel price – around $3 a gallon. We are still shopping away but the biggest challenge right now is arranging to leave, as boat schedules keep shifting.
October 11, 2022 at 23:12
Wow, gas is so painful now! Your hiking shoes look great, let us know how you like them!
October 12, 2022 at 10:14
I’ve had Keen hiking shoes and sandals for a long time and love them. The best thing about Texas is the price of gas (and the friends who live here). 🙂
October 11, 2022 at 23:14
Wow, gas is so expensive now. Your new hiking shoes look great, let us know how how you like them.
October 12, 2022 at 10:15
Looks like your comment got posted twice. Sorry about that!
October 12, 2022 at 05:58
The cost of living has gone up everywhere. Here in the UK it has gone mad, party the prices of fuel, gas and electricity. Food costs also.
I think you did great keeping it under 2,000 dollars.
Exciting to be getting ready for your South America adventure.
October 12, 2022 at 10:17
Hi Gilda,
I’ve heard the horror stories in Europe about the high cost of living, especially fuel and utilities like electricity and water. Crazy. I sure hope it comes down as these are necessities! With food, we can shop around for the cheapest options and products, but for other resources, it becomes trickier. Being self-contained (and mobile) is the way to go.
October 12, 2022 at 09:48
Another month on a good budget! You will probably find your expenses lower as you head south. Here in Colombia a gallon of gas is $9380, COP. A little more than $2.00 US! The government subsidies the prices here and Colombia produces a lot more oil than it consumes.
We bought the full face snorkel mask and they are great. No fogging, and great visibility. And much more comfortable. cheers!
October 12, 2022 at 10:20
Thanks for sharing that tidbit of information, Susan. It’s good to know fuel is much cheaper down south. We knew the cost of living is and we hope to catch up on those old averages once we get there. Of course, we will have to deal with a big chunk of money first, to even get there. 🙂 It will be interesting how our 2022 report will compare to previous years.
October 12, 2022 at 13:22
That’s a lot of travel in a short time. You two (three, I mean) did really well. The expenses are challenging, particularly as you’re preparing for your out-of-country trip. I love those Keene hiking shoes. I use mine a LOT and they really wear well. Keep on keeping on, Liesbet!
October 15, 2022 at 11:11
Thanks, Pam. We’ve had a pretty crazy year on quite a few fronts. And, yes, each time we prepare for a long journey, whether it is/was by boat or camper, the expenses go up. Usually, once we leave the country, they go down again. Here’s hoping… 🙂
October 12, 2022 at 18:50
Hi, Liesbet, Mark (and Maya) – You three truly have gotten so much accomplished in such a short time. I love the new Keans.
I shake my head at gas prices everywhere — they are becoming so limiting. Recently we have been cleaning out the basement and advertising a few things on FB Marketplace and Kijiji. For the first time ever (at least that I’ve noticed) potential buyers coming from the next town over (30 mins away) are asking for a discount to cover the cost of gas to here and back! Good luck with your upcoming travels. I look forward to following.
October 15, 2022 at 11:17
I happen to reply to you on your birthday, Donna! Congratulations and have a fabulous day. I’m sure Richard and your friends will make it special nevertheless. Three birthday XXX from Mark, Maya, and me from Texas!
Interesting about people asking for discounts to cover their gas costs. In a way it makes sense, but it also makes selling stuff harder and less rewarding, financially. Still, such a feeling of liberation whenever anything material finds a new life elsewhere.
For us, the high gas prices become fanatic at times. We calculate how far out of the way we have to drive to find something in a particular store or to camp “for free” and we often weigh the distance when it comes to those decisions. Once, for example, we drove 15 minutes out of the way to find a Tractor Supply store for a not-urgent part. Then, the following day, we find two along our route and that annoys us! We try to plan more, but it doesn’t often work out and it makes life even more stressful.
October 12, 2022 at 20:22
Wow, you’re still doing well, considering that most of the purchases you’re making now will last for years. I hope you soon get a hiatus where everything actually goes as planned for a while! 🙂
October 15, 2022 at 11:21
You always have such a good outlook on things, Diane. You are right, most of these items will last for many years. We just end up buying heaps of them this time around. I can’t wait until we get to South America, so we can stop spending money (on gear and prep). 🙂
Regarding that hiatus about things actually working out, that is just not a part of our lives – and it has never been. Not the way we are living. Our lifestyle is asking for trouble around every corner. It’s actually so common for things to go wrong that once something actually works out as planned – I’d say this might happen once every other month – I totally embrace the experience and am grateful for it!
October 16, 2022 at 06:59
You seem to be going a great job at managing your finances and it’s good to see you shopping around for deals. I know of Amazon Marketplace, and always check it first before buying what I’m looking for. Sometimes, the savings aren’t a lot, but if you look after the pennies, the pounds will look after themselves. Keep on bargin-hunting, Liesbet.
And it’s good to see you doing plenty of socialising and having fun in these posts.
October 17, 2022 at 12:29
Thanks, Hugh. I don’t know what Amazon Marketplace is. I’ve heard of Facebook Marketplace and we have posted a lot of items (like our previous camper) for sale on there.
Regarding Amazon, we save hundreds of dollars every year buying our gear and products as “warehouse deals”. I bought my hiking shoes, which are as good as new (they just came repackaged) for half the price and our snorkel sets also gave us a $10 discount each.
Warehouse deals are the products that have been returned to Amazon by their customers. Amazon is not allowed to restock and sell them as “new”, because, technically, the boxes have been opened and people might have tried the products out. Therefore, those products are repackaged, labeled “used – like new” or “used – good,” and so on, and marked down in price accordingly.
We look at that label and the state/shape of the item and then decide which one to buy. The description always mentions potential issues with the product, but often, it only says “does not come in original packaging,” which we don’t care about anyway. “Used – acceptable” is not something we are interested in.
October 17, 2022 at 20:38
Sounds like quite a fiasco. I had to chuckle at the last expense $1, I wasn’t aware there’s still anything for that price. Good luck on your Columbian adventure! <3
October 17, 2022 at 21:09
We have a handful of stores that we frequent when buying groceries and other goods. One of them is the Dollar Tree, where everything used to be $1. This year, their prices went up to $1.25, which adds up, by the way.
We bought another box of dog treats (milk bones) there for Maya last month. But, since we round our numbers up or down to the full dollar amount, that’s where the $1 expense for “dog” came from. 🙂
October 18, 2022 at 08:59
I thought so, just like our, once upon a time, Dollar store. 🙂
October 21, 2022 at 16:57
Yep. Still cheaper to get a few things there whenever we can…