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. 🙂 Since July 2018, Mark and I have lived and traveled full-time in our camper van Zesty, which has affected our expenditure, compared to our previous house and pet sitting lifestyle.
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.
People with an eye for detail and a photographic memory might notice that the new laundry category from last month disappeared in this overview. That's because of the wonderful friends we visited in September, who lent us their efficient washing machines and dryers. A blog about those fun encounters will be for the future, just like my photo galleries and stories about the destinations we visited over the last month and a bit.
As usual, we didn't spend any money on campgrounds. Since we were offline during our Canada voyage, we used the app iOverlander to find free places to park Zesty for the night. Unlike www.freecampsites.net, this resource can be accessed without the internet. We rarely buy clothes (we wear everything until it literally falls apart, so I have clothes that have been a part of my small repertoire for over 15 years, seriously), but both of Mark's jeans have unruly holes, so we needed to order new pants.
The other abnormal expense last month was for two ferries to and in Vancouver Island, Canada. We considered taking our bikes and rack off and somehow store them inside the camper during the "big" crossing, in order to shorten Zesty's length (you pay extra for each foot above 20ft on the ferry from Vancouver to Nanaimo), but the chance we'd cause more than this extra $15 in damage and dirt to the van's interior during this process made us not go through the hassle. Look at us... spending money we could have avoided! 🙂
October 7, 2018 at 11:55
Did you share how you got the toilet fixed? I’m curious.
October 8, 2018 at 15:50
Nope. Too boring. 🙂 One day, I plan to give a little overview, with photos, of all the camper projects and improvements we have done to Zesty. A bit like a boat, for sure. But, less time-consuming and expensive.
We had ordered a part online and had it shipped to Sedro-Woolley in Washington. So, we couldn’t use our toilet for an entire week, which is why we chose a (free) campground with a toilet in North Cascades NP (which will be in my next blog post, Wednesday). 🙂 When we picked the part up at the post office, it wasn’t the right size. It was too big. We didn’t know that ahead of time, since there was no way to measure the diameter of the hose it needed to fit on. Luckily, we found a similar part that worked after visiting a couple of hardware stores. So, yes, the toilet was eventually fixed and we have been happy to use our own bathroom again since then, especially at night. 🙂
October 7, 2018 at 15:15
I love going on ferries!
October 8, 2018 at 15:51
Me too. But, I’m adamant about spending my time on deck (to watch for the elusive whales) and that sure can get freezing cold!!!
October 7, 2018 at 20:15
Hi Liesbet! Good job! Especially because I’m sure you had an awesome time on Vancouver Island so you managed to do all that for very little. I’m looking forward to hearing the stories and seeing all the photos when you get a chance. ~Kathy
October 8, 2018 at 15:54
Thanks, Kathy. I’m a bit behind with my blog posting. Working on a post and the many photos once a week, while exploring and sightseeing and having amazing experiences every single day makes it hard to keep up. 🙂 But, I’m certainly not complaining about that. I’m finally living the life I so enjoy again. Coming Wednesday: North Cascades NP and then, I plan three blogs about Vancouver Island. So, I might be caught up in a month, while collecting new memories and material in the meantime.
October 7, 2018 at 21:09
No cell phone?
October 8, 2018 at 15:57
My husband has a Smartphone, of which the monthly T-Mobile plan ($30) is still paid by our business. I don’t have a phone and don’t want one. I’m enjoying the peace and “freedom” without it. I use my iPad to make Skype phone calls to my parents and best friend, and use that and my computer for emails and blogging. It works just fine, with his phone as a hotspot. 🙂 That being said, soon, we will face our own cell phone data plan bills, which will be represented in our expense reports.
October 8, 2018 at 12:49
Have never used iOverlander before, so thanks for the tip! You’ve got some gorgeous pics from Vancouver Island so I’m looking forward to hearing more about that adventure.
October 8, 2018 at 15:59
Thanks! The nice thing about iOverlander is that we can use it offline, and since we didn’t get cell coverage in Canada, we primarily used that app. Now, we’ve come to like it better than http://www.freecampsites.net. Ever since they switched from their Google map version to another mapping service, it has become difficult and frustrating to use. And, Mark enjoys adding new places we find to camp to iOverlander mmore as well.
October 8, 2018 at 13:40
I realize I’ve said it before, Liesbet, but you truly amaze me. What a life! Like Kathy above, I can’t wait to see all your Vancouver Island adventure photos on the blog. You need to be so organized to maintain this sort of lifestyle, I think. More power to you!
October 8, 2018 at 16:02
Actually, Mark and I are very organized when it comes to putting our few belongings in all these tiny spaces in the van, and planning grocery shopping for a week, fueling up and dumping and filling our tanks. But, when it comes to our route and day-to-day priorities, we hardly plan or organize. To be flexible is part of the fun and we both seem to enjoy this day-to-day approach. 🙂 Today, it rains, so we spent time in the library. Tomorrow, it’ll be sunny, so we will sightsee and/or go for a hike. Lots of photos of Vancouver Island!!
October 8, 2018 at 22:38
Good tip for those of us in Canada. I have to say that your Facebook posts of the wildlife near Campbell River were astonishing. Wow! Hoping you are in warmer spots than our current winter scene in Calgary.
October 13, 2018 at 09:02
We are not doing too well yet finding warm weather (although it’s sunny again, at least), but Calgary scenes are to be avoided at all fall/winter/spring times! 🙂
October 10, 2018 at 01:14
You made it to my home country (and birth province). Hope you enjoyed your stay in beautiful British Columbia. xo
October 13, 2018 at 09:03
I had no idea you were born in BC, JH. What a fantastic state, eh? 🙂 We enjoyed Vancouver Island a lot, but wished we’d gotten there a month earlier. Although, then we would have missed the salmon run and bears catching them!
October 15, 2018 at 09:25
You got to see bears catching salmon? That’s pretty cool.
BC is a beautiful province, but I’m from the other end of it–the far north.
October 19, 2018 at 00:15
No wonder you are OK with Winnipeg winters! 🙂 Coming up next: bears catching salmon.
October 11, 2018 at 19:37
Wow ! That is a pretty impressive budget. I need to get better at budgeting. I have been doing a lot of pain house sits so thats been nice but with winter upon us I am traveling to far away places that dont get the show that we have here in Tahoe, CA.
October 18, 2018 at 23:47
Now that we are traveling and living in our van, life has become more expensive than earlier this year. All in all, we find house and pet sitting the most affordable way to live. Except when one keeps buying camper van parts. 🙂 Enjoy your time away from the cold and snow! We are heading south ourselves to find warmer climes.
October 14, 2018 at 08:55
Good job, as usual, Liesbet! Glad you’re back doing what you enjoy, exploring, and writing about it. I know what it’s like to spend a day exploring and it would take much longer to write down all the experiences in one day.
October 19, 2018 at 00:06
I’m so happy you understand what I was talking about there, Natalie. It’s all extremely enjoyable, though. The sightseeing, diary writing, photo taking and organizing. Just no time for anything else. But, who’s complaining? I think I took another thousand photos these last weeks! We’ve been pretty much on the go – exploring a new area every single day – for weeks. It is time for a little break. 🙂
October 15, 2018 at 16:23
Ferries are part of life when you live on an island. And they can get pricey. When my son and daughter come over from Vancouver to visit us, they often come on the ferry as walk-ons, which is a lot less expensive. We drive to the ferry terminal and pick them up. However, then they don’t have the use of their vehicles when they are here, which can be tricky as we live in a rural area.
Jude
October 19, 2018 at 00:24
I have the solution for your children when they visit: electric bikes. Cheap to bring on the ferry and freedom and a big range to explore and run errands when they are staying with you. 🙂