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 US East Coast. Other health issues are resolved locally and out of pocket where needed.
In May, Mark, Maya, and I traveled throughout Argentina (one week) and Paraguay (three weeks) in our truck camper, Thirsty Bella and we enjoyed a ten-day break from the road with our friends Duwan and Greg, who rented two Airbnbs and generously shared their space with us.
Thirsty Bella parked by our first Airbnb
It was another expensive month with our car leading the charts again. Fuel still cost over $400, but the real culprit was a maintenance job that we performed ourselves: we replaced the transmission oil in the engine for $323.
(As always, click on or hover over photos in galleries to read their captions.)
Fuel prices by the liter in Paraguay – PYG 8,000 resembles US$1
Our first fuel fill-up in friendly Encarnacion, Paraguay
Fuel pump in Encarnacion
Fuel pump in Aregua
To our pleasant surprise, we not only found the correct Ford oil in Encarnación, Paraguay, but the filter as well. And that in a country where our truck is not produced or sold. While hoping that labor was cheap, as we’d never performed this job before, we bolted at the extra $400 this project would cost at a Ford dealer. We picked a quiet parking lot and a dry afternoon to swap the oil and dropped the used liquid off at Ford for recycling.
Quiet (but littered) parking lot for car maintenance
Mark changing the transmission oil
We paid for toll roads in Argentina as well as Paraguay, but we also made a few detours on lesser roads to save money. I’m happy to report that the condition of most paved roads in Paraguay so far has been great! Worth the tolls. 😊 We also paid a dollar to park at the botanical gardens of Asunción.
Avoiding a toll road by following a dirt track around the booth. We weren’t the only ones trying to evade paying high tolls…
Massive tree at the botanical gardens
Our monthly grocery bill fluctuates between $300 and $400 in South America. We ate out quite a lot in Paraguay, but we cooked many meals as well.
Dinner at home with our friends
Chicken and spinach ravioli with tomato sauce
Whole wheat spaghetti with vegetables
Cooking ingredients for pizza night
I was a bit late with this photo!
Pasta dinner
Shopping is much more affordable here than in Argentina and we found specialty foods that we’d been craving a while, so we are okay with our total of $331. As you can see, we buy and eat a lot of bread!
Bakery in Yapeyu
Bread bins at a Paraguayan grocery store
Baked goods produced by a German baker in Hohenau
We finally found crunchy, thick, one-ingredient peanut butter in Paraguay.
Most stores in this area have armed guards – We found some goodies in this Japanese-influenced supermarket.
A beautiful and tasty sourdough bread
We couldn’t wait to enter Paraguay, because we’d been looking forward to its international cuisine and we knew the cost of living was much lower than in its neighbors. So, we took advantage of the many restaurants, diverse meals, affordable menus, and friendly service. It made us happy and satisfied our taste buds to splurge on sushi, ramen, Korean and Mexican food, and some local dishes.
Sushi boat in Encarnacion
Parilla lunch
Parilla or BBQ lunch in Encarnacion = We bought food to eat for dinner.
Arabic food and fries
Local empanadas for 30 cents a piece (and bread we gave to Maya)
Popular Argentinian ice cream chain in Paraguay
The famous king mojito for Mark!
A strange cold spell in Paraguay
Greg had a beer and Duwan and I shared a pitcher of tasty sangria.
Mexican dinner
Awesome, tasty, and affordable Japanese restaurant in Yguazu
Ramen at a Japanese restaurant in Yguazu
The current US political climate and reciprocal policies introduced the necessity for Americans to apply for and purchase a visa for Brazil, starting this past April. Right in time for Mark to follow the application process and hand over $81. While we thought this step would take five business days, in actuality we waited two weeks in total, before we could cross the border.
We paid $70 for alcohol in May (wine, beer, rum), which seems average. We drank more than usual during our friends’ ten-day visit and we bought a couple of bottles of local rum in Paraguay, which we haven’t tried yet.
Mark with a local beer
The utility category was similar to last month. The other half of our Starlink subscription is paid by our business, so the $40 underneath represents only half of the total cost. Getting propane before leaving Argentina proved to be a hassle and unpleasant, which I wrote about in the previous blog post.
Getting our propane tank topped off for another 45-minute wait
Weighing our propane tank
A bit of thought, planning, waiting, and creativity had to go into obtaining another international permit for Maya, with crossings into Brazil in mind. While the cost is not that high at $16 for a health certificate at a vet (who never even looked at or touched our dog) and a mere $2 for the agricultural department to make it official, the time investment and inconvenience every 60 days has been taxing. And the cost adds up after a year.
Mark bought a discounted Seresto flea & tick collar for our dog online as well ($32), which he will pick up in the US soon. This should give Maya protection for another eight months.
Once we reached Paraguay, we spent a few nights at paid campgrounds just to be able to sleep. We had a great experience at a German-owned facility and a blah one in a city park.
Paid camping in Encarnacion
Our unofficial camping spot at the campground
Pool at the pay campground in Hohenau
Most of our camping in May was free and “wild”, as always.
Camped in Bonpland
Camped at Yapeyu
Camped in the center of Posadas
Camped by the naval base in Encarnacion
Camped in San Cosme y Damian
Camped in Sapucay
Paraguay doesn’t have high-profile or famous sights, but it does offer a few interesting attractions, like its mission district, waterfalls, and museums. Entrance fees remain affordable, so we enjoyed visiting every site we had in mind. More about that in the next blog.
One of the three main missions in Paraguay
San Cosme y Damian Mission
An armillary sphere in action
Trinidad Mission at night
Trinidad Mission during the day
Sign for the Trinidad Mission
Church ruins at the Trinidad Mission
Sign for the Jesus de Tavarangue Mission
Jesus de Tavarangue Mission
Local knowledge about the old and fascinating church in Yaguaron
Old train in Sapucay
Train museum in Sapucay
Also on the to-do list once we crossed into this country were a few non-car projects. We bought a new mirror for the camper, which a company cut and installed for $12. We had our outside ladder repainted for $20. And Mark found a switch and resistor for a couple of dollars to adjust our fridge temperature.
Before – the old mirror
After – the new mirror
Before – the rusty ladder
After – the repainted ladder
Electronics store where we had our resistor wired to our new switch
Our new fridge switch and resistor
At one of the missions, our astronomy guide showed us reproductions of celestial instruments which he creates out of metal. We couldn’t resist buying our own armillary sphere.
Our own souvenir armillary sphere
I needed more birth control pills and we bought a couple of souvenirs when visiting the information center of a Japanese town, ran by a super friendly lady. She had allowed us to camp in the back the previous night, which we were thankful for.
Camped behind the information center in Yguazu
Our last expense bill of the month goes to transportation. I took a train back into Argentina to pick up Maya’s permit and we used an Uber with our friends to go out to dinner one evening.
Train between Paraguay and Argentina
Waiting for my ride back to Paraguay
I would like to mention two free categories as well. No money went to laundry in May! The reason: I did most of it by hand in buckets and one of the Airbnbs our friends rented had a washing machine. I spent two days running loads of clothes, linen, and dog paraphernalia and hanging everything to dry outside.
Washing machine at our first Airbnb, in Encarnacion
Hanging laundry in the driveway of our first Airbnb
Laundry line in the backyard of our second Airbnb
Laundry line after some hand washing at our second Airbnb
Mark and I did go out for a few drinks, at a beach bar in Encarnación twice and with our friends at a trendy bar in Areguá on our last evening together. This totaled $15, but a donation of our follower MD took care of that. And we have some of those funds left for this month. Thank you!
Sharing this liter cocktail with Mark
A giant caipirinha cocktail in Encarnacion
Back to the beach bar in Encarnacion with our friends
Cold night out!
