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.
July was different than other months. Mark, Maya, and I reached the coast of Brazil in Thirsty Bella on the first day of the month. That week, we looked for a campground where Maya and I could stay, and on July 7th, Mark flew to the US for almost three weeks to visit doctors, family, and friends in Massachusetts. Maya and I stayed put in Bertioga. Once Mark returned, we slowly headed north along the coast.
Reaching the coast in Bertioga on a rainy day
The coastal road north
Camped in pretty Jureia
Happy hour in Jureia; the beach is located behind the grassy field.
For once, the car category was not the highest one, because Thirsty stayed put most of the month. Groceries came in first at a low total of $253. Mark’s mom supplied food while he was there, and I was consuming whatever we still had in the camper, only buying the absolute necessities like bread and produce.
Stocking up at a local grocery store
Local grocery store in walking distance of the campground
A bunch of bananas, two apples, and four buns (I’d eaten two already) cost under US$2 at a local store.
Bella Casa, the best bakery in town!
The interior of this giant bakery
The rustic baguette was delicious
And my vice: fresh pastries and pudding
Brazil produces one of my favorite pastries in their bakeries, a boule de Berlin!
We did do a decent stock-up in early July, and Mark brought back “specialty items” from Trader Joe’s and Walmart, like spices, maple syrup, hot sauce, and rice paper (yay, we can finally make spring rolls again).
Edible goodies from the US
We had looked forward to visiting this European chain store in Campinas, Brazil.
To reach the parking lot of this store, you have to clear these arches. There was no other parking availability, so we asked a fuel station if we could park along their curb for an hour.
As always, most of our/my meals were homecooked dishes.
A simple dinner of brown rice, broccoli, and chicken
Another simple dinner at home
Being plugged into power meant I could make little pizzas in our 12V oven.
Grilling dinner got a bit crazy
A lovely lunch of good bread and homemade hummus
More homemade pizza and coleslaw
French toast for my Sunday breakfasts
We still spent over $200 on fuel — one fill-up here in Brazil and for gasoline put in Mark’s rental car in the US. He also needed to pay $19 for hospital parking lots in Boston, and we purchased a new engine gasket and toll tickets.
Accommodation was a new and high category (we usually camp for free), because Maya and I stayed in a campground for almost three weeks and Mark went on a weekend trip with a friend and needed one hotel night in the US. The rest of our camping was free.
We decided to go with this campground in Bertioga, Brazil, for Maya and me
The beach entrance of my campground
Home for three weeks
Parked in Caraguatatuba for the last night of July
Transportation was a rare and high category, because Mark took two Ubers to get to and from the airport of São Paulo, which was a two-hour drive. At under $40 each way, this price was manageable.
Mark waiting for his Uber driver to get to the airport of São Paulo, Brazil
New lights installed just for us
The high fee in the transportation category came from the airline company Avianca, which charged $120 for one checked bag! We usually only travel with carry-ons, but spare parts needed to come back to Brazil to repair and maintain our camper and truck, which allowed us to add other items, like engine parts for a fellow camper and special foods.
One (expensive) checked bag
Our new hosting company, Easy WP, is raising their prices in September, so we had to bite the bullet and fork over more money for a cheaper two-year promo plan. This cost us $100, as we used $40 of earlier donations for blog support. It would be nice to have the total amount covered by donations to only put the required time and effort into these posts, and not the money. 🙂
We also needed a case for my new tablet and a new headphone plug for Mark, for his new smartphone — welcome gadgets we received from a family member (see later).
Happy 18th anniversary to us!
Dom Miguel restaurant in Bertioga
A wonderful, tasty, and special appetizer: salmon carpaccio
A main course of shrimp, rice, and French fries with the typical Brazilian topping of farofa
No mayonnaise or ketchup in sachets here, but red wine vinegar, olive oil, and parmesan cheese instead.
The evening before Mark left, we celebrated our 18th wedding anniversary at a nice restaurant in Bertioga ($40). The other “dining out” money went to a buffet lunch for me, another one for both of us ($5 per person), and for Mark’s meals at restaurants in the US. Our American friends and family enjoy eating out; that seems to be a thing when meeting people, but it adds up.
Brazilian buffet options
More Brazilian buffet options
Buffet lunch out for $5
Buffet lunch out with Mark and Mark
Mark brought back $68 worth of gifts for me; all accessories for the fabulous and fancy camera that came into my possession upon his return (see later).
My husband managed to get all his health check-ups taken care of (with great results) in Massachusetts and only needed some meds, but since I didn’t go to the US this year, I have to focus on my healthcare in Brazil. While Mark was gone, I received a teeth cleaning for about $50. My dental hygiene is still excellent (according to dentists), so I can stick to one cleaning every six months.
My dentist in Bertioga
The Argentine peso is doing a little bit better, so our monthly Starlink subscription dropped under $80. Our business pays half of that, so the bill of this report for internet is $36. Mark also brought back household supplies for our camper life ($27). Potable water was free in July, but because my campground only had well water, I had to be super careful with what was in our tank.
The gym building of Barra do Una provides a spigot with free fresh water
Topping up with potable water after being extremely careful for three weeks!
Furthermore, we spent $24 on Amazon for camper repair items like strong tape, a sink drain, and a cap for a faucet. Mark brought back much more gear, but because we are Amazon Vine members, we received all that for free.
New faucet for the kitchen sink after dealing with a leaking one for six months
Seven dollars went to laundry last month (I managed to do most of it for free at the campground) and $1 to a jewelry set. After not wearing my “daily pearl” for a year and a half, I finally have a string to turn it into a necklace again. Yeah, I’m not sure why that took so long.
A very convenient laundromat
I am getting used to doing laundry in machines again!
The laundry room at the campground
The laundry needed two days to dry in this cloudy, humid weather
A better day for laundry
Last load of laundry before Mark returned
Mark and I did spend money on alcohol ($16) and drinking out ($11) in July, but the last of our donations evened this out to zero. Our gratitude goes to all the people who have supported our blog and journey over the years.
The end of our favorite wine from Argentina
Having a drink at the beach with fellow overlander Mark from England – and his dog, Fran
The only thing left to mention is a generous gift from my uncle last summer in Belgium. We saved this amount to buy three items we’ve been wanting for years. When the purchase prices were right and we knew Mark would be in the US to receive the gadgets, we spent the entire sum.
Our new gadgets!
We managed to order a “used, as good as new” Sony RX10 III camera for me (something I have never been able to afford), a refurbished tablet for me, and a refurbished smartphone for Mark. We are super happy with these items and lucked out with the quality of them when placing bids and orders. Thank you, Uncle P!
How we saved money in July
- I was extra careful those three weeks Mark was away, enjoying the game of spending as little as possible. If it wasn’t for the dentist, I would have gotten away with a $30 bill for groceries, one lunch, and three drinks. And that includes treating a camper neighbor to a caipirinha on the beach. Still, I spent well under $80 for three weeks of living — not including the camping fee.
Free Amazon Vine items – Can you tell I’m ready for the beach?
- Because we are Amazon Vine Voice participants (a by-invite-only membership), we order most of our gear for free within the US, in exchange for leaving honest reviews. This, however, depends on which items become available and their quality, shape, or color isn’t often what we like or want. But it’s still a great deal and has saved us thousands of dollars over the years.
- I managed to negotiate a nightly rate at the campground of R$50 instead of $RS60 ($9.50 instead of $11).
Our total for the month of July was over average again at $1,373, but at least we both earned enough money to cover that amount and not dip into savings. 🙂
