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” is my motto. 🙂
Our first yearly expense report (2016) can be found here, the report of 2017 is here, the one for 2018 here, and our 2019 expenses are located here.
These reports include ALL of our expenses, in US$, for two adults and a 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. The utility cost refers to phone data plans with AT&T.
In 2020, Mark, Maya, and I lived in our campervan Zesty for six months and in the “room above the garage” the other six months. We spent about $1,000 less than the previous year. The fact that we sat still for so long during “the summer of Covid” certainly has something to do with this.
We went on a couple of multiple-week trips in our van during that period, but used less diesel and replaced less parts than in 2019. On the other hand, we needed to buy a few household items to survive – read: cook – in our guest room in Newburyport, MA.
The grocery category was relatively high, probably because we pretty much cooked all our meals at home once the pandemic arrived. Our average grocery cost in 2020 was $357 a month.
Usually, I split the bigger categories up in the table underneath, but WordPress is causing me trouble, so I’ll itemize #2 and #3 here. The camper category is divided among maintenance: $1,511; insurance: $1,118; diesel: $1,110; registration: $136; parking: $14; and tolls: $4.
Writing was a new category last year, and a big one at that. The total sum for publishing my travel memoir Plunge accounts for my editor: $2,024; book cover:$175; ISBN numbers: $295; proof copies: $72; license: $35; software Quicken: $25; font: $15; and postage: $13. I still have a long way recuperating that $2,654 in sales!
Publication of Plunge – One
Woman’s Pursuit of a Life Less Ordinary
Alcohol and gifts are pretty much in line with last year. The dog category is lower, thanks to Maya needing less drugs for her allergies. The utility category is higher, because AT&T raised their (unavailable now) monthly unlimited data plan from $25 to $35. None of the other categories stand out, except camping. In 2019, we managed to camp for free the entire year. Last January, we paid for a one-week stay at a developed National Forest campground in Florida for me (and Maya), while Mark flew back to Massachusetts.
Because of Covid, our credit card company, Chase, allowed customers to use their points at 1.5x their value for groceries (usually this rate is only valid when buying plane tickets with points). We greatly took advantage of that, since we couldn’t fly back to Belgium and… 1/3 of our groceries for “free?” We also received some credit ($310) for owning a Chase Sapphire Reserve card. Why do I mention this? Because all these points (and credits) amounted to $3,084! So, technically, we spent that much less in 2020, which brings our total expenses for last year to $12,052 instead of $15,136.
(Table might not load correctly on tablets – try turning the screen for better results.)
Maya at Ocean Pond, Florida
Do you keep track of your expenses? How did your budgeting go in 2020? Any categories you’d like to do better with in 2021?
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January 27, 2021 at 16:42
Even with some items being much higher, you still brought in the year at a reasonable level.
January 28, 2021 at 13:41
Hi Alex! Our average yearly expenses have been around $16,000 a year. It would be much higher if we were to pay for camping every night!
January 27, 2021 at 17:27
Well done, Liesbet. I do keep track of my income and expenses, using an old version of Quicken. I saved more in 2020 mainly from no travel. If I could travel this year, that would be good. I’ve increased my charity donations in 2020 and this year to give back and help people who are less fortunate.
January 28, 2021 at 13:43
Hi Natalie! Mark uses Quicken for our expenses as well. Once a month (and once a year), he goes through all the numbers with me, I write them down in my little notebook, and then I copy them into a blog post. He is actually the one who is carefully keeping track! 🙂 So nice of you to reallocate some of your travel money to the less fortunate among us.
January 31, 2021 at 20:14
Hi Liesbet, Whether it’s a notebook or a software, keeping track of finances is a good habit to have. It makes it easier when it’s time to file taxes, too. I’m glad you linked this post with #weekendcoffeeshare. Have a great week ahead!
January 27, 2021 at 18:01
Always impressive! I think our expenses were lower in 2020, mostly because of travel restrictions. Not as low as yours, though 🙂
January 28, 2021 at 13:44
Hi Janis! My guess is that most people’s expenses were lower in 2020 than any other year. Either because they didn’t travel and didn’t eat out as much, or because there was less money to spend… 🙁
January 27, 2021 at 18:23
You two are amazing! Not only in keeping your records, but how you manage your lifestyle on such a budget. We also document our expenses, but we spent more than half you entire year’s budget on medical insurance and doctors alone. Welcome to the USA and our crazy expensive healthcare system. We only camp for free about 25% of the time and when you said you didn’t pay for any camping in 2019, we were flabbergasted. Wow!!!!! Someday we would love to interview you two for our blog. Just need to figure out the logistics. Stay safe out there and keep inspiring us! Carmen and Jim
January 28, 2021 at 13:51
Hello Carmen and Jim!
Every time I read your blog, I’m envious at your standard of life – mostly regarding the drinks, food, and places you stay. I’m aware that we could and should splurge a little more, but for some reason that rarely happens. Especially now, during Covid…
When I created our yearly expense report for 2019, last year, I was surprised at the $0 for camping as well. That’s extremely rare, as we usually spend at least a few nights a year at a campground in a National Park. But, we are not really sightseeing much the last couple of years, since I was buried in book writing work.
Your health care expenses – mostly health insurance, I assume, and I realize Jim had some foot issues last year as well – are, indeed, extremely high. We luck out with our residency in MA and earning less than minimum wage, to keep health costs low. Except when we need help out of state… I just went to the dentist in Mexico, which elevates our expenses in January! Stay tuned. 🙂
It would be awesome to meet up one year. Last winter, we were in Florida, but this time, we are in the desert southwest… Opposite from you both. Take care and stay safe as well!!
January 27, 2021 at 20:25
Hi, Liesbet – Your mindfulness behind thiis budget is what is most impressive of all! Once again you have my sincere admiration.
January 28, 2021 at 13:52
Hi Donna! Thanks for checking in. I feel like all I’m blogging about these months is expenses and Plunge stuff. It’ll get a bit more diverse again in February. 🙂
January 27, 2021 at 20:30
The value of those credits is amazing! I usually skip them as annoying but I’m going to have to rethink it.
January 28, 2021 at 13:55
Hi Jacqui! There are so many websites and blogs out there with info and tips about how to take advantage of points and promotions. Mark uses a website called Dr. Credit, which is where he finds a lot of deals. Over the years, he’s made (or saved) thousands of dollars by being vigilant and jumping on certain promotions. Usually, we use our credit card points for flights, which are expensive. We will see what the future brings.
January 27, 2021 at 20:46
Wow, well done! And I’m glad to hear Maya isn’t having as much trouble with allergies now. I’m sure that makes all of you much happier. 🙂
January 28, 2021 at 13:56
Thanks for picking that up, Diane! Maya being less itchy has been such a relief, financially but also mentally, physically, and “moodly”. 🙂
January 27, 2021 at 22:53
Hi Liesbet, I always greatly admire how you and Mark are accountable for your monthly expenses. Your grocery category made me think how you and Mark eat very healthy. In the long run, your medical bills will be less and your quality of life, high. 🙂 You always share many beautiful photos, Liesbet. The sunset over Ocean Pond is breathtaking!❤️
January 28, 2021 at 13:58
Hi Erica! Now I’m drawing a blank about if you read Plunge yet or not, but that book gives insights about our health situation. It is very important to us to eat healthy, but we will have to see if that will actually affect our medical bills and quality of life. 🙂 As always, it’s a pleasure to have you visit Roaming About!!!
January 28, 2021 at 01:48
Yes, we do keep track of expenses because we itemize tax deductions. This past year the travel expense column was teeny tiny for obvious reasons. We probably gave more to charity than usual because of food shortages and more homelessness in our area.
Bravo for a super grant report. You kept writing expenses way low but still published a stellar memoir! 🙂
January 28, 2021 at 14:03
Hi Marian!
That is so nice of you and Cliff to give more to charity than usual. So many people have suffered this year.
You’re the first one to tell me my writing expenses were not that high… I guess there are all kinds of ranges people spend on their author career. Maybe I’m in the middle road when it comes to memoir.
You know what? I don’t think we even have a travel expense category, since we don’t really travel; we live on the road. It’s a lifestyle and our expenses are part of camper/car, groceries, and accommodation instead of “travel.” I do hope to travel and vacation again one day, though. I recently realized my last real vacation happened in 2002, haha.
January 28, 2021 at 02:03
I’m impressed that you keep such accurate records. It’s funny how we fell into roles in our marriage without a lot of discussion. I’m better with math, so I usually do the taxes. My wife is super efficient and doesn’t procrastinate like me, so she pays the bills. Some responsibilities we share. The main thing is it all works for us.
January 28, 2021 at 14:07
Hi Pete! Isn’t it nice how tasks are divided without much discussion sometimes? I think that’s proof of being a good team in a relationship. In our household, Mark actually takes care of tracking our expenses and filing taxes – he is the math guy. I record things and share them on our blog. I’m the writer (and language person) and the organizer. I enjoy efficiently shopping in stores, he does the same thing online (for household and camper items). I love putting all our things away in the van. He cooks. I clean up. We got it pretty much figured out as well. 🙂
January 29, 2021 at 12:34
Liesbet that seems like an excellent total, especially considering the book expenses which you wouldn’t have had in past. Here’s hoping the sales keep on going!
January 29, 2021 at 13:01
Hi Sue! Every year there seems to be an extra expense category (in 2019, it was “dog” :-)) or one that is higher than usual, say when we buy a new computer, camera, or plane tickets. It’s part of life. But, if this is the case anyway, we should make the entertainment/fun category a bit bigger in 2020. Somehow! 🙂
January 29, 2021 at 15:02
Amazing, of course. We didn’t do as well with our expenses as I’d hoped but 2020 was our best year since we started tracking. Hopefully soon I will have my year end report out.
So glad we were around for some of your more “fun” expenses -dining out and alcohol!
February 4, 2021 at 21:45
Yes, we all had a pretty good time together in the desert. Let’s hope our paths cross again soon. I saw your annual expense report is up now. I will link to it from mine whenever I get a chance.
February 1, 2021 at 22:23
Wow, amazing you can to live so reasonably. You do a fantastic job. Just stay safe!! 🙂 xx
February 4, 2021 at 21:46
Hi Debby! Trying to stay safe and healthy. It seems pretty easy to do in the places we camp. Nobody (but the wind) around! 🙂
February 2, 2021 at 08:24
Hi Liesbet, this is an impressive financial report. Minus the book expenses you would have actually saved. I hope that investment is returned at a fantastic rate. I shared my Goodreads review with my blog readers this week and have been seeing you pop up all over the place. Your hard work will pay off.
Being retired, we are careful, about finances, (we don’t want to outlive the money), but we don’t track expenses. We just sort of know when we are over/under in certain categories. Love those Chase cards!
February 4, 2021 at 21:53
Hi Suzanne!
Sorry for the late reply. I haven’t had (enough) internet recently, as we left the US and therefore good coverage and unlimited data. 🙂
Thanks again for your positive and insightful review of Plunge! I really appreciate it and I will check out your blog post soon.
It seems like you both have figured out how to live within your means and not overspend. I think it’s great that you can “feel” how things are going. The less categories one spends money in, the easier this is.
I always talk about our expenses and never about our “budget,” because we don’t really have a budget. We never define what would be too much to spend or have an allocation per category. We just spend as little as needed to live comfortably enough. 🙂 It has become a practice we have very much gotten in tune with for over fifteen years.
March 9, 2021 at 14:02
Some very beautiful sunsets, Liesbet.
Jude
March 10, 2021 at 15:38
Thanks, Jude! I much prefer sunsets to sunrises, although this winter it was easy to be up in time for those as well. 🙂