Expense Report – Roaming About

Category: Expense Report (page 1 of 12)

Monthly Expenses of a Nomad in South America – November 2024 (Uruguay & Argentina)

Mark, Maya, and I spent pretty much the entire month of November with Thirsty Bella in Argentina, after crossing back over from Uruguay. The only reason I mention Uruguay in the title, is that some of the credit card charges from October didn’t come through until November. Bookkeeping…

(As always, hover over or click on photos in galleries to read their captions.)

Reaching the border into Argentina, where a big motorcycle group of Brazil took the privilege of cutting everybody off!

Camped for the night at eerie Lake Epecuen

Camped with Sheri and Jeff in Puerto Deseado

Sunset at our pretty camping spot in Puerto Deseado

Camped for one night with Jeff and Sheri at Playa La Mina, along a remote coastal road

Our November expenses were on the high end, but that is not a surprise. It was an eventful month with lots of driving and quite a few realizations and stories.

A decent paved road in Argentina

One of the many gravel roads we drove in November

Another coastal road – we enjoyed those more than the main highway of Ruta 3.

In the cab of the truck

The gravel washboard road to Punta Ninfas

It seems like every month we reach a new record high with the amount we spend on fuel! This time, we can blame the long distances. Gasoline is back “down” to around $4 a gallon (1 euro a liter) in Argentina as opposed to the $7 in Uruguay. But, man, did we cover some miles last month – and we are still going!

Back to cheaper fuel

Fuel prices in Central Argentina

From November 1^st, leaving Fray Bentos in Uruguay to cross the border, until November 30^th at Playa La Mina along the Atlantic coast of Argentina, including a few measurable detours, we drove 2,000 miles (3,000 km)! I guess that translates to $670 of fuel… Luckily, our water consumption remains free.

Filling up with potable water at a fuel station

Topping off with fresh water again at a YPF fuel station

Other car expenses – historically the highest category – went to maintenance ($10) in the form of windshield washer fluid and battery lugs (to create a more efficient cable run between the car and the camper, an upcoming project) and tolls ($15). The bridge crossing between Uruguay and Argentina cost $10 for cars and $40 (!) for motorhomes (and pick-ups with dual tires), which is insane. The other tolls were paid in Northern Argentina.

The expensive bridge over the river dividing Uruguay and Argentina

Our grocery bills were unusually high as well. We did stock up a bit before arriving in Patagonia, as we had heard that goods are pricier here, but the main reason for the increased number ($450), is that prices in Argentina, for all goods, keep rising. People everywhere in the world complain about inflation, but – honestly – that is nothing compared to this country. We have seen products double and triple in price this year. It is hurting every tourist, but the local population even more. Something will give soon.

Of course, we needed a big stock-up after three weeks in pricey Uruguay.

More grocery shopping

My usual lunch sandwich: a bun from the bakery with a slice of cheese, tomato, lettuce, cucumber, and mayonnaise.

My birthday breakfast in Bella

Buying bread by the weight in Argentina ( and elsewhere)

My birthday gift at the end of November was a boat tour to Isla Pinguïno, off the coast of Puerto Deseado, a substantial detour from Ruta 3. Mark and I arrived here with the understanding that day tours to the island cost $80 per person, since nobody seems to update prices in iOverlander. This was already a high price to swallow for us, budget-minded nomads. But we had heard the trip was worthwhile, mostly to see rockhopper penguins, a species that is very difficult to visit elsewhere in the world.

Imagine our surprise when we inquired about this tour at two agencies and learned that the cheapest one offered these 5-hour trips (2-hour boat ride and 3 hours on the island) for $160 a person, not including lunch!

We managed to bargain them down a bit to $140 per person (cash would have been 130,000 pesos/$130 a person – we don’t even carry that many bills), which was still way out of our budget. So, Mark stayed home and let me go. Our friend Sheri came along, which was nice.

Magellanic penguins on the day tour with Sheri

The less-common rockhopper penguin

Sea lions up close

It was an enjoyable excursion (more photos and videos in an upcoming blog post), but to be honest, I still found the price too steep; just to watch the rockhoppers. Especially when adding another $60 in fuel for the detour. All the other wildlife could be seen – for free – in other parts of this country. I wish I would have known this price ahead of time (my mistake for not doing more research, but an increase of 100%?) and that Mark could have joined us.

After seventeen years (of traveling), my Crocs, a birthday gift from Mark in 2007, finally perished.

On my actual birthday (November 28), Jeff and Sheri treated us to dinner at a local restaurant, after having drinks in our camper. It was an interesting evening. and so busy that I forgot it was also the fourth anniversary of my book, Plunge. 🙂

Birthday drinks with Sheri and Jeff in Bella

Birthday treat in an Argentinian restaurant in Puerto Deseado

We bought a bunch of affordable wine and a discounted bottle of vodka before the trek south and paid our monthly Starlink subscription, which is also going up due to the less favorable exchange rate. We topped up our propane tank again, for a decent price. This company only charged us for the gas they actually added, instead of for an entire 10kg tank.

This wine is – surprisingly – not that sweet and really tasty.

We discovered this red wine, which is tasty…

… and funny!

Getting our propane tank topped up in Comodoro Rivadavia

It was a bit awkward to pay through this “window” without seeing anyone.

Eating out in Argentina deserves a separate blog post! It isn’t pretty. Nor is it easy, affordable, tasty, or enjoyable. And that’s our bottom line. Believe me, we’ve tried. Between the late opening times of restaurants (generally around 8pm, which doesn’t mean you can eat at 8pm, of course), the increased – and still increasing – prices of meals, and the slim selection of well-prepared and healthy dishes, it’s just not worth it to us anymore.

For example, it took three tries in three different cities (the first two with us ending up cooking at home after 8pm) before we succeeded in buying a take-out pizza for two people, which cost $21, including a discount. The pie was not that great, especially the cooked ham that was supposed to be prosciutto. Oh, and the olives still had pits. We were actually going to use dinner donation money for this, but the credit card charges never came through. Yay! Now we can try once more. 😊

Falafel is our go-to quick meal, like when restaurants don’t work out.

Empanadas at the beach

Take-out pizza in Puerto Madryn

Mark and I bought a dozen empanadas on a beach one afternoon, expecting them to be seafood with a garlic sauce, based on our conversation with the vendor. They were quite tasty, but filled with ground beef, which came a tad unexpected.

The exception was a wonderful high tea ceremony in the Welsh town of Gaiman, where we ordered one “full service tea” at a tea house and one extra tea. This was enough food – savory and sweet treats – for two people. We shared the yummy experience with our Canadian friends, Jeff and Sheri. The price for this special feast had gone up from $8 to $24 in a year, but it was still worthwhile.

Mark’s shirt fits in with the theme…

High tea in Gaiman – yum!

A lovely splurge with friends in Gaiman

We just keep cooking our own meals (and doing the dishes) every day, which are tasty, healthy, and affordable, but it would be nice to take a break and have a splurge once in a while. Maybe in Ushuaia? Or Chile?

Egg noodle stir fry

Gnocchi dinner at home

Healthy pasta dish

Our last cocoa powder was used for delicious brownies

When we are totally out of fresh produce, there are canned products for pasta Puttanesca

Pasta Puttanesca leftovers with garlic bread

Shared home-cooked dinner with our friends, Sheri and Jeff

Dropping off laundry in Argentina – which is the only way, like in most South American countries, unless you rent an Airbnb with a washing machine – costs around $8 a load these days. We gave in, after inquiring at three laundromats and receiving a small discount when paying cash. And Maya finally received a new box of dog treats (since we saved a chunk of money elsewhere) and a bag of stuffing, with which we fluffed up her pathetic-looking dog bed.

Re-stuffing Maya’s dog bed

Maya is happy with her thicker bed!

In true fashion, we didn’t spend much money on entertainment. Mark and I visited the affordable Fray Bentos museum in Uruguay and booked a tour there on the last day of October. Luckily, we could pay with credit card, as we had run out of Uruguayan pesos by then. This charge came through in November.

Mural of the social situation in Fray Bentos, when the factory was active

Mark didn’t join me on the other two visits. The first one was to an abandoned town on the shores of Lago Epecuén. The entrance fee was low, but three times as high as six months ago. Out of principle, Mark stayed home. And the second one was a quick look into the oldest Welsh house of Gaiman, which gave me, Sheri, and Jeff a good idea of how the Welsh folks lived there in the 1800s.

Ruins of Epecuen

The ghost town of Epecuen

The oldest Welsh house in Gaiman, built in 1874

Inside a typical Welsh house of the 1800s

Now, let’s talk about our pantry repair in Bella…

I had forgotten to latch the cabinet, we drove on really bumpy and crappy roads for an hour, and the pantry slid out and in on its tracks long enough to give up and tumble to the floor. We heard the crash from the cabin of the truck, stopped immediately, and witnessed the warzone with horror, dread, and sadness.

Everything made from glass and ceramics, including precious gifts from friends, lie shattered on the floor, mixed with ball bearings of the destroyed track, and scattered shelves and spice containers.

After an already long, tiring, and frustrating day, this was another all-time-low for us. We stared at the damage and were ready to give up on this journey all together. Then, we gathered our wits, picked up the broken pieces, and swept the floor for the first time. More cleaning would follow – tiny shards of glass hid everywhere!

Living with our pantry cabinet shelves next to the bed, after its dreadful fall.

For two weeks, we had to transport our cabinet door this way, and move it back and forth to be able to sleep.

The gaping hole of the broken pantry

We contacted an Argentinian friend from Puerto Madryn, the first big town we were headed to, who got in touch with a carpenter friend of his, who let us know he could help. To make a long story short: we communicated with Federico and he came by Bella to see what was needed. Then, he bought new tracks, visited us again with his tools, and spent two hours installing and modifying the pantry.

Federico fixes our pantry with the help of Mark

Mark finished the two-hour project

Yay! The cabinet works again, but has much less items in it!

On top of his service, professionalism, kindness, knowledge, and fast assistance, he refused to take any extra money from us! He only (under)charged us for the part, happy to help and become friends! This was an incredible and humbling experience. We used the money we’d saved to buy goodies for all three of us.

After we returned from our summer break in the US and Belgium, Mark suffered from allergies for many weeks. Finally, he bought medicine for the worst days. We also needed a new supply of hydrogen peroxide. We didn’t replace the broken mugs and glasses, apart for one wine glass on sale for $2. So far, we are managing fine. Mark refuses to drink out of plastic cups, though. I’ll have to be even more careful securing our cabinets, which I usually check meticulously before every departure.

A quieter night just outside of El Condor

Camped in Gualeguaychu for what would become a terrible and super-short night

We moved to this fuel station at 4am!

Free municipal campground somewhere along our extensive drive south

Camped in the city park of Pigue

One night by a windy lake, after driving a long and awful washboard road

One night in the town of El Condor

As usual, we didn’t stay at pay campgrounds and managed to boondock/wild camp for the entire 30 days of November. Some places were quiet and attractive; others not so much.

Our favorite camping spot of November, along the Argentinian coast

Partly protected from the strong winds – the blooming bushes and Mark’s heightened allergies made us move, though

Camped along a popular shell beach

Camped by a pebble beach in Puerto Madryn

Being camped in a parking lot in the center of Puerto Madryn was much quieter and enjoyable than expected!

Cool and quiet camping spot at Punta Ninfas

Back in Puerto Madryn, where Jeff and Sheri surprised us!

Our relatively loud camping spot in Gaiman for two nights

Camped with Jeff and Sheri near Comodoro Rivadavia

And that wraps up our $1,512 expense report for November 2024 – above average but it could have been worse based on how the inflation in Argentina is going. We don’t want to be here for too much longer.

(For anyone interested in the political and financial situation of Argentina, Mark came across this interesting article recently: https://apnews.com/article/argentina-milei-trump-musk-default-economy-inflation-libertarian-18efe55d81df459792a038ea9e321800.)

(It might be easier to read the table when turning your device in the horizontal position.)

Find all our expense reports here. To learn what other full-time nomads spend, check out the blogs of our nomad friends Duwan and Greg at Make Like An Ape Man.

Next up: Wildlife encounters in Patagonia

If you are enjoying these posts, please consider donating to Roaming About in support of our website and our lifestyle. A big thank you to all our readers who have helped out in the past!

Monthly Expenses of a Nomad in South America – October 2024 (Argentina & Uruguay)

November 10, 2024 / Liesbet / 28 Comments

After we returned to Thirsty Bella in Argentina, Mark, Maya, and I needed about three weeks to find our travel groove, get readjusted to the lifestyle, prep for new adventures, and see friends before new horizons lured. The first week of October, we headed north in Argentina and on October 9^th, we crossed into Uruguay, a new-to-us country. We stayed through Halloween.

(As always, hover over or click on photos in galleries to read their captions.)

The equivalent of $100 in Argentinian pesos

Welcome to Uruguay

The equivalent of $100 in Uruguayan pesos

Despite Uruguay being a very expensive nation – even by western norms – our monthly budget stayed below average. Why? Mark and I were super careful spending money, stocked up in Argentina, drove slower than usual, deliberated detours, and focused on free camping and what we really wanted to see.

Waiting for the traffic to pass…

Nice pavement in the beginning

Dirt road back to the main road

Disappearing pavement

Over 100 miles of dirt roads, crossing the country

Driving on bad roads – Maya is stressed

More traffic in the hinterland of Uruguay

Building new roads

The car category was the highest, as usual. Over half of our total! With fuel costing $7 a gallon/$1.80 a liter in Uruguay (diesel is 40% cheaper), it is no surprise that we spent around $560 on gasoline, despite topping up in Argentina (at $4/gallon) and filling our 5-gallon jerrycan before crossing the border. I wonder if this has been an all-time monthly record. We complained about expensive fuel in Peru – where we drove around for five months – at $5 a gallon!

Filling up with gasoline in Argentina

Topping up the fuel tank – and our jerrycan – as well

Main fuel company in Uruguay

Buying expensive gasoline

Dollar rate at the gas station

More fuel is needed

The other car cost went to toll roads, which were pricy in Uruguay as well. We joked that we had to pay $4 an hour on the highways. There are five “automatic” toll stations; an ordeal for foreigners.

The toll rates are the same at each of the five booths. We hit them all!

Toll station near Montevideo

One of the toll stations

The gate finally opens; you don’t want to arrive behind us!

You’re supposed to register your license plate and car (which we did), put credit on your account (we had no idea how many tolls we’d need, so skipped this) or pay at an office (which we did each time), and a camera would read your registered plate, take the correct credit off your account, and open the gate.

That last step NEVER worked. Now that we know how many tolls there are along the highways in Uruguay and that the cost is the same at each one, we would put that amount on the account and only be annoyed once at each booth, when the gate remains closed and some manual action somewhere happens.

Time for dinner!

Camped by the river of Gualeguaychu

Many dinners in Bella (Photo courtesy of Brandon Lever)

Our grocery expense was on the high side, due to needing a lot still after coming home to an empty camper, cooking every meal at home, and preparing a handful of dinners for friends. Monthly rates for our satellite internet subscription have gone up. We now pay $80, half of which is fronted by our business.

Baking brownies

Stocking up at the grocery store of Concordia, Argentina, before crossing the border into Uruguay

Stir fry with egg noodles

Yummy chili!

Juicy, tasty, and affordable strawberries. They must grow these in Uruguay.

When the wind mellows out, we can grill.

Strawberry-banana milkshake (no ice cream), a wonderful treat!

We also opted to top up our propane tank before crossing the border – due to higher costs for everything in the neighboring country – but are not sure now this was the best plan of action. It seems that no matter where and when we add a few kilos of gas to our tank in Argentina, we end up paying for a full tank, just for the privilege, setting us back $15. Drinking water was free everywhere.

The hardware store that couldn’t fill our propane tank (after we waited an hour for it)

After a big detour and more waiting, we got our propane tank topped off here.

Filling with drinking water in Punta del Diablo

After the hassle and vet costs traveling back and forth to the US and Belgium with Maya, we weren’t done yet. Before entering Uruguay, she needed a new health certificate, export permit, and negative blood test for Leishmaniasis. We had all that done in the Argentinian town of Gualeguaychu, over one vet visit (when Maya got attacked again) and two SENASA (agriculture department) stops. We also got some of her shots updated at the vet, adding that bill up to $53. Being patient regarding the export permit meant that part only cost $2 (processing time of 72 hours) instead of the expedited, one-day fee of $30.

Vet visit for paperwork

Blood test for Maya

We are back in wine country! Despite everything else in Argentina steeply going up in price, wine seems to have been spared. We also bought two bottles of discounted rum to last in Uruguay. We never went out for drinks.

The laundromat (out of three) I picked

It costs $7 to have this small pile of laundry washed, dried, and folded.

Another one of our three website domains was due last month ($22) and we couldn’t avoid laundry in Uruguay. In Colonia del Sacramento, I inquired at three laundromats. The price was the same everywhere: $7.50 for a tiny load of 2-3kg. Yikes! We had a lot of dirty stuff. The solution: drop off the most difficult items to hand wash (sheets, towels, jeans, and shorts) and wash everything else (about three big loads) by hand. The price was high for the convenience, but the savings were even higher!

Hours of hand laundry

First batch of hand laundry at the coast

All our clothes are washed and pegged!

Here is the truth about our dining out experiences: Mark and I had not gone out to dinner, just the two of us, since April of this year. Before we left for the summer, restaurant prices kept going up in Argentina, so we stuck to a few take-out meals. In Belgium and Massachusetts, it just didn’t happen. Back in Argentina, we didn’t have time, plus, many restaurants don’t open until 8pm. And in Uruguay, it was too expensive. We do have a couple of donation amounts left, which we look forward to splurging with soon.

Cozy atmosphere, but too cold to eat outside

Burgers and fries

I ordered a fish burger and a cocktail and Mark chose a vegetable burger and a beer.

All that being said, I did treat Mark to one dinner in Punta del Diablo, Uruguay, because the photos on Google looked super appealing for a place called Cardamomo and I had some money set aside from Belgium still (the last funds). Maya was welcome and, while pricy, the food and drinks were tasty and the atmosphere delightful.

Fish & chips in Bella

Our new, plastic spoon

The $5 we did use from our account went to a portion of fries from a food stand to complement a homecooked fried fish dinner. And, we needed a new plastic ladle/spoon as the old one was shedding and were surprised by its affordability ($2) in a Uruguayan grocery store.

Salto Grande Dam

Free bus tour of the dam

Castillo de Piria

One saving grace in Uruguay were its inexpensive – or free – attractions. More about that in my upcoming post. I climbed two lighthouses for stunning views, which only cost me $1 each time. Mark was not interested. And, both of us visited the impressive and well-kept Santa Teresa Fort near Punta del Diablo. All this for the equivalent of $4! A dam tour and Piria Castle were free to enjoy.

Faro de San Ignacio

View from the top of the lighthouse

Lighthouse of Colonia

View from the top of the lighthouse

One of the five corners of the fort

Good parking job, Mark!

Santa Teresa Fort

Entrance fee to the fort: $1.25 a person

Last but not least, one of the most appealing things about that smallish country is its plethora of free, attractive camping spots, especially along the coast!

Our camping spot in Punta del Diablo

Quick stop for the night

Free, basic campground along the way

Arrival at the coast

We stayed here for one night.

Camped at La Paloma

Camped near the capital for one night

Our first camping spot in Colonia del Sacramento

Second, free camping spot in Colonia

An amazing free campground in the middle of Uruguay

Camping spot for the last nights at Ismael Cortinas

We also camped for free in Argentina; our friend Brandon paid for the three nights at Punta Viracho.

Visitors in Gualeguaychu

A couple of nights at windy and cloudy peninsula Soler

Free hot water in the park

Arriving at Punta Viracho (Photo courtesy of Brandon Lever)

Camped with our friends in Punta Viracho

Soaking in the hot pools of Punta Viracho (Photo courtesy of Brandon Lever)

Punta Viracho campground (Photo courtesy of Brandon Lever)

Prices of the campground at Punta Viracho – Brandon paid for our stay.

And that wraps up our relatively low ($1,135) and relatively enjoyable month of October.

Massive fields in Uruguay

Juicy fields

Happy cows!

With all that electricity from driving, we happily plug in our devices

Maya is not comfortable on the bumpy roads.

Maya holds on for dear life.

(It might be easier to read the table when turning your device in the horizontal position.)

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.

Next up: A three-week discovery of Uruguay

If you are enjoying these posts, please consider donating to Roaming About in support of our website and our lifestyle. A big thank you to all our readers who have helped out in the past!

Monthly Expenses of a Nomad in South America – September 2024 (Belgium, USA, Argentina)

October 8, 2024 / Liesbet / 25 Comments

After spending three months in Europe and the US over the summer, Mark, Maya, and I returned to Argentina on September 21^st, the first day of spring (primavera) down here. While the initial three weeks of the month had been cheap, thanks to the generosity of our parents regarding food expenses and car use, we immediately blew the budget once we moved back into our truck camper, Thirsty Bella . The flights had been paid for last March.

(As always, hover over or click on photos in galleries to read their captions.)

Returning from grocery shopping in Belgium

A wonderful gift of beer and chocolate from our friends!

Leaving Europe

Belgian chocolate – for friends, family, and ourselves

So, September 2024 was an expensive month for us, especially since we spent it all in the final ten days! Some of the high costs were expected, like Maya’s export permit, storage for our camper, an official campground, and renewing our car insurance for South America; others were not only surprising but also scary…

One of the mechanics needs to lie on the engine to work on it.

Our low-mileage F350 truck engine developed a serious issue – factory induced – when we did some maintenance on it upon our arrival in Argentina. A miss-threaded sparkplug (one of the sixteen) was difficult to remove and appeared to have damaged threads. This made it impossible to replace with a new one and caused profound worries about how to fix the issue. Especially since the spark plug hole was hidden, so out of view and difficult to access. We were stranded!

We moved our car closer to the building to work without too much hinder from the strong wind.

Mark organizing his tools for this day-long project

Old ignition coils and sparkplugs lined up

The culprit of our engine issue: a damaged, previouly miss-threaded sparkplug.

Long story short: we needed to hire professional, cautious, and capable mechanics who wouldn’t only be willing to drive to our campground an hour and a half outside Buenos Aires, but who could also solve our predicament. The pair came out twice and managed to install the new spark plug without damaging the engine block or anything else. The price tag: US$600 (reduced to $570, since we paid some in the local currency). It would have been cheaper ($500) if we would have possessed the full amount in pesos.

First visit from the mechanics – the job was too complicated without the right equipment, which they didn’t bring.

Second visit of the mechanics – in the evening this time!

This time, they brought an endoscopic camera to see what was going on. Very important!

They worked on the car with special tools until 8:30pm.

We renewed our Mercasur countries liability insurance for another year for $358, which was three times as high as six months ago! Yes, prices keep rising in Argentina. The storage fee for our camper at Julian’s place was cheap. He charges only 25,000 pesos a month, so we tipped him another 30% to make the bill exactly $100. We also paid $3 for toll roads.

Reunited with Thirsty Bella at Julian’s place

Being waved off by Julian and his wife

Julian and I guide Mark and our fat camper through the narrow gate

Julian and his wife Sofia

To reach that whopping $1,079 for the car category, we also ordered tools to work on the sparkplug and ignition coils projects, bought fuel for my mother-in-law’s car in the US, and paid $2 for parking at Salisbury Beach, which is very close to our home base in Massachusetts, but I’d never been.

Using the car from Mark’s mom for visits to friends. Driving in Boston turned bad. Twice.

Visiting friends in Duxbury, on the other side of Boston

First visit to Salisbury Beach, close to Newburyport

Our camper pantry and fridge were totally empty when we returned to Buenos Aires, so a giant stock-up was needed. On our first day back, we stopped by a small shop for necessities, before reaching the Zapparancho campground, where we’d regroup and prepare for the rest of our South American journey.

One of the chain grocery stores we visited

The international food chain

After the weekend, we drove to the town of Lujan to visit two supermarkets for a first heavy-loaded run. We immediately missed the diversity and quality of goods we’d gotten used to in the US and Belgium. It will take a few more grocery stops to fill the camper up.

Maya needed a new international health certificate from the US to enter Argentina, so there went another $225. We are super happy that vet fees and shots are much more affordable down south!

Another thing I did back in Massachusetts was reclaim my Plunge books from the local bookstore, where the owner had “archived” them in the storage room, because none had sold in the last two years. Better to distribute them from our camper!

Reclaiming my Plunge books from a local bookstore. The owner had put them in the storage room!

On the first day of our return to the continent, we filled our camper with potable water, installed a new part on the water heater – which leaked and needed a few tightening attempts; we hate plumbing! – and discovered the bathroom faucet was leaking. We use this handle in the sink and as a shower head. Wasting water in a small camper is detrimental.

Topping up with water

Filling with water and checking all the systems

Fixing a plug for the water heater

Replacing the pressurized bar of our door

Who would be returning to Buenos Aires soon as well? Our US motorcycle friends Katherine and Brandon! And, yes, they could bring back the small and light replacement part. We paid more than normal to ship it to their address in time. A few random other parts rounded out the camper category.

The faucet part that leaked and had to be replaced, and its size

The new faucet part delivered by friends, installed, and leak-free!

In general, our health and fitness category is low, since we rarely go to hair dressers or buy health products. But, a visit to the US is the opportune time to stock up on specialized toothpaste (which I now rely on), a bottle of aloe vera, and nine months’ worth of vitamins.

Another pile of Amazon packages awaits us, mostly from Vine.

Even a checked-bag was available on Vine, with some patience.

Mark and I always fly with carry-on luggage only, unless we have a huge amount of gear, products, and/or parts to bring back. In this case, we checked one bag for $60 and donated it afterwards. Many packages waited for us in Massachusetts after our break in Belgium. Most were Vine Voice items, which we order for free in return for an honest review. We brought back a lot of useful products!

A moose antler for Maya – the first toy that holds her attention for more than a few seconds!

New flip flops for Mark

I ordered a soft, fleece blanket for Maya. I mean, Mark.

My new, stainless-steel water bottle

New cushion covers for the dinette, ordered through Vine

Laundry basket from Amazon Vine

And we brought Maya’s new, free bowl as well.

We counted on a week at an official campground to get ready for the road again – unpacking, organizing, shopping, cleaning, filling with water, fixing issues, engine maintenance, catching up on sleep, and researching a route and upcoming destinations. Our unexpected engine issue extended that stay, so we paid around $50 for eight nights at Zapparancho.

Being welcomed by Herman at Zapparancho

Zapparancho has a new mural since last time we visited in June

Two of our three website domain name registrations were due for renewal in September and the monthly subscription fee for our Starlink satellite internet service went up. Depending on the exchange rate, we now pay about $80 a month, half of which is taken care of by our business.

Within an hour of arriving in Bella, after getting Thirsty’s engine started with an extra boost (first things first), Mark unpaused our internet service and reregistered our Starlink account in Argentina instead of Peru, where we’d bought the unit. The fees in Peru had risen enormously and being registered here works better if the policy of only being allowed two months outside of the host country will be enforced.

A nice evening with friends at their lake house in New Hampshire

Money also went to alcohol/wine ($29) in the US as gifts for friends and in Argentina for ourselves, an Uber taxi from the airport in BA to our camper 45 minutes away ($22), shared meals at Zapparancho and a food stand choripan ($18), a new doormat and baskets from Dollar Tree ($4), and laundry ($3).

The asado cook grabs us a chorizo (chori) for the bread bun (pan)

Ordering our first choripan at a stand in Villars

Social evening with pizza, wine, and music

The old, small washing machine for campers at Zapparancho still works well.

The chocolate we brought back and our share of the Airbnb we rented with our German friends in Liege was paid for with my Belgian funds, which are not part yet of our bookkeeping records.

I paid for part of this Airbnb rental with my money in Belgium.

A perfect space for four adults and two dogs

Snacks in Liege for a 20-hour reunion with German friends

While our total amount for September is well above average, we did manage to stay under $2,000 despite the extra expenses. We boondocked after leaving Zapparancho and are cooking all our meals at home. Having been “sponsored” in Belgium, I did realize that Mark and I never went out for a meal just the two of us, there or anywhere else, in the last four months.

Our first night back on the road at a truck stop in Zarate

Our free camping spot in Gualeguaychu

Can you believe how hot it was in the beginning of spring? Luckily, only for one day.

On the plane back home to Bella, I promised myself I would become less frugal when it comes to spoiling ourselves, which includes eating out. It’s something we thoroughly enjoy and, you know, cooking and doing dishes every evening gets old. Then, we faced that extra $600 bill for the engine (the world’s most expensive sparkplug), and my intentions went out the window! Give me a few months without unexpected bills and I might reconsider again. ????

(It might be easier to read the table when turning your device in the horizontal position.)

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.

Next up: A one-week vacation in the Black Forest of Germany.

If you are enjoying these posts, please consider donating to Roaming About in support of our website and our lifestyle. A big thank you to all our readers who have helped out in the past!

Monthly Expenses of a Nomad – August 2024 (Europe)

September 7, 2024 / Liesbet / 38 Comments

While our truck camper Thirsty Bella is stored in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Mark, Maya, and I are on a summer break from the road. Or is it a winter break? Last month, we lived in Belgium and traveled to Germany and Liechtenstein with my cousin, Griet, and her husband, Wim. More about that in a future post.

Reaction from the land owner where we stored our camper, when asked how Bella is doing

Maya is comfortable “at home” in Belgium

The Principality of Liechtenstein

Back and forth to Austria

It’s been ages since I sent a postcard!

Half-timbered houses in Cawl

One of the many cuckoo clocks in the Black Forest of Germany

Triberg Falls

Our August 2024 expense report is probably the most unusual one we’ve ever posted. Not because we didn’t spend any money – we just spent other people’s money! Kind of. My parents generously provided the funds for fuel and groceries in my home country, friends and family cooked meals when we visited, and I used Belgian savings for our ten-day European vacation.

Rosy is cooking an amazing Thai curry, which inspired us for our meals at home.

Extensive breakfast at Rosy and Peter’s place

Second dinner at Rosy and Peter’s place

Belgian fries from the fry shop with a big, homemade salad

Our wheels in Belgium

Going out for drinks with Sven and Mieke

Healthy dinner prepared by Griet, after Mark and I helped with the brewer Wim’s beer bottling

Sunday breakfasts like these are the best – Thank you, Griet and Wim!

Making our own version of Thai curry

Grocery run by bike in Berlare, Belgium

Dinner spread at my aunt’s place

Posing with friends An and Kristof, after they prepared an amazing BBQ for us

Croque madame = croque monsieur (grilled cheese and ham sandwich) topped with an egg

To be transparent and give you an idea, that trip cost us 943 euros or 1,046 US dollars; €565/$627 for ten nights of lodging (seven in the Black Forest and three in Austria) and €378/$419 for excursions, transportation, and food.

Ski lift to the top – hiking down

Wim drove us to and in Germany, Austria, Switzerland, and Liechtenstein

Black Forest cake

German beers for the boys

Ice cream cones and Peruvian sweaters for the nieces

Each day, we made our own lunches (sandwiches) and dinners were split 50/50 between eating out and cooking at our rented apartments.

Sandwich lunch in Malbun, Liechtenstein

Picnic lunch after a hike in the Black Forest

Mark cooks dinner at our first apartment in Germany.

When it was chilly, we ate inside.

Usually, it was warm enough to eat meals outside.

Flammkuche at a restaurant in the Black Forest

The men are cooking a typical German dinner: bratwurst with sauerkraut and a potato pancake

Comfort food out: tagliatelle with cream sauce, ham, and cheese

Our last dinner together, at a restaurant in Austria

As far as our own US money is concerned (which our bookkeeping resembles), we only spent $125. Most of that went to gifts ($108), $9 bought two beers in Liechtenstein for Mark and Wim, and the remaining $8 was claimed by Amazon for a new pair of discounted shorts for Mark. It is safe to say that we finally earned more money than we consumed in August. ????

Biannual (every two years) open-air musical near us – we bought tickets for my parents, who’d never attended a musical before

Taking my niece and nephew mini-golfing on his birthday

Vaduz beer for the boys

This month, life is turning back to normal. We are ordering more items online for our return to Argentina and will soon stop over in Massachusetts (USA) again for our final week away from the camper. Mark, Maya, and I are scheduled to be reunited with a totally empty Thirsty Bella on September 21st. That is exactly two weeks from today. Time flies!

(It might be easier to read the table when turning your device in the horizontal position.)

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.

If you are enjoying these posts, please consider donating to Roaming About in support of our website and our lifestyle. A big thank you to all our readers who have helped out in the past!

Monthly Expenses of a Nomad – July 2024 (USA & Belgium)

August 9, 2024 / Liesbet / 30 Comments

While our truck camper Thirsty Bella is stored in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Mark, Maya, and I are on a summer break. Or is it a winter break? The first week of July, we were still in Newburyport, Massachusetts, visiting friends and dentists, but the rest of the month, we lived comfortably in my home country of Belgium.

(As always, click on or hover over photos in galleries to read their captions.)

Wonderful evenings and meals with Don and Janet in Vermont

Lovely tajine meal in Vermont

Paella in Vermont

Mark hard at work – the WiFi in our little house is perfect!

A real bedroom with a real bed!

Maya is comfortable as well

This expense report is a bit unusual, since my parents are generously sponsoring us while we are “home.” This is mostly visible in the grocery, dog, and fuel categories!

Maya cost us the most for the second month in a row. We had to pay for overnight shipping of her health permit from the USDA, in order to receive it in time and take her with us to Belgium. We also ordered another annual dose of heartworm pills, while my parents paid for her salmon-based food.

The car came in second, but it wasn’t our truck. Storage fees for Thirsty Bella will appear once we return to Argentina. We used my mother-in-law’s car in Massachusetts, USA, to get around, so we filled it up again before we left. And, Mark ordered special grease for Thirsty.

Our wheels in Massachusetts

When Mark spots a deal for something we need, he snatches it up. This time, it was for an annual subscription (in 2025) of Quicken, the program we use for our bookkeeping and finances. Usually, this tool costs twice as much ($120).

Since I am having issues with my teeth and gums, we ordered more electric toothbrush heads and a water flosser. Has anyone ever used one? I’m hoping it’s a game changer regarding gum disease.

And, we keep ordering more items online for our camper: electrical wire, since Mark used our spare spools to install a Starlink unit in a friend’s camper, and new bed sheets and properly sized toilet bags.

The gifts from last month’s expense report have been delivered. 🙂

Gift unwrapping by my niece and nephew in Berlare

Gift for my nephew

Groceries came in at only $5. Not realistic in the long run; we have to thank our parents for this nice financial break. I also bought Mark a t-shirt in a thrift store, but it doesn’t quite fit and he doesn’t like it, so we see those $4 as charity. 🙂

Lunch consists of fresh whole wheat bread, cheese (for me), and vegetables

How about this? A salmon & Brie cheese sandwich!

This is why I come to Belgium: fresh and tasty pastries from the bakery.

We’ve been cooking wholesome meals at home and I’ve been enjoying the Belgian food and treats tremendously. From money I have put away in Belgium (not part of our accounting), I bought an oven for the little house we are staying in and beer for Mark.

Healthy meals at home

Mark makes his own granola in the second-hand oven I bought.

Mark tests the beer my cousin’s husband brews.

Our friends and family have been spoiling us as well with fantastic food and drinks!

Rum tasting, anyone? A choice of 80 (!) different rums…

Mussels and fries, a typical Belgian dish

Healthy fare at my cousin’s house in Boom

Group photo of us with Kim and part of her family

Lunch invite by my friend Hilde: she made three quiches from scratch!

Spread of amazing appetizers at my friend Kim’s place in Lokeren

My friend Hilde and I pick up fresh strawberries at this vending machine to top our ice cream dessert.

Aperitif at my friends Rosy and Peter in Merelbeke

Rosy makes a second dinner for us: Thai green curry. Delicious!

And another big spread for breakfast. Can you spot the fresh pastries?

Other than that, I bought an eBook about the writing craft (nope, I’m not working on another book, yet) and we went on a lot of walks with Maya. Low costs for entertainment in July. I also wanted to point out that we slept for free and paused our Starlink satellite internet subscription for the summer, which saves us $70 (usually split between business and personal expenses.)

Maya meets a sheep

On a walk in Berlare, where we are staying

Walking along the Donk lake, where we are staying

Walking around Lier with my cousin and her husband

Walking along the beach in Holland

Walk in Damme

Day trip to Damme with Rosy and her family

It’s hard to believe that our total for last month amounted to under $400 and I sure wish we could keep that up! We thank my mom and dad for this “all inclusive” stay in Belgium.

Maya is also getting spoiled!

Maya is not complaining

(It might be easier to read the table when turning your device in the horizontal position.)

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.

If you are enjoying these posts, please consider donating to Roaming About in support of our website and our lifestyle. A big thank you to all our readers who have helped out in the past!

Monthly Expenses of a Nomad in South America – June 2024 (Argentina & USA)

July 16, 2024 / Liesbet / 20 Comments

Mark, Maya, and I spent the first eleven days of June with our truck camper Thirsty Bella in Buenos Aires, Argentina. On that last evening, Julian, the owner of our storage spot, brought us to Ezeiza International Airport and we flew – via JFK – to Boston, Massachusetts, for the rest of the month and into July.

(As always, hover over or click on photos in galleries to read their captions.)

Time for a summer adventure

We flew from Argentina to the US with American Airlines

Our route for the first 11 hours

For once, the car category wasn’t the highest one. Maya received that honor. Before leaving Argentina, we needed a health certificate and export paperwork for her (about $40 in total). On our first day in the US, we had an appointment with a vet to administer another rabies shot (the three-year version as that would make things easier for returns to the US) for $45. In South America, we paid between $4 and $7 for this!

Another vet visit for Maya

Visit to the agriculture department at BA airport before leaving

We also obtained an international health certificate for Belgium that day, which cost $220 and was valid for one month. This document had to be endorsed and validated by the USDA within 10 days of our departure date and a hard copy with seals had to be mailed back to us (overnight) for another $80 (July expense). We picked it up before leaving the country and made another appointment for September to repeat this process for Argentina. In addition, we bought a bag of salmon-based dog food. I mentioned that Maya would be pricy this summer!

Mark ordered a spare propane regulator for the camper, as well as an improved DC-DC battery charger. The regulator will save us in South America (where it is not available) if the old one dies. Without this, we can’t use our propane tank. The new charger will allow us to put a higher amount of power into our Lithium battery when we run the car, which helps on weeks of little or weak sunshine.

We needed improvements on the computer front as well and ordered two external keyboards and a bigger hard drive for our Surface laptops, a new tablet for the car (which we use for navigation and music), and a router for our home base in Massachusetts.

Testing the new tablet for our truck in Argentina

Our grocery bill was higher than it should have been, based on us finishing all the food in Bella’s fridge and cabinets and Mark’s mom sponsoring most of our shopping trips to Market Basket. We contributed to a family party and bought some goodies once in the US.

Family party – We provided the cheese and salami platter as an appetizer.

Gifts are usually in order whenever we return to our home countries. This time, I bought a few presents for my niece and nephew in Belgium (still to be delivered) and a wooden sign for a friend, we celebrated that friend’s birthday, and we treated one of Mark’s nieces and her husband to a delayed wedding dinner at a Thai restaurant.

Gift for Denise, who loves signs. By the way, this reads pee pee room.

Birthday balloons!

Birthday flowers and gifts

Floating in the pool with birthday girl Denise

Delayed wedding dinner at the Thai restaurant with Jo and Tom

Those friends splurged us on a weekend visit, that same niece organized a family party for us, and one of Mark’s nephews took Mark and me out to dinner.

Mark’s niece Jo took care of the family dinner.

Chinese take-out dinner at our friends Ryan and Denise’s place

Breakfast at our friends Ryan and Denise’s place

Look at that hard liquor smoothie at our sister-in-law’s restaurant, The Cormorant… It was super delicious!

Dinner out with nephew Randall and his wife Rebeccah

The car category consisted of fuel purchases in Argentina (we left Thirsty with a full tank so condensation – and therefore water – can’t build up) and Massachusetts, where we were fortunate to have the use of my mother-in-law’s car. Parking had to be paid at Dana Farber Cancer Institute in Boston and Puerto Madero in Buenos Aires. We reimbursed Julian for the tolls to the airport.

We used the car from Mark’s mom to get around Massachusetts, New Hampshire, and Vermont.

Our annual Chase credit card fee was due ($95), we spent around $50 on alcohol (beer and rum) during our stay and visits in the US, and we managed to order two dinners in Buenos Aires for $35 in total: a pizza and sushi. Both were delivered to our doorstep in one of Palermo’s parks, where we slept.

Interesting, spongy pie that is eaten with pizza in Argentina. Don’t ask me why…

A pizza for two – We made a mistake ordering. We usually never eat salami/pepperoni on pizza.

Splurging on heaps of sushi

Mark is picking out all the cream cheese that rolls in Argentina come with.

Our camping spot in Palermo, Buenos Aires, for two weeks.

An Uber brought us and our Dutch friends to San Telmo in Argentina’s capital one day and another one brought us back. We paid Julian the equivalent of $20 for bringing us to the airport, half an hour away.

Weekend fair in San Telmo

Artisanal goods in San Telmo

Moving on to Health & Fitness. I inquired at two hair dressers in Palermo, BA, how much it would cost to get a haircut, since I was convinced it would be cheaper than in our western countries and I wanted to start the summer with a short hairdo. Mission accomplished for $11. The other $13 went to electric toothbrush heads on Amazon.

New haircut

The laundry place that took care of our dirty clothes and linen

Of course, I shopped around before deciding on a laundromat. I took photos of each as a visual reminder of the choices.

Our $9 laundry expense was manageable in June and I visited La Recoleta cemetery for another $7, while Mark and Maya waited outside. It was pricey, but I don’t want to miss out on too many things anymore while on this South American journey. The Museum of Fine Art was free.

Entrance to La Recoleta Cemetery

Graves and mausoleums in the famous cemetery

A city of the dead

Paul Gauguin

Auguste Rodin

Household goods we purchased when prepping our camper to be left for multiple months were bleach to attack mold on our walls due to all the condensation and cold weather, and anti-moisture products to keep this issue at bay during our absence.

Apart from one night at Julian’s place for $7, our camping in June was free. We boondocked in the Palermo district of Buenos Aires. Once in Massachusetts, we stayed in the guest room of my mother-in-law’s condo.

Bella is prepped, winterized, and stored on Julian’s property.

Our current abode in Newburyport, Massachusetts

Being Amazon Vine members allows us to order a selection of items for free in return for product reviews. Since we have to be in the US to partake, we took advantage of that by ordering as much as we needed this way, which saved us hundreds of dollars.

Many Vine goods to sort through. Because of the poor quality of some items, we never keep all the orders.

Maya’s first real dog bed… She loves it!

New food and water bowl for Maya

Maya looses interest in toys quickly.

Frozen peanut butter is the best!

We ordered a lot of toys and goodies for Maya via our Vine account.

Mark paused our Starlink satellite internet connection for three months, so that’s less money spent. And, we still have a donation from long-time supporter Marian to use this summer. Speaking of summer, we sure feel like cheating by taking a plane from a chilly winter in the Southern Hemisphere to a hot and humid summer in the US! ????

While June wasn’t a cheap month, the damage was manageable, knowing how much “stuff” we needed for our return to the camper.

On a side note, Mark and I had a little issue with some crisp US dollar bills we had hidden under the toilet, when our pee container overflew, because the sensor got stuck. The Ziploc bag that held the cash, leaked. We had to rinse each bill and hang it to dry! I guess we need a different hiding spot…

Our precious, rinsed and wet, money

Money laundering 🙂

Mark dries some of the bills in front of the heater vent.

(It might be easier to read the table when turning your device in the horizontal position.)

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.

If you are enjoying these posts, please consider donating to Roaming About in support of our website and our lifestyle. A big thank you to all our readers who have helped out in the past!

Monthly Expenses of a Nomad in South America – May 2024 (Argentina)

June 5, 2024 / Liesbet / 26 Comments

In May 2024, Mark, Maya, and I (Liesbet) traveled around Central Argentina in our truck camper Thirsty Bella. Despite driving across the continent from west to east, we had a decent expense month, thanks to being careful with our budget, shopping for cheaper produce, donations we’d saved up, and emptying our cupboards and fridge.

(As always, hover over or click on photos in galleries to read their captions.)

Dinner @ home – squash soup, veggie burgers, potato salad, and bread from our favorite bakery in Mendoza

A wonderful and simple dinner of pasta, tomatoes, and arugula with bread

Vegetarian spaghetti – with a little bit of pancetta – dinner at home

Veggie burgers with eggplant and pasta

Another homecooked meal – rice and chicken breast with a vegetable sauce and breaded eggplant. Yum!

As often, the car cost was the highest with fuel being the ultimate winner and us ordering spare parts in the US, like new brake pads for the front and oil filters. In the middle of the country, namely in the province of La Pampa, we encountered a nice surprise: gasoline was much cheaper than elsewhere in Argentina. That, combined with a better exchange rate for the dollar, had us fill up our tank for about $2.50 a gallon! Unfortunately, that joy didn’t last long as from the moment we entered the province of Buenos Aires, prices skyrocketed again. So, we are back to $4 a gallon ($1/liter). We only paid for tolls once.

Topping up with fuel in San Rafael

YPF fuel stations appear to be the cheapest option in Argentina.

Filling up with fuel again in La Pampa

Play on words in La Pampa

Toll booth nearing Buenos Aires

Our grocery cost for May was average. We bought some special ingredients for nice homecooked meals and appetizers with friends (like they did for us), but this was offset the last two weeks, as we started eating our stores. We want to leave as little food as possible in Bella during our impending absence.

We camped in the center of Mendoza to walk to this grocery store.

This bakery in Mendoza had decent pastries for decent prices!

Pancake breakfast in Mendoza

Popcorn makes for the cheapest snack!

Appetizer in Bella

Awesome and affordable whole wheat bread from a bakery in Mendoza

Amazing dinner Mark cooked for our friends: ossobuco with squash risotto

Incredible appetizer in Heather and Jon’s camper

Sharing a meal with friends in Bella: chicken-noodle soup with corn bread and salad & chicken as a second course

Incredible appetizer of assorted cheeses and meat in Vermonster RV

Recently, Mark and I have been ordering clothes, dog items, and other gear on Amazon for when we visit the US. It’s like everything we own has been ripped or irrevocably damaged. I guess we are going back at the right time! For more than a few reasons…

I think these jeans are done!

We paid the usual $35 for Starlink (our business takes care of the other half) and I added $5 to my Skype account, which allows me to call my parents on their landline if WhatsApp doesn’t work (or they don’t hear the ringtone). And, we spent much more money on “propane” again, which is a story in itself. Drinking water didn’t cost us anything in May.

Getting water in Tupungato

Getting free drinking water on a crisp morning in Realico

We try to filter our water when possible (when space and treads allow our filter to be attached)

Because of the freezing fall weather (yes, it’s been cold and uncomfortable for weeks now) in Central Argentina, we needed to run our propane heater a lot. Usually, one 20-pound (10kg) tank lasts us three months. Not now. After a ridiculous cold spell, our gauge showed empty and we needed to make a detour to get the tank filled. Except, unbeknownst to us, the owner of the shop only had butane, so put that into our tank – and overcharged us. In tropical climates (like when we sailed), this is not an issue. In icy temperatures, however, butane is not the right choice, which we learned the hard way.

And then, there was snow!

We camped with snowy picnic tables!

Snow on the bushes

A few mornings in a row, we woke up to this temperature – We only turn our heater on to prevent water pipes from freezing.

Bracing the cold – and a deep ditch – to fill our empty propane tank… with butane!

Our tank was chockfull – overfilled and overpriced – with butane. To top it off, can you see what this man is holding in between his fingers?

We had finally arrived in an attractive and peaceful spot by a lake. By 6am the following morning, the temperature had dropped so much that the butane – and therefore our heater – didn’t work. The only way to get the liquid gas flowing and evaporating (“boiling”) again was to pour warm water over the tank in an outdoor cabinet. Luckily, the flame of our stove was big enough to produce lukewarm fluids.

We found an awesome – yet cold – camping spot!

Soaking up the rare sunrays

We had two options: top up the tank with “real” propane (since it was a holiday and the weekend, no store was open) or move to a town where above-freezing temps were predicted. That’s what we did. Of course, the weather forecast was wrong and, this time at 3am, we were out of luck and heat!

Frozen grass

We needed a scraper for the window if we wanted to leave this morning!

We saw our breath inside and shivered, as Mark put many clothes on, warmed up some water on a struggling flame, poured it over the gas tank, used the then properly working stove to heat up a massive pot of water, and repeated the process. Our heater worked!

When the heater stopped working again (meaning the butane had gotten too cold), he went outside to pour more warmish water over the tank. Eventually, he wrapped Maya’s dog towel around the tank, so, when wet, that kept the gas in operating condition a bit longer. It was a long night!

Trying to keep the butane gas from “freezing”!

We found a new propane filling station (triple checking it wasn’t butane) as soon as possible. They charged us for a full tank, despite it only being half empty. It didn’t matter!

Filling our tank again, this time with propane in San Antonio de Areco

The cold weather brings other issues with it, like heaps of condensation, turning into mold. We need to open hatches and drafty cabinets and wipe up water constantly, which keeps us shivering and uncomfortable. Because of our upcoming trip to Massachusetts and Belgium, out of Buenos Aires, we cannot leave the area and escape what feels like winter in the Southern Hemisphere.

Airing out the cabinets – so much condensation!

Airing out the mattress – everything is wet from condensation when it is this cold!

Airing out our bedding and towels on a decent day

Eating lunch in Bella – We are cold outside and inside!

Maya snuggles in bed – we love our flannel sheets!

Other items we ordered online to bring back to the camper in September are a new keyboard and cover for Mark’s laptop, strong Velcro, water filters, and a gasket for Bella, and three types of batteries.

And now is when I want to thank our dear followers and readers who donated money towards our “enjoyment” level the past months. We’d saved some of that up and received new contributions, allowing us to go out for dinner a few times (or order take-out pizzas to make the funds last longer ????) in May. One time, we picked up cheap, basic crusts at a restaurant and added our own toppings.

Pizza dinner out with our friends Abigail, Richie, and Zoe

Amazing pizza out – but pricey

Dinner out in San Rafael, for Heather and Jon’s 30th anniversary

Tomahawk steak with two side dishes

Pizza from a take-out place upon arrival

The same pizza slice “dressed up” at home

Your generosity also let us enjoy some good wines, which we bought in stores and vineyards (at an average of $3.50 a bottle), and it allowed Mark and me to savor a couple of tastings at Bodegas. To us, the wonderful yet affordable wine of Argentina is one of this country’s highlights so far!

Wine tasting in Maipu

List of available wines in Bodega Tempus Alma in Maipu

Wine tasting – and buying – at Bodega Giaquinta, our all-time favorite in Argentina

Wine tasting at Bodega La Azul

We both love the Dada brand of wine, which is affordable and flavorful.

Out of character, we did pay for camping last month. We spent a few nights ($3 x 4) at municipal campgrounds with American friends, who allowed us to plug into their rig (our system is not set up for the local 220V outlets) and – for the first time in six months – have a 100% full camper battery! For two nights and days, we did not have to struggle with our power supply and usage.

Our camping spot in the Municipal Campground of Tupungato allowed for sunshine on our solar panels

Camped at the cold and quiet Manzano Historico Municipal Campground

And we are full!!! Super awesome.

When checking options to store our camper during our absence, we stayed one night ($7) at Zaparancho near Buenos Aires. More about that in a future post.

Quick stop at Zapparancho in Villars, near Buenos Aires

Most of the nights, we camped for free; sometimes in nature and sometimes in bustling towns. Guess what’s our favorite?

Free camping spot near Portrerillo Reservoir on May 1st

Our favorite – and quietest – boondocking spot in San Martin Park, Mendoza

Boondocked by El Nihuil Reservoir

Nice and quiet camping spot in Canyon del Atuel

Another quiet night with friends in a side canyon towards San Rafael

Free – and noisy – camping in San Rafael

Free Municipal Campground in Realico

Free camping in Torres

I am currently buying a couple of small gifts for my niece and nephew in Belgium and, lastly, dropping off dirty clothes set us back $10. We can’t wait to do our own laundry soon! As a matter of fact, Mark and I are really looking forward to a multiple-month break from the road as this lifestyle has recently become much more challenging due to the lack of sunlight (power issues) and warmth (discomfort).

Having laundry done in San Rafael

Our first night in loud and hectic Buenos Aires (Puerto Madero)

We are both pleased with May’s expenses totaling around $1,000, especially since this amount includes a bunch of gear that is waiting for us in the US.

(It might be easier to read the table when turning your device in the horizontal position.)

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.

Next up: Atuel Canyon & San Rafael in Mendoza Province

If you are enjoying these posts, please consider donating to Roaming About in support of our website and our lifestyle. A big thank you to all our readers who have helped out in the past!

Monthly Expenses of a Nomad in South America – April 2024 (Argentina & Chile)

May 7, 2024 / Liesbet / 17 Comments

In April, Mark, Maya, and I divided our time between Argentina and Chile in our truck camper Thirsty Bella. We made some headway south, to Mendoza, and decided to hop over to Santiago de Chile for car maintenance. After two weeks in Chile, we slowly drove back to the Mendoza area in Argentina.

(As always, hover over or click on photos in galleries to read their captions.)

Rock formation along the highway

Roads in the valley

Police checkpoint

Descending a crazy mountain when arriving in Chile

Approaching the Chilean border which is located past a tunnel and the actual border line

Driving back towards Argentina

And then, we had to drive back up the zigzag road towards Argentina

Following a semi truck up, up, up

The trees are changing color in Central Argentina!

Our car category was huge; over $1,100 in total! A lot of that went to fuel, as always, but the biggies last month were two new tires ($326) with a $26 installation and balancing fee, a new battery for the engine ($137), and an oil change at a garage, which we did ourselves ($92). We also bought seven quarts of oil extra for our next time ($80). Mark found a spot to store those in one of our utility boxes.

Oil change in Santiago

Installing our new car battery in Santiago

The balancing of our new tires in Santiago

Attaching Bella back onto Thirsty

One of the two brand-new “Chilean” tires

Thirsty’s engine takes around 7 quarts of oil & we bought an extra 7 for next time

We paid a total of $11 in tolls and spent some pesos on parking in Santiago when leaving the camper behind and for our rental car in Valparaiso.

Cost for a full tank of gas in Argentina: $105

Topping up with fuel in Argentina before crossing the border

Gasoline is still much more expensive in Chile than in Argentina, so we filled a 5-gallon jerrycan as well, before the border crossing.

Groceries were quite expensive in April as well. We joined a couple of potlucks, prepared a special dinner for seven, made daily walks to the fancy grocery store Jumbo in Santiago, and splurged on some goodies at the El Milagro vineyard early on.

Goodies bought at the shop of El Milagro

Buying groceries at Lider

Fantastic produce stand in Santiago

Potluck with a group of international friends (Photo courtesy of Richie Gubler)

Mark and Maya wait for me to get some shopping done in the mall

The massive Jumbo grocery store

Mark prepares a fabulous pasta dinner for our group in Santiago

The meal easily filled us all up and we had leftovers!

We bought wine in both countries, since, you know, we are in wine heaven here. The Santiago area is well-known for the red grape, Carmenere, and Central Argentina produces fabulous Torrontes (white) and Malbec (red or tinto in Spanish) wines. Mark and I enjoy them all. We used half of a $25 “drinking out” donation for three bottles of wine at the store.

Free wine tasting at El Milagro

Tasty wine from Bodega El Milagro

A great little stop along our drive south

Happy hour with new friends Kilian and Marcia

A great bottle of Carmemere for $3, recommended to us by Abigail

Happy hour with more friends

While in Chile, we decided to buy one more bag of dogfood for Maya, since that’s the place where we can find her Taste of the Wild – Pacific Stream for a “decent” price ($66 for 12kg/26lbs) and we were one bag down. Also, our remaining bags are bigger than the new one and we don’t want to leave open bags of food in the camper during our summer escapade to the US and Belgium. Maya’s new toy lasted all of ten minutes!

Waiting to order our preferred bag of dogfood online to obtain a discount

Maya’s dogfood

Mark and Maya play with her new toy

It didn’t take long before Maya destroyed the rope toy.

We didn’t go out for dinner much in April; twice, one of which was a take-out pizza in Santiago the day of our arrival ($13) and the other a lunch in Valparaiso ($12). Both times took place in Chile, which, believe it or not, is now cheaper than Argentina for most things. The devaluation of the Argentinian peso is still worsening, leading to continued price increases. We didn’t eat out here at all, last month, and cooked almost all our meals at home. The other $25 in the report was a delayed credit card charge for a dinner out in March.

Take-out pizza in Santiago ($13)

Gnocchi – pesto meal at home

Mark grilled a few meals in April

Many snacks and drinks were consumed at home in April.

Some of our followers have been generous with one $25 dining out donation (which we will use this month) and two “$25 for drinks” donations, most of which we will enjoy in May as well. For the first time ever, someone walked by our camper (in Santiago de Chile), noticed our Massachusetts license plates, checked out this blog, and treated us online to drinks, because he is also from our state! Thank you to all our supporters, followers, readers. and contributors!

Our propane tank is a tight fit in the cubby hole

Walking to the store in San Juan to get our propane tank filled

The friendly family that helped us out with propane gas

As usual, $35 went to our Starlink subscription, while the other half is paid by our business. And, we topped up the propane tank for $10 in San Juan, Argentina. That usually lasts three months. We managed to fill our water tank multiple times for free in April as well.

Our water thief didn’t work so well here, as I got soaking wet from the back push and spray

Adding more water into our tank in Santiago

Free water fill along the road

Transportation costs consisted of splitting a rental car for the day with our friends from Meat Around The World, to explore Valparaiso (see next blog post) and the expensive fuel to get there – they paid for the tolls and we covered parking – and a useless taxi drive in Santiago. We were dropped off in the wrong place and had to walk back!

Mark ordered household items and camper parts on Amazon in the US, to fix a few things upon our return next September and we bought a new frying pan and spray bottles in Chile. Did I mention yet that anything imported on this continent is cheaper there than in Argentina?

The mall near us in Santiago, that contains every shop we could have wanted

New non-stick frying pan for the galley

We also paid $12 for two baskets of dirty laundry in Uspallata, Argentina, after waiting through the weekend because the laundromat wasn’t open and hearing from our friends that this cost $2 six months ago! Not willing to spend even more, Mark and I washed a basket-size worth of linen and clothes by hand in river water.

A massive bag of dirty laundry!

This is where we dropped off our dirty laundry in Uspallata

Hanging our hand laundry to dry in the strong sun and dry air of Uspallata

The other categories were low. Entertainment ($7) was had on two different transportation methods in Chile, namely a cable car in Santiago and two old-style elevators (ascensores) in Valparaiso. Mark ordered an app for his tablet and I needed throat medicines after being sick for over a week. A bad bug/cough had me in its grip for two weeks. Once, we had to leave our quiet camping spot in nature to find a pharmacy in town.

A cable car ride to the top of the hill

Mark, Maya, and I shared a car along this line

Our friends traveled in the cable car behind us.

One of the old elevators we took in Valparaiso

The two elevators work in unison – one comes down, while the other one goes up along a steel cable

View from our elevator going up

The only money Mark and I spent on drinking out was $3 at a pricey café in Valparaiso, where we split a juice. We also gave a small donation to the firemen (bomberos) and had our car sprayed for $1 at an agriculture spot.

Sticker from the firemen in return for our donation

Fumigation station in Argentina

We paid $1 to get the underside of our car fumigated

We boondocked the entire month and therefore camping was free for us in April.

Our attractive camping spot in El Mollar over Easter

One-night stop at the park of Catamarca

Overnight spot on our drive south in Argentina

Free night at El Milagro winery

Free parking and camping in San Martin Park in Mendoza

Camped in front of colorful mountains before crossing into Central Chile

Parked among a row of other campers for two weeks in Santiago

Last (free) night in Chile, at a super busy and loud fuel station

Quiet, but chilly spot along a river, back in Argentina

A nice, grassy camping spot in Uspallata, Argentina

Our last night of April was spent along a river towards Mendoza

Our total was high again, but most of the $1,844 went to car maintenance and fuel, which were needed and made us feel productive. Without that vehicle attention, we’d have been back at our monthly average. After reaching the high numbers in that category, we really refrained from splurges and eating out. We will see what May brings!

Our group on the last night together in Santiago: Mark, Liesbet, Richie, Abigail, Zoe, Heather, Jon, and Maya

(It might be easier to read the table when turning your device in the horizontal position.)

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.

Next up: A colorful day trip from Santiago to Valparaiso, Chile.

If you are enjoying these posts, please consider donating to Roaming About in support of our website and our lifestyle. A big thank you to all our readers who have helped out in the past!

Monthly Expenses of a Nomad in South America – March 2024 (Chile & Argentina)

April 10, 2024 / Liesbet / 35 Comments

Apart from the first five days, when we were still in Chile, Mark, Maya, and I explored Northern Argentina in March with Thirsty Bella. This year, prices in Argentina have doubled if not tripled for gasoline, entrance fees, restaurants,… Mark and I had really looked forward to visiting this country to splurge a bit more, but inflation and the devaluation of the peso make that less affordable.

Driving on the high plains

High-altitude desert route towards the border with Argentina

Crossing into Argentina

Driving the beautiful road between Salta and Cachi in Argentina

Camped by the cactus canyon near San Pedro, Chile

Counting all our bills to write down expenses

March was a very expensive month, but for a good reason. We bit the bullet and bought return plane tickets from Buenos Aires, the capital of Argentina, to Massachusetts and from there to Belgium. We will store our camper for 3.5 months in South America and look forward to seeing family and friends again. The three of us need a break from the road and developing countries. We hope that the high cost for the tickets ($2,300) allows us to save money in fuel and other expenses this summer. There will be another substantial price to pay for Maya’s multiple international health certificates and check-ups.

Pulling up to our last gas station in Chile – for now

Filling up at the first fuel station across the border in Argentina

Filling up with fuel again in Salta

Filling up with fuel on the drive south in Argentina

Fuel prices in March of 2024 – 1,000 pesos is currently a little more than $1.

The car category ended up in second place due to our extravagant spending on flights. We bought about $360 of fuel, with one super pricey fill-up in Chile to reach the border and a few top-ups in Argentina. It hurts to know that the current price of around $1 a liter used to be 50 cents last year. We can save by not eating out or buying expensive entrance tickets, but we can’t get around our need for fuel. The $127 for repairs went to a tire valve fix and necessary car parts Mark purchased on Amazon. They will wait for us in the US.

Getting the valve of our spare tire fixed – again – in Cafayate

Homemade mushroom burgers – my favorite meal by Mark!

American pancakes with different fruit

Pancake breakfast on Sundays – usually only bananas are added

Fresh baguettes from a French bakery in San Pedro de Atacama!

ChangoMas is the cheaper grocery store (as opposed to Libertad) in Northern Argentina

Visiting a tiny store with preserves, beer, and hot sauces in Maimara, Argentina

My favorite bakery in Cachi

Breakfast by a peaceful pond – pastries from Cachi!

Decent produce market in Tilcara

One of my favorite meals at home: spring rolls with omelet, vegetables, and fresh peanut sauce

Around $270 bought us groceries in March and were careful with other expenses, because so much of our budget went to the airlines. We cooked most of our meals at home, as always.

Meagre dinner out on our first night in a new country

Amazing pizza – and night – out in Purmamarca

Wine and lunch out with new friends, Shani and Todd

The menu of one of the restaurants in Cachi. As you can see, new stickers are added as prices keep rising. This place offers a discount for the locals (and for us).

Pizza with fried eggs and French fries, anyone?

Our first parilla – grilled meat – platter in Argentina!

A dozen tasty beef empanadas in Cafayate

The eating out category was $80. It would have been higher, but a nice reader of this blog sent us a donation of $25, which we used for dinner and drinks at the Puna Vinyard in Cachi. Despite very hot, it was a super enjoyable experience.

Puna vineyard

Early dinner and drinks at Bodega Puna, outside of Cachi

Lamb dish for Mark

Local locro (stew) dish for me

The current wine list – with recently changed prices

Alcohol – mostly Argentinian wine – added up to $61 last month and we devoured every drop of it! Eating and drinking out might have become expensive in this country, but we just as well enjoy a good bottle of wine with some tapas at home. And we can honestly say that each bottle in the $3-$4 range that we have opened has been good to excellent. Mark and I kept our drinking out to a minimum: $24; all at vineyards. 🙂

Cheese platter in Bella

Sample platter and a bottle of Torrontes white wine at Bodega Isasmendi

Sharing a bottle of red wine at Bodega Puna in Cachi town

A sampling of cheese with a glass of wine at a goat farm in Cafayate

Our monthly subscription for unlimited Starlink satellite internet fluctuates with a dollar or so, based on the exchange rate. We bought this system last fall in Peru and half of it is paid by our business, hence the reasonable $36 fee.

Belgian beer for Mark and white wine for me

A splurge of a cocktail in Chile: coconut rum and 100% orange juice. We couldn’t find pineapple juice.

A selection of Belgian beers in Northern Chile

I spent $30 on goodies for Mark’s March 1^st birthday. This included an array of Belgian beers, which I located in a grocery store in Chile. We had a lovely tapas plate for dinner that day, after a relaxing afternoon in a pretty canyon. Before that, I made him crepes with fresh fruit for breakfast and a goat cheese sandwich for lunch.

Tapas on Mark’s birthday

The entrance fees to parks and hikes added up to $16 for the two of us. I had been interested in a particular museum in Salta, but eventually skipped it as the price had quadrupled from $2 to $8. Maybe another time.

The new rates at the MAAM in Salta

Devil’s Throat hike in Chile

Visit to Salinas Grandes in Northern Argentina

The San Isidro church is only accessible after paying an entrance fee to the canyon.

Walk among colored mountains in Purmamarca, Argentina

While Maya’s three-year rabies shot from the US is still valid, the countries in South America require dogs to receive those vaccines yearly. We had hoped to get her shot in Uyuni, Bolivia (where this costs $4), but the vet didn’t have it in stock, despite us arranging the appointment ahead of time.

We started looking for another vet in Tilcara, Northern Argentina, but only – and with much difficulty – found a shady office on a dead-end alley. This vet had missing teeth and said he didn’t have the vaccine. When I mentioned, “Rabies shots are important to have, no?” he rummaged through a drawer. Not a fridge. Enough red flags had piled up for us to leave.

This is the entrance to the vet office, which was hard to find.

Apparently, the vet is located down this alley somewhere.

The only vet office we could find in Tilcara

So, when we were in Salta, Mark and I stopped our camper along a busy street to get another one-year rabies vaccination for Maya and the accompanying certificate, which we would need at border crossings. The cost for both was $14. Done!

Our campsite for one night in Salta, Argentina

We bought AA and AAA batteries, which belong in the household category, had two loads of laundry done for $6 in Cafayate (super affordable) and paid for one night at a campground in Salta ($5), where I also took a cab to get into the town center and back.

Camped in the dusty town of San Pedro, Chile, for only one night

Camped in Maimara, Northern Argentina, for one night

Our free camping spot in loud and smelly Tilcara for a couple of nights

Looking for an elusive peaceful night, we found this quiet parking lot by hot springs. It was too hot to actually visit the termales.

Camped for the night between Salta and Cachi – still pretty hot

Our hot campsite in Cachi for three nights – we would have liked to stay longer.

The other 30 nights of camping were free, as well as all the potable water we filled our tanks with.

Camped in the desert outside of Cachi for one night

Our free campsite by a pond in Argentina for a few days

Camped near Los Estratos park heading south towards Cafayate

Boondocked by a park in Cafayate for three nights

Camped in an upscale neighborhood in Tafi del Valle for one night, before we were chased off

Topping up our fresh water tanks for free

Our expenses in March 2024 added up to a whopping $3,332 – it was a bad month! But, if you take out the plane tickets, we stayed around $1,000, which is our goal.

(It might be easier to read the table when turning your device in the horizontal position.)

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.

If you are enjoying these posts, please consider donating to Roaming About in support of our website and our lifestyle. A big thank you to all our readers who have helped out in the past!

Monthly Expenses of a Nomad in South America – February 2024 (Bolivia & Chile)

March 12, 2024 / Liesbet / 26 Comments

Despite February being the shortest month of the year, it was an expensive one for us. The first week, Mark, Maya, and I finished our time in Bolivia with Thirsty Bella. We explored Northern Chile for the remainder of the month.

Maya ready to devour us!

Our favorite (free) camping spot in many months: Valle de las Rocas, Bolivia

Welcome to Chile!

Cute church in Chiu Chiu, Chile

Very cool train museum in Northern Chile

As usual, the car category was the highest at $659 (!) – blame the Chilean fuel prices, our desire to get two new tires, and traveling with a dog…

Long line at the bank to pay our health certificate bill

Driving towards another salt flat, in Chile this time

Hunting for tires in Iquique

Our Ford F350 pickup truck has terrible fuel economy, especially with the heavy weight of the camper in the back. We manage to drive around 10 miles per gallon; less in the Andes Mountains, more on perfect, paved roads with a tail wind. At over $5 per gallon, gasoline in Chile is pricy, so much so that we often discussed if an attraction would/might be worth the cost of driving that extra distance. I’ll elaborate more on that in a future post.

Beware of farm animals on the road

The Lagunas Route consists of nothing but washboard, especially in the northern part.

Maya braces herself on bumpy roads

Driving to another part of the valley of rocks on a rocky road.

Traffic in Iquique

Driving south along the Northern Chilean coast

Amazing roads – with roomy spots to pull off – in Northern Chile.

Massive trucks on the highway in Chile

We were curious about Northern Chile, so made somewhat of a loop in this desolate and not-so-interesting part of the world. While it is always interesting to explore new territory, this detour easily cost us $200 in fuel (most of it bought as a last, tricky fill-up in Bolivia), something we don’t think was worth it.

Price list for gasoline and diesel, for locals and foreigners

Waiting in line for our last fuel fill-up in Bolivia.

But, because of this extra distance, we managed to buy two duty-free new tires in the “free zone” of Iquique for a decent price.

After negotiating, the attendant filled up our gas tank…

… and our jerrycan – which, again, leaked liquid and fumes all over the car!

Our all-terrain tires didn’t need replacing yet, based on their use and mileage, but after the tire stabbing incident in Colombia eight months ago, we have always been worried about that extensively patched-up front tire, especially on rocky tracks. Plus, Mark didn’t feel comfortable airing down that tire if ever needed. As fate would have it, tire deflation proved necessary mere days after buying the new set. More about that in a future blog post.

These are our new tires.

Paying for the goods at the garage – we didn’t have enough cash with us, so paid with credit card. Extra charges apply for that!

We wanted the new tires in the back, so had to find a place that accommodated rotating the wheels and installing the tires, something that was not included in the purchase price. or was available there. After trial and error, we found a set of guys, who swapped the front and back tires and popped two of the new ones on the rims. With two jacks. Three, when the back of the camper appeared too heavy and stalled progress at some point. I kept mumbling under my breath, “This is a disaster waiting to happen,” as two wheels were removed at the same time and the mechanics’ attitude was very relaxed… A stressful hour!

Surprise! They didn’t install our tires on the spot. We needed to hunt for another place to get this done.

Two relaxed mechanics installed the two new tires and rotated the other two.

The brand-new tires have deep grooves to collect tiny rocks and gravel.

For Chile, we needed to buy additional liability insurance, which was affordable at $11 for six months. The tolls added up to $8, we urgently needed a carwash after our sandy conundrum ($6), and we paid $2 in tips for parking attendants.

Toll booth in Chile

Price list for this toll booth (1,000 Chilean pesos is about US$1)

The dog category was high for two reasons. We needed to stock up on special dog food for our allergic Maya, which is available – and “cheaper” – in Chile. So, we bought two giant bags of 18kg (40lbs) in Iquique. This should last a while…

Maya loves to relax – and wag her tail – on our bed, which makes using my mouse and computer difficult at times!

One of the two big dogfood bags is stored in the car and this one was moved next to my side of the bed.

The other giant dogfood bag is kept in the hanging closet.

Plus, we had to deal with two export permits to prove Maya was in good health. One to cross into Chile from Bolivia and one to drive from Chile into Argentina. The last certificate is valid for a return into Chile within 60 days.

Obtaining an international health certificate in Chile for Argentina

Maya’s vaccination booklet

Maya’s recent vaccinations – we are currently on the hunt for another rabies shot.

Maya’s fancy, time consuming international health certificate for Argentina

The paperwork from the local vet to obtain the international permit for Maya in Argentina. We had ten days to reach the border.

Chile and Argentina are very strict about internal and external parasite treatment for pets when crossing borders. Since we didn’t have the box or the number of Maya’s current Seresto collar, we ended up buying a new one for a steep $66. At least, it should be good for another eight months! And, the vet fee was for follow-up visits in Uyuni, Bolivia, to get her bite wound checked out and her stitches removed.

Last visit to this vet, to get Maya’s stitches removed

And, another vet visit to obtain health certificates for Maya, for Chile – unfortunately, he was out of rabies shots.

The hard-to-achieve international health certificate for Maya was taken from us at the Chilean border.

Mark is cleaning Maya’s teeth.

The grocery cost was average at $271, despite having to restock our fridge and pantry upon entry into Chile, since we’d eaten everything that was prohibited, like meat, fruits, vegetables, eggs, and honey.

Two kinds of flavored salt from the Salar de Uyuni – oregano and hot pepper

All our fresh food was finished by the time we crossed the border and we didn’t have the local currency (or found produce) once we entered Chile. Therefore, we had a few skimpy dinners in Bella.

Our fridge had never been this empty!

A big, western-style grocery store (affiliated with Walmart) after buying produce in tiny villages and emptying our fridge and pantry for many weeks!

Yes, we have fresh fruit and vegetables again!

A fully stocked cabinet!

And, a full, usable fridge again!

Shopping for food can be pricey in this country, but – as always – we constantly look for the best deals, buy generic brands, avoid imported products, pick produce that is affordable, compare prices, and check our receipts. This way, costs remain manageable. No matter whether it is in French Polynesia, the Bahamas, or Chile! ????

The croissants we found in the grocery store were fair.

The fish market in Iquique, Chile

Fresh, colorful, and organized produce at a mercado in Chile

We splurged on entertainment in February as well, with that private tour onto the Salar in Uyuni for $116 and a tip for our guide. The rest of that $150 of fun went to the entrance fee for the ghost town of Humberstone ($13) in Northern Chile and visits to the salt statues and the “island” of Incahuasi on the Salar. Few attractions in Chile are free, so that trend continues into this month!

The salt was endless

Cool dog on the Salar; the light was bright!

Poor Maya!

Family portrait on the Salar

Visiting the ghost town of Humberstone in Northern Chile

Humberstone

Ruins in Humberstone

Mark and I bought affordable wine and extra Flor de Caña and Bacardi in Bolivia and Chile, because friends told us rum was hard to find and expensive in Argentina. The utility category contains half of our monthly subscription fee for Starlink satellite internet (the other half is paid by our business) and potable water. For the first time in six months, we had to pay for our drinking water. This happened in Uyuni, where we transferred six 20-liter (5-gallon) garrafones into our tank with an electric pump.

Buying water in 5-gallon jugs for our water tank

Free potable water fill in Ollague on the Bolivian-Chilean border

Tasty, affordable wine

The miscellaneous category consists of a tip of $20 (and a six-pack of beer) for the Chileans who towed us out of a gnarly situation on the beach in Hornitos. I hate to admit it, but February was another eventful month on the road… And, we had to buy prints and photocopies to have in the car with us for border crossings and police checks. Yup. That cost $5 in Chile.

Eventually being pulled out of a dire situation

Making expensive copies and prints for our paperwork for Argentina

We hadn’t done laundry since running the campground in La Paz, Bolivia, so there was quite a pile to take care of. After a few failed attempts – the machines at a truck stop were broken and drop-off services took too long or were way out of our budget – we managed to get our loads done within 24 hours at a full-service laundromat in Antofagasta. The price was actually much higher, but somehow, that mistake worked in our advantage.

A big, flat parking lot in Antofagasta, Chile, to deal with a few errands, like taking our camper off to wash the truck.

Picking up our heaps of clean laundry in Antofagasta, Chile.

Mark and I enjoy good food and eating out, but that is not in the cards in Chile. Fortunately, a generous donation by our friends Duwan and Greg allowed us to enjoy a Korean dinner in Iquique. Other than that, we went out for a seafood empanada lunch in Antofagasta.

Splurging on a Korean dinner out

Seafood empanadas at a market

We managed to eat a lot of awesome meals at home, because the only affordable thing in this country, other than wine, is seafood!

Vegetable-chicken stir fry with rice

Ingredients for our vegetarian pizzas

Not a bad result – we made two; one for each!

Appetizer plate by the Pacific Ocean – don’t mind the flies!

Seafood market in Mejillones

We bought a kilo (2 pounds) of clams for $2 in Mejillones, Chile

Mark made a delicious pasta dinner with the clams.

The last and cheapest expenses of February were for transportation (a taxi ride in Iquique after a long walk and picking up the dogfood), more birth control pills in Bolivia, some nuts and bolts for a broken cabinet in Bella, and a shower at a truck stop for $1 each.

At local pharmacies, people often buy medicines by the piece or by the strip.

Dogs are allowed in the hardware store in Iquique, Chile, but they need to be transported in carts (with a piece of Astroturf)

The hardware /department store in Iquique, Chile

Mark fixes one of our cabinets.

We didn’t stay at any campgrounds, but boondocked (wild camped) throughout Southwestern Bolivia and Northern Chile. So, our accommodation was free.

Our free camping spot by the train cemetery in Uyuni

Our last night in Bolivia was made hard because of the wet sand.

Camped by a Salar, popular with flamingos and vicunas

A free night of camping in between volcanoes in Chile

Hot campsite full of horse flies in Northern Chile

Our parking spot for three nights in Iquique, over the weekend… It was loud.

Our campsite for two nights. It was quiet enough (other than the crashing waves), but the flies drove us off.

Two nights at Hornitos Beach in Chile

We had high hopes for this free beach camp, but it was extremely crowded and loud – another summer vacation weekend.

One night in Antofagasta to run more errands. We quite liked this coastal city.

Camped in Valle de la Luna near San Pedro de Atacama, where the Magic Bus is located.

And, that’s a wrap for last month. Not the cheapest one of the year but we obtained some big-ticket items and hope that fuel will get more affordable from now on. Plus, we really ought to start driving less and “sitting” more. ????

Camped for free by El Mano del Desierto – The Hand in the Desert

(It might be easier to read the table when turning your device in the horizontal position.)

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.

If you are enjoying these posts, please consider donating to Roaming About in support of our website and our lifestyle. A big thank you to all our readers who have helped out in the past!

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Category: Expense Report (page 1 of 12)

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