Every month, I post a report of our expenses to show that it is possible to live a comfortable, exciting, and adventurous life without breaking the bank. The less money you spend, the less you need to make. 🙂
This report includes ALL of our expenses, in US$, for two adults and one 60-pound dog (we adopted Maya on June 4th, 2019). Under groceries we incorporate food, produce, and non-alcoholic drinks predominantly bought in supermarkets. Toiletries belong in that category as well. Dining out means eating at a restaurant/event or purchasing take-out food. The health category covers non-prescription medicines and vitamins/supplements; medical contains prescription drugs and doctor’s visits. Because of our income level, Mark and I are eligible for free health care within the state of Massachusetts. For check-ups, we both return to the East Coast.
Mark and I sold Zesty last month! If you missed that post, read it here.
Apologies for the late expense report, but I wanted to update everyone about the sale of our camper van first, as it impacts everything we do. We are homeless and carless since April 3rd and rented a vehicle to drive back to Massachusetts, a trip that cost us about $1,000.
Once we removed the bike bag, our ride was smoother.
On hindsight, we should have driven Zesty. It would have saved us a bunch of money and interest was strong enough for a potential buyer to pick the van up on the opposite coast. Also, knowing what we know now – that finding a suitable truck is close to impossible unless we are okay spending $10K more than pre-inflation rates two months ago – we might have held on to our home on wheels a bit longer. Oh well.
April was a decent month, taking the pricey road trip – car rental, four dog-friendly Motel 6 nights, and gasoline to drive over 3,000 miles – into account. We mostly prepared our own meals, even though this was tricky with the early starts, windy conditions, and not having our own kitchen anymore. It made our days on the road even longer.
Early starts
The grocery category is quite high, because we pretty much ate everything in the camper before we sold it and had to re-provision from scratch once we arrived in Newburyport, MA. We contributed some money to the water fund of our friends in Arizona and ordered dog food and vitamins ahead of our arrival.
The food prep and storage zone in our current room
The car expense was off-set because we received a refund for part of our cancelled camper insurance. Also, $288 for a one-way, one-week rental with unlimited miles is cheap. I commend Mark once more for his research abilities and always finding the best prices for anything we need. We purposefully left gear in Zesty for the new owners, so the camper was turnkey. This means we have to buy those items again, now (like a new router) and later (solar panels, outdoor mat, leveling blocks, …).
Driving by Oklahoma City – I do wish to visit, one day, when we have time.
Scene in the Midwest
I mentioned last week that I would touch on our five-day cross-country drive in this expense report. There really is not much to share: it was a hellish 3,200-mile ride of 10-12 hours in the car, each day. Stops were made to let Maya pee, eat lunch, get fuel, adjust the flimsy bike rack, shop for food, fetch or prepare dinner, work, and sleep.
Me, catching up on work at night
Plus, we made a detour to Arkansas to check out two truck campers. I didn’t have enough space in the passenger seat to work on my computer, so I mostly vegged, listened to music, and consulted my iPad.
Northstar Liberty truck camper
Northstar Liberty SS truck camper
Here are a few notes I took:
- We should have stuck with the full-size car. What were we thinking to downgrade and pay extra when booking our transport method for the week?
- All our belongings fit! Barely… But, we didn’t have to leave anything behind, except four rolls of toilet paper. Did you know small, 4-packs are not readily available anymore after the Covid outbreak? We had to buy a 12-pack in Zesty. Where to store all that?
- Our sturdy swing-out bike rack had to be disassembled. It didn’t fit in the trunk, but we managed to lay it behind the seats on the ground. Not much else fit in those foot wells.
- Maya needed half of the back seat. All okay. We made it comfy with blankets, pillows, and her dog bed.
Maya in her little nest
Maya was awesome on this long ride!
- The new bike rack attached to the trunk is crappy — we bought one for three bikes and luckily our electric bikes fit after lots of trial and error. Alas, it needs to be adjusted every time we stop as the straps keep loosening up.
- This Nissan has no power. (Another reason why a full-size car would have been a better option – a stronger engine.)
- First day: over 3,000rpm constantly. Struggled to keep up the maximum highway speed. After removing the bike bag, things settled down and the ride was smoother. Then, we had to also store the big bag.
- The fuel tank only holds 10 gallons, so we have to stop at a gas station two or three times a day! (Another reason why a full-size car would have been a better option – a bigger gas tank.)
- We are so low by the ground. Every car that passes us is higher!
Most people need a U-Haul truck to transport their belongings!
- Uncomfortable seats.
- Where is the car parked on the lot of the supermarket? Hard to find! It’s a non-distinct white rental car…
- We put the bike bag back at night, so nobody could see the bikes. Luckily, we managed to park in front of our motel doors.
- We stay at Motel 6. Nothing fancy and often run down, but the cheapest place to stay with pets (no extra fee). Prices per night ranged from $45 (Tucumcari, NM) to $65 (Calvert City, KY).
Mark searching for pick-up trucks at night
One motel had hiking trails nearby – score!
Another night, another motel, more research.
- No shampoo provided in motels? Ours is packed in the trunk, underneath the rack and bikes. No way of getting in there. We make due, washing our hair with soap (Mark) or dish soap (me). If you read Plunge, you know I have practice with that. 🙂 Just like we made due when needing our sheets hidden in there, staying at a friend’s casita for the night.
- Windy in New Mexico, Texas, Oklahoma. Hard to make breakfast and lunch! We miss Zesty for that. And for human potty breaks.
A nice picnic area to eat lunch
- The picnic areas in Oklahoma were filthy! No trash cans, so garbage everywhere. No toilets either. Broken glass. No spot for Maya to rest without getting hurt. We couldn’t stay for lunch.
- The radio has issues.
- The glove compartment door is open on the sides so things get pinched (like my sunglasses) or plainly fall out, each time I open the little door.
- The fuel gauge didn’t work at the end, so we filled the tank instead of aiming for the amount we received the car with.
- Because I couldn’t be added to our car rental agreement without paying a steep fee, Mark drove the entire 3,200 miles!
Arizona license plate in Massachusetts – not a common sight. Where is the desert?
But, we made it to Newburyport, Massachusetts, in one piece. The bikes did get scuffed up, however.
Most of our belongings, back in the room above the garage
First evening with Mark’s parents – they are happy we have returned.
The “office” and lounge area in our current digs
The “bedroom” and dining area” in our room – one person sits on the bed, the other on a foldable chair
I’m sure Maya misses sleeping with us on big hotel beds!
Stay tuned for the continuation of our truck search saga!
