Every month, I post a report of our expenses to show that it is possible to live a comfortable, exciting, and adventurous life without breaking the bank. “The less money you spend, the less you need to make” is my motto. ????
Our first yearly expense report (2016) can be found here, the report of 2017 is here, the one for 2018 here, and our 2019 expenses are located here.
These reports include ALL of our expenses, in US$, for two adults and a 60-pound dog. We adopted Maya on June 4th, 2019. Under groceries we incorporate food, produce, and non-alcoholic drinks predominantly bought in supermarkets. Toiletries belong in that category as well. Dining out means eating at a restaurant/event or purchasing take-out food. The health category covers non-prescription medicines and vitamins/supplements; medical contains prescription drugs and doctor’s visits. Because of our income level, Mark and I are eligible for free health care within the state of Massachusetts. For check-ups, we both return to the East Coast. The utility cost refers to phone data plans with AT&T.
In 2020, Mark, Maya, and I lived in our campervan Zesty for six months and in the “room above the garage” the other six months. We spent about $1,000 less than the previous year. The fact that we sat still for so long during “the summer of Covid” certainly has something to do with this.
Free camping in New Hampshire
Hiking in the White Mountains, NH
Waterfall in the White Mountains, NH
We went on a couple of multiple-week trips in our van during that period, but used less diesel and replaced less parts than in 2019. On the other hand, we needed to buy a few household items to survive – read: cook – in our guest room in Newburyport, MA.
The room above the garage
Our cooking station
The grocery category was relatively high, probably because we pretty much cooked all our meals at home once the pandemic arrived. Our average grocery cost in 2020 was $357 a month.
Falafels in homemade pita bread, served with eggplant, aioli, hummus, tomato, and lettuce
Homemade lobster rolls and French fries
Pad Thai with chicken
Usually, I split the bigger categories up in the table underneath, but WordPress is causing me trouble, so I’ll itemize #2 and #3 here. The camper category is divided among maintenance: $1,511; insurance: $1,118; diesel: $1,110; registration: $136; parking: $14; and tolls: $4.
New tires!
Checking the tire pressure
Mark fixes a few blemishes on Zesty
Writing was a new category last year, and a big one at that. The total sum for publishing my travel memoir Plunge accounts for my editor: $2,024; book cover:$175; ISBN numbers: $295; proof copies: $72; license: $35; software Quicken: $25; font: $15; and postage: $13. I still have a long way recuperating that $2,654 in sales!
Publication of Plunge – One
Woman’s Pursuit of a Life Less Ordinary
Alcohol and gifts are pretty much in line with last year. The dog category is lower, thanks to Maya needing less drugs for her allergies. The utility category is higher, because AT&T raised their (unavailable now) monthly unlimited data plan from $25 to $35. None of the other categories stand out, except camping. In 2019, we managed to camp for free the entire year. Last January, we paid for a one-week stay at a developed National Forest campground in Florida for me (and Maya), while Mark flew back to Massachusetts.
Developed NF campground in Ocean Pond, Florida
Sunset over Ocean Pond, Florida
Because of Covid, our credit card company, Chase, allowed customers to use their points at 1.5x their value for groceries (usually this rate is only valid when buying plane tickets with points). We greatly took advantage of that, since we couldn’t fly back to Belgium and… 1/3 of our groceries for “free?” We also received some credit ($310) for owning a Chase Sapphire Reserve card. Why do I mention this? Because all these points (and credits) amounted to $3,084! So, technically, we spent that much less in 2020, which brings our total expenses for last year to $12,052 instead of $15,136.
Our favorite campsite in Arkansas
Sunrise at Big Fir Public Use Area, Arkansas
Free camping near Ajo in the Arizona desert
Sunset in the Arizona desert
