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 our motto. ???? At the beginning of each year, I produce an expense report for the previous 12 months. This is the most recent one, for 2024.
Our first yearly expense report (2016) can be found here, the report of 2017 is here, the one for 2018 here, our 2019 expenses are located here, our total costs for 2020 are documented here, those for 2021 are detailed here, and 2022’s financial summary hides 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 US East Coast. The internet costs is for Starlink hardware and monthly subscription fees. We bought our satellite dish in Lima, Peru, in September 2023.
In 2023, Mark, Maya, and I drove from Colombia through Ecuador and Peru into Bolivia with our truck camper Thirsty Bella. During this multiple-year South American overland journey, which started in November 2022, we have visited Colombia for six months, Ecuador for three, Peru for five, and Bolivia for over a month so far. That’s a lot of driving.
A beautiful but narrow gravel road in the Colombian Andes
Driving along a salt lake in Peru
One of the mountain roads during the rainy season
Narrow dirt road along the cliffs in Colombia
Welcome to Bolivia!
So, it is no surprise that the biggest expense category for last year was, once more, our vehicle, with over $3,200 going to fuel. We also bought a new hub for one of the wheels ($250), a safety kit required by local police, a cow horn just for fun, caliper pins, fluid, and cleaners for the brakes, a new taillight, grease, and oil filters. We also reimbursed the baggage fee for a friend who brought a sharp tool back from the US for us.
Fuel station in Colombia, where gasoline cost $2 per gallon
Mark brought a hub back from the US in his carry-on luggage
Button on the dash to make the cow horn moo
High fuel prices in Peru ($5/gallon)
Filling up with fuel in Peru
Other big car repair items were two oil changes ($200), which are more expensive in South America than in the US, security film for the car windows ($160), and an ignition coil ($85) with another one going towards this year already. Plus, we needed a mechanic to check a tire issue and someone else to fix six malicious punctures. Furthermore – and surprising – is the fact that we paid $151 in tolls, mostly in Colombia. These sure added up!
The metal rod that some criminals stuck into our tire in Soacha, Colombia
A Colombian mechanic discovers one of our hubs needs to be replaced.
Oil change in Pasto, Colombia
Security film for the truck windows
We extended our vehicle insurance in Colombia after deciding to stay an extra 90 days, bought liability car insurance for six months in the Mercasur countries (Bolivia and south from here), and spent a total of $55 on parking – in SA and in the US when Mark went back for a visit.
Car wash in Huaraz, Peru
Toll rates in Ecuador
Toll booth in Ecuador
Toll booth prices in Peru
Most toll booths in Peru are still burned down from protests in early 2023
Groceries cost $2,585 (averaging $215 a month). Not bad. Probably because the dining out amount is high, at over half that ($1,542)!
Colorful market in Colombia
I have a weakness for good European bakeries
Visit to a grocery store in Colombia
Produce market in Ecuador
Well-equipped grocery store in Peru
Lots of fruit on the markets in Peru
Being in “cheaper” countries means that we are splurging at restaurants much more than in the US, which is reflected here!
Eating out for lunch in Colombia with Sheri and Jeff
Vegetarian meal in Colombia
Mark’s birthday dinner in Jardin, Colombia
Dinner out: pizza!
Amazing vegetarian set lunch in Colombia
Afternoon splurge in Banos, Ecuador
Local day menu for lunch in Ecuador
Dinner at a local restaurant in Peru
Amazing seafood dinner in Miraflores, Lima, Peru
Amazing dinner at Teriyaki in Cusco, Peru
Fancy dinner out with Griet and Wim
The computer category is substantial, due to Mark requiring a new laptop and accessories, me needing a new smartphone (Google Pixel) as my original one was stolen in Cusco, and our decision to buy a Starlink satellite internet system for almost $500 in Peru. Hooking it up in our camper required extra parts and cables as well. Usually, our hosting fee is higher, but thanks to donations from you, dear readers, those costs related to the Roaming About website are taken care of.
Our new family member: Starlink
Installing all the wiring for Starlink
Finished three-day project: Starlink is now a part of our ceiling
My new phone, a Google Pixel 7a
Another higher-than-usual category is accommodation. In the US and Mexico, we pretty much boondocked (wild camped) for free 100% of the time. Because of logistical and safety issues, we have paid for campgrounds in Colombia and Peru. A third of the almost $1,000 for lodging went to renting Airbnb apartments and hotel rooms during the visit of my cousin and her husband in November and December and a two-night stay in Quito with friends.
Pay campground in Huaraz, Peru, where we took the camper off and just used the truck to reach amazing scenery high in the Andes
Airbnb in Quito
Paid campground in Ibarra, Ecuador
Spending a few nights at a pay campground in Medellin, Colombia
Our Airbnb in Santa Teresa, Peru
Of course, most of our nights we still camped for free on the edges of towns or in spectacular natural surroundings. Otherwise, this lifestyle would be unaffordable for us.
Camped in the Tatacoa Desert in Colombia
Parked for the night at a village square in Colombia during the holiday period
Camped for free by a quiet pond in Northern Ecuador
Wild camped in front of Cotopaxi Volcano in Ecuador
Wild camped in Ecuador, near Chimborazo Volcano
Camped on a beach in Peru
Wild camped in the Cordillera Blanca, Peru
Boondocked at the pretty Laguna Antacocha, Peru
Maya has lots of allergies. This means she eats a specific diet and dog food brand, which is more difficult to come by and much more expensive on this continent than in the US. Therefore, the dog category went up compared to last year. Despite us bringing three big bags into Colombia. Vet visits, on the other hand, are affordable here and our dog – touch on wood – has been pretty healthy on the road.
Maya gets weighed at the vet
One of Maya’s nails got ripped out on an escalator in Medellin, Colombia
Health certificate for Maya, leaving Ecuador
Maya needed a muzzle to enter the cable cars in La Paz, where we stayed for a month.
Even though we have our own mode of transportation, we end up spending a chunk of money for that category, no matter the location in South America. Mark has to fly back to the US once a year for health check-ups (I skipped mine in 2023) and, once we are camped near a main city, we use Uber, InDrive, taxis, minivans, tuk tuks, and cable cars to get around. Those forms of transportation added up to over $600 last year.
Efficient, clean, cheap, modern, and amazing cable car system in La Paz, Bolivia
Plane above Quito, Ecuador
Tuk tuk ride with Maya
The category one expects to be high when traveling the world is entertainment. Yet, we often find free activities, like hikes and viewpoints. I feel we didn’t skimp on excursions in 2023, visiting plenty of volcanoes, ruins, canyons, museums, and hot springs.
High-altitude hot springs in Colombia
Hot springs in Ecuador
Equator monument in Ecuador
Hot springs in Ecuador
Ventanillas ruins in Cajamarca
Archeological site along the Northern coast of Peru
Colca Canyon in Peru
Other tourist attractions that stood out were the Three Colored Mountains, the reed islands of Uros, and the Sacred Valley archeological sites in Peru and, of course, the biggie: Machu Picchu.
Three Colored Mountains in Peru
The reed islands of Uros in Puno, Peru
Moray Archeological Site in the Sacred Valley, Peru
Maras salt flats in the Sacred Valley of Peru
Machu Picchu
Our trio also paid to visit the Nazca and Palpa Lines, Gocta waterfall, a salt cathedral, and a bird sanctuary.
Gocta Waterfall in Peru
The Palpa lines and geoglyphs in Peru
Exploring the salt cathedral near Bogota with Maya, who was only allowed in this mine when seated in a stroller
Cantalloc Aqueducts in Nazca, Peru
The cock-of-the-rock bird or gallito de las rocas in a bird sanctuary in Jardin, Colombia
We used the cable car in Bogota, joined a few “free” walking tours, and I jumped off a bridge in Banos, Ecuador.
Cable car in Bogota, Colombia
Free walking tour in Medellin
Jumping off a bridge in Banos, Ecuador
Mark and I could do better with our alcohol expenses. But, especially when hanging out with friends, it’s nice to have a drink. Or two.
Homecooked dinner and wine with Valeria and David in Bella, Peru
Our rum selection with family
A massive change regarding utilities is our acquisition of Starlink in September 2023. We now have internet at our fingertips everywhere and all the time. The price for that is $70 a month, half of which is paid by our business. Since we replaced the RV’s propane fridge with an electric, compressor fridge, our cost for propane gas went down to $50 for an entire year, compared to $180 last year. Our potable water expenses were negligible.
Waiting to have our propane tank filled
Buying five gallons of emergency water
Every home needs maintenance, including a camper. Last year, we spent $342 on camper improvements inside and outside, like a propane hose, fridge thermostat, wood for a platform in the bed of the truck, water filters, screws, glue, caulk, and plexiglass for the Starlink installation.
Building and installing a wooden platform for the camper to sit on
Buying plexiglass and having it cut to size
Installing Starlink and the plexiglass in a dome of our ceiling
More than $200 went to drinking out in 2023; either with friends or just the two of us. This includes hot beverages and juices as well.
Drinks and dinner out with friends John and Susan in El Retiro, Colombia
Afternoon splurge at a café
Meeting fellow overlanders in Cuenca, Ecuador, for drinks
Pina Coladas on my birthday in Peru
Brewery visit with family in the Sacred Valley, Peru
The next categories down the list are birthday and Christmas gifts for family and friends, Customs and Immigration, mainly our three-month extensions in Colombia and a Bolivian visa for Mark, and medical, namely medicines at local pharmacies (no prescriptions are needed in most of Latin America) and a tooth exam and X-ray for Mark.
Christmas gifts of Baileys in La Paz, Bolivia
X-ray for Mark
Clothing and household items had the same number attached ($125) and enriched our cabinets and drawers. I bought a wool alpaca poncho, while Mark purchased a couple of alpaca sweaters in Ecuador and shorts in the US. Other (extra) clothing was obtained with gift money from my parents. They also sponsored a biking activity and two dinners out. Our household purchases contained a new router, vacuum cleaner, camping chairs, cutting boards, ice tray, and dishtowels.
My new alpaca poncho, bought in Huaraz
Packages brought to us by American friends Heather and Rodney
Mark’s new alpaca sweater, bought in Ecuador
Every year, we pay a $90 fee for the use of our Chase visa card. This allows us to collect points, which then can be redeemed for flights or other items, meaning the card is essentially free.
The miscellaneous category contains more than random expenses and toilet visits, or the amount would be lower. This is where we include souvenirs, mostly for me: a leather purse from Colombia, small paintings from Ecuador, and a Pachamama (Mother Earth) statue in Peru.
Little painting from Ecuador: Cotopaxi Volcano
Store in Jerico, Colombia, where I bought my leather purse
Little painting from Ecuador: Laguna Quilotoa
We also ran into a few obstacles with our “giant” camper, like a roof in Villa de Leyva in Colombia and another person’s car (his fault) in Huaraz, Peru. We reimbursed the owners for their tiles and side-view mirror.
Someone was parked on the side of the road, so we had to squeeze by and ran into this overhang with the top corner of our camper.
Pile of tiles on the sidewalk, after we ran into the roof overhang
The two remaining items in the report are laundry – quite low on a year basis, because we stayed with friends at times, who let us use their washing machine – and health & fitness, which resembles two haircuts for me, one in Colombia and one in Ecuador. Mark and I have clippers to cut his hair every other month.
Haircut in Villa de Leyva, Colombia
Laundromat in Colombia
