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, Maya, and I spent most of December on the road in Arizona and the last few days in California (warmer weather). We changed campsites every few days in our camper van Zesty. Our expenses were above average, because of the holidays. ‘t Was the season to buy gifts – for family members (my coveted annual calendars with a photo of our household in a different location on every page) and a few friends. We also bought special food and extra alcohol (for margaritas) for Christmas and New Year’s Eve, hence the higher numbers in the grocery and alcohol categories.
(Click on photos to enlarge or hover over them to read the captions.)
I just realized there is no dog category. We must have bought an extra bag of food for Maya in November. Also, her treats go under our groceries. Hmmm. Maybe that’s why that category was so high…
Maya feels at home in our friends’ campers!
We had help from a mechanic changing Zesty’s transmission fluid in Tucson and had a scare in Bisbee, when there was no way around low-hanging tree branches leaving the tight town. We hoped they would be “soft” limbs. The screeching sound of wood against metal made our hearts – and later our van – stop. Luckily, Mark managed to buff the new scratches out of the acrylic window and the top side panel.
Buffing out the scratches at a mine viewpoint in Bisbee, with a railing of the perfect height to stand on and work
We splurged on entertainment, a category that’s usually non-existent. Traveling with friends encourages us to have fun once in a while. We visited the Titan Missile Museum in Tucson with Duwan and Greg and the two of us signed up for the Queen Mine Tour in Bisbee. Our bubble of six friends also took a daytrip to Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument over the holidays. Giving Duwan and Greg a ride allowed us to enter for free because their National Park pass includes four adults. I’ll report on that excursion – and others – in a future blog post.
I’m happy to report that my writing expenses are dwindling. I shipped a few books to sailing magazines in the hopes of seeing their review of Plunge in print one day. The proof copy I ordered from IngramSpark was a disaster and I asked for a refund. Their customer support team should get back to me between three to five weeks! Oh well…
As usual, we boondocked (camping without amenities) on public lands and therefore didn’t spend any money on accommodation. Keep an eye out for our yearly expense report later this month!
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.
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January 13, 2021 at 00:57
Congratulations on a cost-impressive December.
Cheers to Duwan and Greg for encouraging you to allow yourself some entertainment fun. They sound like my kind of people!
January 14, 2021 at 13:46
Haha, peer pressure to have fun and drink… Yes, it is nice to have a little bubble of people around and that the weather has been nice enough in the desert to sit outside until sunset. We all do our own thing during the day and hang out during the last hour of sunlight. It gets dark at five here. We can’t complain. 🙂
January 13, 2021 at 06:47
Your December photos look joyful, especially with Maya making herself at home. I’d say you run a tight ship, and that would be true except it’s Zesty, your home on wheels. Zero for accommodation, now that’s impressive!
January 14, 2021 at 13:49
Hi Marian! Maya is happy with and in her “pack,” visiting friends as she pleases. This is only really possible here, at our current location, because there is no garbage, poop, and trouble for her to stray into… 🙂 We usually camp for free. In 2019, we didn’t spend a dime on our sleeping quarters, but last year we stayed at a couple of pay campgrounds. One when Mark left for a week that January in Jacksonville. Keep an eye out for our yearly expenses later this month.
January 13, 2021 at 07:33
Laundry for only eight bucks? Now that’s impressive.
December was the month of celebration and splurges.
January 14, 2021 at 13:52
Hi Alex! Our laundry expense fluctuates, depending on the prices, kinds of laundromats, being able to use machines in friends’ houses (not frequent anymore), and how many bills we actually change into quarters. If we change a ten into quarters, we actually charge the entire ten dollars to laundry as we will use it later. If we had quarters left from the last month, it isn’t added to the recent month. As often, our yearly expense would be the more all-around accurate overview.
January 13, 2021 at 08:02
Living the life! That a great budget for December. Looking forward to your missle post and yearly budget.
Cheers!
January 14, 2021 at 13:54
Hi guys! Not a lot of traveling going on, but we are pretty happy in the Arizona desert right now. The weather has been lovely lately (until sunset) and I am focusing on health and work. January will be extremely expensive as we had some huge “investments.” Enjoy the countryside!
January 13, 2021 at 09:57
It is amazing to see how few expenses you have, Liesbet. Yes, you need a pet category. I know you and Mark are both careful with your expenses and are creative with your lifestyle to make it happen. I daresay that your time in California will push them up a bit in gas prices alone. Hans and I found low cost health care here in Washington so I am relieved.
January 14, 2021 at 13:57
Hi Terri!
We actually have a dog expense category. This past month, nothing was added to it, as we must have bought two bags of dogfood in November. 🙂
Before we “make a move” (read: do the next road trip in a couple of weeks), we will fill up our tank in Yuma, Arizona, where we have been doing our shopping and errands. Just went to the dentist in Mexico for two visits. Still expensive, but about a third of the price in the US. January will be an expensive month!
I’m so glad to learn that you found low-cost healthcare in the Spokane area!!! It makes all the difference and reduces stress!
January 13, 2021 at 10:34
These are always interesting posts, Liesbet. It’s nice to get to know Duwan through you–I also love her blog. Maya looks so happy in her life on the road. Interesting about Ingram Spark. I considered them at one point and went with Amazon. I’m sad they didn’t do a good job for you. Amazon needs some competition! Talk again soon.
January 14, 2021 at 14:01
Hi Jacqui! Now that we have been traveling together with Duwan and Greg, we can actually compare our expenses in real life. Greg actually joked yesterday that we should buy each others’ alcohol as gifts and that would bring that expense down to zero for all of us, while we are being generous at the same time! What do you think about that idea? 🙂
I’m hoping the IngramSpark ordeal was a one-off. Going with Amazon would be easier, but their royalties for paperbacks when going wide are negligible! 🙁
January 14, 2021 at 09:39
Wow…zero for accommodation costs??I guess you are boondocking most of the time? With our van we usually have to look for places to service our motorhome/RV every so often ( our toilet can last about 3 to 4 days). There are some free places to empty in Europe, but not always possible. In Italy we did have to be in campsites most of the time. Loving all your fun photos and living vicariously on the road with you, we are currently on a National lockdown 🙁
January 14, 2021 at 14:13
Hi Gilda!
Yes, we always boondock. Sometimes, when we visit bigger National Parks, which has been years, we “splurge” and stay in a NP campground for a night or two. I think this is all a bit harder to do in (some) European countries, especially the more populated areas. In Zesty, we can go 5-6 days with our small tanks, because we shower every two or three days. Usually, we find free dump stations with fresh water fill-ups. Out west, they are located at gas stations and rest areas. We have apps for all these finds. 🙂
Sorry to read about your lockdown again. Sigh! 🙁
January 14, 2021 at 10:27
I like your blog, ????… Bravo
paintdigi.com
January 14, 2021 at 14:17
Thank you! The photos and artwork on your blog are amazing. Such talent and so many wonderful destinations. Keep it up! 🙂
January 14, 2021 at 18:29
Hi Liesbet,
Feel free to leave me a message in my contact form concerning your review request:)
Stay safe. Be well.
January 15, 2021 at 11:12
Will do! Thank you and have a wonderful weekend, Sandra!
January 15, 2021 at 09:53
Looks like the expenses were still very reasonable. I’m glad to hear you were able to celebrate with friends and do some extra activities. After all of your hard work getting the book published, well deserved. Glad Zesty came out intact from her narrow exit.
January 15, 2021 at 11:17
Hi Sue!
We are relieved about those scratches not having been too deep. Especially since we collected a serious scratch, created by a guy who filled our propane tank, and received some high quotes to get it fixed. Luckily, the propane store’s insurance will pay for that one. But IF those new scratches would have been as deep as the other, existing one, we’d be looking at thousands of dollars in repairs and paint jobs. Not now. Phew.
Not much fun going on at the moment. It’s another month of work and focus. Stay tuned for February. 🙂
January 15, 2021 at 16:08
Wow! Looks like one of our expense reports. The pics are great. It looks like we were having fun! Love the picture of the New Years Eve toast and the one with Maya in our van!
I’m glad you were able to splurge a bit in December – especially since we were along for a bit of it.
January 17, 2021 at 11:57
Our expense reports were pretty similar for December 2020. I’ll work on our yearly one soon, but have a couple of other blogs in mind first. It might be February by the time I post the 2020 report…
Yes, we’ve had some fun the last few weeks. So nice to spend time in our bubble over the holidays and otherwise. It’s awesome to be nomads in the desert. 🙂
January 15, 2021 at 19:54
The annual calendar idea is wonderful, Liesbet. Great fun photos! Margaritas, pizzas, friends, what’s not to love. ???? I know you, Mark, and Maya have a great year ahead of you. I look forward to reading all about it!
January 17, 2021 at 12:04
I so love your positive attitude, Erica! And I hope you’re right about our great year ahead, as it didn’t start out so well with me being sick. But, we are very fortunate and happy to have a bubble of friends around us in the middle of the desert. It’s nice to do our own things during the day and hang out for an hour before sunset. I hope you are doing okay in Victoria!
January 16, 2021 at 19:24
Your budget numbers might have been a bit higher last month, but it sounds as though it was money well-spent. Sometimes a bit of a splurge is just what you need! 🙂
January 17, 2021 at 12:30
Amen to the splurging once in a while, Diane! This month, there was a lot of “splurging” on health care. January’s expenses are already through the roof… Happy Sunday!
January 18, 2021 at 20:59
You had me at Margaritas! LOL 🙂 xx
January 20, 2021 at 13:50
One day, Mark will have to make his famous (and strong) margaritas for you!
January 21, 2021 at 10:31
Oh, just the way I like them! 🙂
January 21, 2021 at 15:49
You’re in for a treat: four ingredients: tequila, lime juice, gave syrup, and a splash of orange juice. Ideally served over ice, but with none of us having a freezer, we have learned to drink them without ice. Aaaah, vanlife…
January 21, 2021 at 19:02
Oh yum! Well, now that I’ve secured a place to stay when I visit Arizona, that’s where we’ll have to meet up! And no worries – I’ll bring the ice!!!!!!!!!!!!! 🙂 🙂 x
January 22, 2021 at 18:06
Deal! If we are still in Arizona whenever you get there. 🙂