Every month, I post a report of our expenses to show that it is possible to live a comfortable, exciting and relatively adventurous life without breaking the bank. The less money you spend, the less you need to make. 🙂 That being said, Mark and I seem to manage one big expense a month for some reason, whether it is camper, plane, travel or computer-related. Luckily, we live totally rent-free, wherever we end up.
This report includes ALL of our expenses, in US$, for the two of us. Under groceries we incorporate all the 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 Mark's vitamins and supplements; medical contains prescription drugs and doctor's visits. Health insurance and costs are related to my health care as a permanent resident in the US. Mark is still eligible for free health care in the state of Massachusetts as of today. If a non-emergency were to happen outside of that state, it will be expensive! For check-ups, we both return to the East Coast. I still pay a small quarterly fee in Belgium for health care (required to retain citizenship), which I mention in my year report.
February was pretty much an average month, with extra expenses going to gifts for Mark's birthday, and to the camper for a bike rack and fuel for our five-day road trip between house sits. Those were the categories putting us over $1K. We have a serious repair planned for Zesty, but don't know yet when this will happen, since our mechanic of choice lives in San Diego. The positive? Living costs in New Mexico are lower than in California!
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March 11, 2018 at 12:09
You’re an inspiration for frugal living. I need to take note!
March 12, 2018 at 14:17
I do believe that there is a correlation between how much money you spend and how much fun you have… Sometimes, we deprive ourselves of too much to be frugal and “save for the future”! So, as long as you are happy, no need to take note. 🙂
March 11, 2018 at 12:15
I think everywhere is cheaper than California, except maybe New York City. Of course I don’t really know about outside the U.S. Happy Birthday to Mark. As I’ve said before, you’ve got a charmed life, Liesbet!
March 12, 2018 at 14:19
California is certainly right up there when it comes to being expensive. We realize that every time we go there, but it has so much to offer as well. 🙂 One of the reasons we want to travel in Mexico again has to do with lowering our costs. Hopefully, next winter. Depends what you mean with “charmed life”, Victoria…
March 11, 2018 at 13:02
Logging expenses like this certainly does make you accountable, Liesbet. I agree with Victoria above, “you’ve got a charmed life” and a very handsome dude to share it with!
March 12, 2018 at 14:20
Thank you for the compliment, Marian. Now, we have to make that handsome dude happy again, because we have gone through a terrible ten months when it comes to a certain facet of our lives. So, the charmed life will hopefully resume one of these months.
March 14, 2018 at 12:03
🙂
March 11, 2018 at 13:06
Once again, I’m very impressed! I’m glad you shelled out a little extra for Mark’s birthday. I hope he had a great one!
March 12, 2018 at 14:23
His birthday came with some of the usual work issues but the day after was a nice one, Jill. As far as the gifts went, we always opt for usefulness, so he now has new speakers for the van, new flipflops and a new shirt. Oh, and some extra dark Belgian chocolate and a six-pack of craft beer. 🙂
March 11, 2018 at 16:47
That’s still cheap. And a great place to spend a birthday.
March 12, 2018 at 14:24
The wine bar/restaurant was so nice and surprising, Alex, that we are contemplating going back for brunch one weekend. Now, wouldn’t that be a splurge! 🙂
March 11, 2018 at 18:35
Looks like a pretty good month to me!
“The less money you spend, the less you need to make.”
I love that saying!
March 12, 2018 at 14:24
So true, right? It took me a while to actually figure out that that’s what we are doing. 🙂
March 12, 2018 at 09:00
Happy birthday to Mark 🙂
I like how you keep track of postage separately. I don’t often mail things and I’m always surprised at how much it costs. I think I still have the cost of stamps from the 80s stuck in my head.
March 12, 2018 at 14:30
Postage has gone up, but envelop stamps are still quite affordable. Packages, however, are a different story. It is crazy expensive to get something shipped (except by Amazon if you play it wisely) or to ship something ourselves. It is a reason why I don’t send gifts overseas anymore (poor niece and nephew). And, you have no idea how many Wirie customers complain about the shipping costs, while we only charge them what UPS and USPS charge us…
March 12, 2018 at 20:46
We definitely need to go grocery shopping together, Liesbet. I have lots to learn from you in this department!
Happy (belated) birthday to Mark!
March 14, 2018 at 09:57
You might not like it, Donna! 🙂 We stick to healthy food and know exactly what we want each time we go grocery shopping. We use lists. I have to admit that we do go a bit crazy in the Mexican grocery store we discovered in Albuquerque, buying all the produce we desire. Mark says “thank you” and “never again”. 🙂
March 14, 2018 at 00:30
Have always wanted to see New Mexico. Hope you’e having a great time!
March 14, 2018 at 10:01
Hi there! Yep, we are back in New Mexico. Taking it easy, though, as we have a lot of projects to attend to, and one of the dogs is too old to go on adventures. At the end of the month, we will be back in Santa Fe without animals, so we will explore again then. 🙂 Also, we have a guest room there, if you have time and finally want to make it to New Mexico! You’ll have your own desk and we will only entertain you in the evenings and during the weekend!
March 16, 2018 at 23:48
Impressed as always. My monthly budget recap is nowhere as pretty ?
March 21, 2018 at 11:00
Hey, if you are crossing the Indian Ocean, you shouldn’t spend anything! 🙂 Those weeks will be cheap, but hopefully, nothing (major) breaks. Have you caught any fish yet?
March 21, 2018 at 18:24
So far that is not the case. Doing a lot of land travel in Sri Lanka. Fees to visit National Parks / UNESCO sites are astronomical. Hotels more affordable but adding up. The boat is stationary in Trinco as we can’t sail from port to port here withou incurring additional $220 port entry fees. And one month to cruise in the Maldives is $995. We aren’t in The Pacific anymore.
I think I mentioned that the last fish we caught swam away with our pole. Lucky (and highly unusual) to find an exact replacement here in Sri Lanka … $420 but worth every penny.
March 23, 2018 at 15:44
Ouch, Lisa! That is all expensive, as in Canal transiting and Galapagos permit expensive! Yikes. I’m sorry to hear that. I hope your new “lucky” pole will bring in a lot of tasty creatures during the rest of the crossing. Enjoy your land travels in Sri Lanka. Can’t wait to hear the stories and see the photos!
March 24, 2018 at 18:51
Ha! I forgot about those expenses and they were worth every penny. The painful memories of expenses fade in the end (we had quite a row over whether to visit The Galapagos given the entry fee but visit we did 😉 and all that remains is the legends of paradise.
March 26, 2018 at 08:59
Couldn’t agree more, Lisa. The Galapagos was certainly one of our highlights! <3