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 the two of us. 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. Since June 2019 – we adopted Maya on June 4th – we have a dog section as well. 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.
In an upcoming blog, I’ll share a bit more about our January experiences in Florida, but for now, I’ll stick to expenses. Not a bad month at just under $1,000 but, as always, it was more than expected by the time we tallied everything. One of our three “out of the ordinary” costs was Maya’s anti-itch medicine. Apoquel is a wonder drug, but at $1.75 per pill – Mark spent hours online to find this “deal”, if you buy 100 pills at once (usually prices hover around $2 per pill and higher at the vet) – it is pricey. Especially since Maya needs one pill a day. We discovered that CBD oil does not help with her physical discomfort.
Anything to get this sweetheart happy, healthy, comfortable!
Our other “extra” expenses were for camping and Mark’s bus transfers from/to Newburyport from Logan Airport. He used miles to get there from Jacksonville. Long-time readers know that we almost always boondock (camp for free) with Zesty. Since Mark had to fly to Boston for five days in January, I stayed at an established campground in Northern Florida – hence the camping expense for January. I have to admit that it was enjoyable. More about that later as well.
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February 9, 2020 at 15:03
Your numbers are always impressive!
February 9, 2020 at 15:09
Thanks, Ingrid. We always say we are going to try and have more fun, but then realize that this costs more money and “postpone” it yet again. You know what I mean… 🙂
February 9, 2020 at 15:50
How do you spend only $5 on laundry? Laundromats are so pricey….
February 9, 2020 at 18:17
Hi! The $5 for laundry last month was on the low side – we did one load of washing and drying at a marina when we visited friends. Our cost fluctuates with visiting friends (or family) along the way, when we can do a couple of loads for free, and laundromats. In January, we were fortunate with quite a bit of free laundry machine use. 🙂 We will see how February pans out.
February 9, 2020 at 16:19
Your tally makes a lot of sense to me now that I saw first hand how frugally you live. Maya is an expense, but she is also a pleasure as I observed last month.
When we were together, I forgot to mention the grocery bargains at Aldi stores. Even alcohol is cheaper there. I see you are in Ocala NF. Maybe they have one in the town.
Impressive, Liesbet and Mark: Under a thousand. That’s something to brag about!
February 9, 2020 at 17:11
I love Aldi, Marian!
February 9, 2020 at 18:24
We do, too. But, we usually need a second store to make our grocery shopping run for the week complete.
February 9, 2020 at 18:23
Maya is worth every penny, Marian, and we love her to pieces, as you know. 🙂
I’m very familiar with ALDI. It was a surprise to find them in the US a few years ago, as they are German owned (by the same family that owns Trader Joe’s) and I grew up with them in Belgium. They are more prominent out east than out west, so we have been paying them a visit here. Yep – the prices can’t be beat.
By the way, when I first looked up your address on Google Maps, I saw one really close to you guys!
February 9, 2020 at 18:55
We “stocked up” in the St. Augustine Aldi before disappearing into the woods again. 🙂
February 9, 2020 at 16:19
Hi Liesbet! I always look forward to these monthly posts as a source of motivation to shave down our costs a bit more. A few months ago after I learned that you eat a plant-based diet and manage to have such a low grocery bill, I started doing some digging. One of our New Year’s resolutions has been to shift towards a more plant-based diet, and one bonus side effect is that it’s been helping me to lower my grocery bill costs So thanks as always for the inspiration!
February 9, 2020 at 18:59
Hi Elise!
Thank you so much for leaving this kind and heartfelt comment. You really made my day with it. If there’s anything that makes me happy, it’s knowing that we/I inspire people. Well done on slowly switching over to a plant-based diet. Healthier and cheaper and better for the environment. 🙂
I don’t even remember the last time I had red meat (must be months), but we did split a leftover chicken thigh tonight in our otherwise vegetable-loaded pasta dinner.
February 9, 2020 at 17:11
I’m so impressed, Liesbet. Marian is right, Aldi is definitely the place to shop. They have good produce and their prices can’t compare to other stores.
February 9, 2020 at 18:26
You are totally right, Jill. On the west coast, Grocery Outlet was similar to Aldi on this side of the country. We love a good bargain. The price for their avocados is unbeatable. Some other items can be found cheaper elsewhere, but for produce they certainly seem to be the cheapest. 🙂
February 9, 2020 at 19:27
I’m always impressed by how little you manage to get by on each month for two adults in the U.S. and also by the on point record keeping of all monies spent. Really makes me ponder how much we spend on eating out! Even here in Viet Nam the nicer places start to add up in cost. Luckily the rest of our expenses are super low haha.
Maya totally worth every penny… actually she could become a model for ads she is so pretty and cover her living costs 🙂
Peta
February 9, 2020 at 19:40
Haha, Peta! I love your comment about Maya. She is pretty photogenic, so your idea might work. 🙂 People have suggested that I start an Instagram account for her. Just what I need, one more thing to keep track of and be up-to-date about… Now, if there’s some money to be made…
You’ve referred to the US being pretty pricy for grocery shopping compared to other countries before. I was thinking, maybe you have that impression because you visit cities like Chicago, etcetera when you return here??? When shopping in stores like Trader Joe’s and Aldi, or buying generic products and vegetables that are on sale, we manage to keep our grocery costs relatively low. Buying groceries in Whole Foods, Publix, or Shaw’s on the other hand, would drain us.
February 9, 2020 at 19:46
Wow, I’m getting jealous with all the positive comments about Aldi. As far as I know, we don’t have one of those around here. Another fabulous month, Liesbet! You are an inspiration.
February 10, 2020 at 09:29
We never saw Aldis out west, Janis. That being said, Grocery Outlet (there is one in San Diego) is similar – you grab the items out of boxes and there is a limited choice for products and produce. Most items are cheaper than in other stores. Aldi only has their own – generic – brands, though, while in GO, you find name brands sometimes. Also, the European way, you need to put a quarter in the shopping carts at Aldi and bring your own shopping bags (worldwide). 🙂
February 10, 2020 at 01:16
Thank goodness you finally found something that works for Maya! The price tag is a bit horrifying, but I hope she won’t need to take it forever.
February 10, 2020 at 09:32
Hi Diane! Yes, we are happy Apoquel works for her. It will probably be a life-long drug, though, unless we discover what exactly she’s allergic to or if we live or spend a long time in a state where she doesn’t appear itchy. Also, depending on our locations/destinations we might be able to lower the dosage. It will be trial and error. Florida is definitely a “high allergy” state so far. 🙁
February 10, 2020 at 07:59
Just under a thousand all right! Sorry the pills for Maya are so much. Seems criminal, doesn’t it?
February 10, 2020 at 09:34
It is a bit crazy that pet meds are even pricier than meds for humans. Not much competition or generic equivalents… And, I’m not even talking about the “hoops” one has to go through to actually buy the meds online and not at the vet’s office, since prescriptions are required.
February 10, 2020 at 15:51
Not only are your numbers impressive, I love your priorities.
February 12, 2020 at 10:03
Your priorities aren’t too shabby either, Donna! 🙂
February 10, 2020 at 18:01
You know, anything under $1000 is amazing. I think we have only been under $1000 only once since we have been tracking.
Your eating/drinking out seems to be a little higher than usual. Hope that means you were out having good times with friends!
I was surprised and happy to find Aldis in eastern Texas! But as we traveled inland they disappeared. There are a few Aldis in California. We passed right by one the other day when were in Calexico but didn’t have time to stop. Going back to Arizona tomorrow – I miss my Aldi!
February 12, 2020 at 10:07
Thanks for the updates on the Aldis, Duwan. I had no idea there were any in Texas or even California. I guess Arizona has none? They’re definitely more prominent on the East Coast. Don’t forget about the El Supers either. I know they’re in New Mexico and in California, but no idea whether they exist in Arizona.
Yes, we did go out with friends in January and found a great brewery with tacos next door. The Mexican restaurant delivers the food to the brewery, so that was nice. We went back there twice in January and once in February.
This month is on its way to becoming the cheapest month in years. If we can stick to it. 🙂
February 11, 2020 at 21:47
Wow, I’m amazed how little you spent during January. It’s impressive!
February 12, 2020 at 10:08
Thank you, Sheryl. We certainly do our best to just spend what we need, as supposed to what we want. This way, we can travel longer, which is ultimately what we want, but don’t need. 🙂
February 13, 2020 at 02:08
Still seems like amazing numbers to me. So far, I’m doing well with the low-buy year, but it’s only the second month. I haven’t bought any more books since I last posted about it here–just added them to my wish list.
It’s a revelation for me to get royalties deposited in my PayPal account and not spend them. Small steps, but I’m already noticing a difference.
Pets are expensive. Without vet bills or meds, my cats cost well over $100/month. But they’re worth every penny. x
February 13, 2020 at 21:49
I love the sound of that: “royalties deposited in my Paypal account”. 🙂 Too bad they charge a decent fee. Speaking of which… have you ever heard of Payoneer? If employers use that service, it only costs you $1.50 to withdraw your money to a bank account. No matter how high the amount is. Let me know if you’d like more info.
Hey, February might only be the second month of the year, but it’s a short one, so we have that going for us. 🙂
February 27, 2020 at 08:34
Thanks for the info. I usually pay people directly from PayPal, so I never have need to withdraw the money anymore. I end up sending it to someone else!
I just about wiped everything out to pay writing conference fees, but it’ll be worth it.
February 28, 2020 at 19:11
I see! PayPal is like a separate account for you. 🙂 Enjoy attending those writing conferences.
February 16, 2020 at 20:30
Glad to hear that Maya is comfortable but what a cost. Worth every penny to have that sweet pup feeling better. As other have said, these monthly posts are true inspiration. When you get your book published perhaps you can move on to “How to live happily on $1000 a Month”. I think it would be a fabulous read.
February 16, 2020 at 21:38
Maya’s allergies are still hard to pinpoint, Sue. Every time we think we have her itchiness under control, it gets worse for a few days and then, she scratches and chews incessantly again, creates a wound (the few minutes we are not around) and we have to start all over. It will never be easy, I’m afraid. But, in general, the medicine is working!
Thanks for the compliment about my expense reports. We can only keep it this cheap, because we are on the road and don’t have many living costs. There have been quite a few people who believe I should work on a “How to” book about frugal travel. I am getting excited about a project like that, but knowing how much time it requires… We will see.
February 26, 2020 at 14:45
When I used to be responsible for managing departmental budgets at work, it was during a recession time when we were being forced to slash our budgets every year. Once everything had been cut to the bone, the only thing left to cut was staff positions, which I refused to do. That is how I learned that there are two ways to meet budget objectives — cut expenses or find (earn) more money. My departments became very creative at raising more money. For you and Mark, one way to meet your needs (and wants) would be to earn a little more while also keeping your expenses low. Sorry to hear Mark’s job opportunity didn’t work out.
Jude
February 27, 2020 at 13:25
Wow, Jude being put on the spot like that at work sure had your brain cells working. So awesome, you came up with creative ways to “make money” and that you spared people’s jobs. I think we’re doing pretty well on the part of “cutting expenses”. Since not much improvement is possible there, it looks like it’s time for us to be creative in finding ways to make a bit of money. 🙂