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. 🙂 Since July 2018, Mark and I have been combining van life in our Zesty and house and pet sitting, which we did full-time before that. The best of both worlds!
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. 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 March, our van was our home as we traveled the length of Arizona and dipped into Southern Utah. That explains the higher than usual diesel cost for the month. Our back suspension had a crack in it and needed a new bracket. After bargaining down with an Eastern European mechanic in Phoenix, starting at $450 (!!), he quoted us $300 for the job. He definitely tried to take advantage of us. Maybe because we have a "fancy" camper? Maybe because of our Massachusetts license plate? Mark did some research online, ordered the parts himself, and did the work within half an hour for $50!
Our annual credit card fee is substantial, but we feel the rewards are worth it. We finally spent money on entertainment! We took the casino ferry on Lake Havasu for $2 per person just to be on the water again. We immediately returned back to town, as the other side - really - had nothing to offer but a casino. And, one of the highlights of our last 2.5-month adventure was our hike to The Wave, for which we needed a hard-to-get $7 per person permit. More about that later.
The biggest improvement - and it's a massive one - for us last month is our change from a 5GB T-Mobile data plan for about $25 a month to an unlimited AT&T plan for $30 a month. Again, Mark's research and IT skills paid off. While before I had to do most of my work and heavy data use (like Facebook, Instagram, and blogging) in libraries, which was very restrictive, I can do everything from the van now. And with our solar panels my laptop doesn't need a library anymore either. Zesty really became an office on wheels! 🙂
Self-contained office on wheels - the view changes whenever we desire!
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April 7, 2019 at 17:28
Hi Liesbet, Keeping track of your expenses already says a lot about how mindful you and Mark are regarding your expenses. Mark is amazing on how he even attempted the back suspension and then it paid off. I am putting The Wave on our travel list!
Interesting about the new data plan. I will reevaluate our plan. I think it will free you up especially when inspiration comes to you. Thanks for sharing, Liesbet.
April 8, 2019 at 21:51
Hi Erica!
Thanks for leaving a comment. When we lived on a sailboat for eight years (a lot in remote areas), we had to learn to be self-sufficient and to fix everything ourselves. Mark learned a lot and we still try to do most everything ourselves. Not only is it cheaper, but you know it’s done right and you learn in the process.
I can’t believe it took us three years of working on the road worth restricted cell service (and seven years with even less resources before that), before switching to an unlimited plan. Yes, we made our lives so much more challenging before! 🙂
April 7, 2019 at 17:50
Hi Liesbet! Once again you prove that it is possible to live abundantly on less! Good job Mark for finding a new plan although I’ll be interested in hearing how you like AT&T. We actually paid to get away from there because they just didn’t give us the service we needed (like at our home!!!) Hopefully it works much better for you. And yes to the beautiful wave adventure. ~Kathy
April 8, 2019 at 22:15
When you move as much as we do, T-Mobile is actually the worst of the three major cell companies in the US, Kathy. We knew this all along, but it was cheap and we dealt with it, frustrating or not. Often, we had to find cities to stop at, to sit in the car and deal with work, before continuing the trip. We often visited libraries and the worst was when everyone else but us could get online. 🙂
AT&T has been working OK so far. On Friday, we actually spent the night at a campground in New Mexico we visited twice before. “Too bad we won’t have internet tonight,” I said to Mark as we approached the area. “We might,” he replied. And that’s when I remembered we had a different cell carrier. Low and behold, it worked fine, while T-Mobile was non-existent there.
Sorry to hear you had to change carriers. They are all so location specific (except Verizon).
April 7, 2019 at 18:33
Nicely done, Liesbet! This is great material for your next book. I’m serious, there are people out there who’d love to live like you and Mark, but have no idea it’s possible. Thanks for sharing!
April 8, 2019 at 22:17
I’d love to write an e-book about “Frugal Living on the Road” one day, Jill. And, another one about house and pet sitting tips. Let’s hope I find the time and the energy one day. Thanks for the continued encouragement! 🙂
April 8, 2019 at 14:34
Test. Is anyone else experiencing issues – getting error messages – commenting to my blog?
April 8, 2019 at 15:07
Just posted without incident!
April 8, 2019 at 22:22
Thanks for the reply, Anabel. One of my readers is having some issues posting her comment.
April 9, 2019 at 00:54
I do get problems posting follow up comments (such as this one) from the WordPress app. I have to move out into the browser. It tells me there has been an unexpected error.
April 9, 2019 at 08:50
Sorry to hear that, Anabel. This comment showed up, so I assume you left it via the browser? I had no idea there was such a thing as the WordPress app. I seriously need to spend more time learning about WordPress and dealing with this blog!
April 8, 2019 at 15:06
Well done on the office on wheels! The Wave looks amazing.
April 8, 2019 at 22:21
I love them both, mobile office and Wave, Anabel, but I have to admit that being in a comfortable house for a few weeks is mighty nice as well. 🙂
April 9, 2019 at 00:54
Tried to reply to the comment above and it disappeared.
April 9, 2019 at 08:51
Thanks for trying again, Anabel. Both your follow-up comments showed up.
April 9, 2019 at 08:57
Using the browser, app wouldn’t accept. Maybe your reader who is having the problems also uses the app?
April 9, 2019 at 09:14
Thanks for that, Anabel. She used different devices (also a computer) and different browsers… Maybe the problem is on her end, although she commented without issues before. Who knows? WordPress shenanigans (which come and go without rhyme or reason) are beyond me.
April 8, 2019 at 15:57
You guys are doing amazing. Great score on the mobile data plan! And that photo looks gorgeous. I’ll wait to hear about it. 😉
April 8, 2019 at 22:26
Being able to get unlimited data for our internet needs is worth the $5 extra a month, Debby. This is what people are used to these days. We’ve been old-fashioned (and willing to deal with the extra challenges) for too long. 🙂
April 9, 2019 at 08:08
No kidding! Now you can stay connected. This will prove so beneficial with your time. 🙂
April 9, 2019 at 08:52
Time is money. Or, in my case, time is valuable without the money. Haha!
April 10, 2019 at 12:23
Thrifty and smart travelers you two. Mark is a hard bargainer and good pioneer. In fact, you both are!
April 10, 2019 at 15:50
I’m pretty fortunate with my handy husband and I’m so glad that we are on the same page when it comes to spending money and life’s priorities. And, yes, he is becoming a decent bargainer – he has a good teacher. 🙂