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 and extensive care, we return to the US East Coast. Other health issues are resolved locally and out of pocket where needed and possible.
Mark, dog Maya, and I concluded the month of July in Ecuador with our truck camper Thirsty Bella, before crossing the border into Peru.
(As always, click on or hover over photos in galleries to read their captions.)
We splurged in July, mainly on eating and drinking out in places like Baños , Cuenca, and Vilcabamba, where quality establishments are plentiful. Yet, our total expenditure for July was well below US$1,000, our new goal.
Important to note is that Mark and I have been receiving more paid work than before and if that’s reflected anywhere, it’s in those two categories. We spent A LOT in European bakeries in July; good bread (and pastries) is important to this Belgian! Of course, we’ve been busier as well, needing more internet data and having to chase cell service. As a result, we’ve been making more than we are spending, so are not dipping into savings anymore. What a concept! 😊
While it has been fun to meet up with friends for drinks and dinner out, after one such night in Vilcabamba, on which we spent US$50, we had to reign ourselves in. That’s a lot of money. Especially for us. Especially in South America!
The grocery cost was quite high, mainly because in early July I did a “failed” border run to Colombia and went shopping in our favorite store, D1, where I stocked up on olive oil, Parmesan cheese, soy sauce, and snacks. These items are expensive or elusive in Ecuador. While the snacks have long disappeared, the bottles of olive oil and “real” soy sauce will last a while.
The car was the second-highest category, with around $180 for fuel (we covered 2/3 of the country with that amount and topped up before the border; you’ll find out next month why), some tolls, and our SOAT (liability insurance) for Peru, which only cost $16 for six months.
I mentioned the dining and drinking out; our fun expenses. The next one was for utilities. We average paying $30 per month for internet in South America (Mark keeps bringing up Starlink, since cell service has been hard to come by at times) and we filled our propane tank near Cuenca. Running out of gas one chilly morning surprised us, while heating water for a shower. We managed to keep turning the water heater back on each time it turned off and reached lukewarm temperatures. Our reasoning for this unpleasant discovery: spending a lot of time above 12,000ft (3,700m), running our gas heater at night. We are more careful now.
The two of us spent about $40 on activities. While national parks in Ecuador are free, pretty much all other entertainment costs money. For this amount, I dove off a bridge in Baños ($20), we paid the town’s entrance fee to Quilotoa Lagoon, the three of us visited some waterfalls, Casa del Arbol (all near Baños as well), and a museum in Cuenca, and we immersed ourselves in the Inca ruins of Ingapirca (see next blog).
The remaining categories were low – we bought ourselves two small paintings of a local artist in Tigua, barely purchased alcohol in stores, had a few loads of laundry done, obtained a $10 health certificate for Maya as a requirement by Peru, and I got my biannual $5 haircut.
A massive way to save money for us is to wild camp/boondock. We don’t want facilities as we are self-contained for up to two weeks (at which point we need potable water), so make due with free parking available in towns and on public lands. In July 2023, we only spent $2 for overnight parking in Rio Verde. The other nights – 30 of them – we “camped” gratis.
A negative about not paying for established campgrounds is that we haven’t slept well, because of fireworks, traffic noise, and other sounds, either at night or early morning. Not that paid camping would solve all these issues… And, some views from our preferred campsites in nature are hard to beat!
Boondocked by Cotopaxi Volcano
Now that we are in Peru, life has become much more pricey and we have to convert our money again – no more US dollars, like in Ecuador!
(It might be easier to read the table when turning your device in the horizontal position.)
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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August 12, 2023 at 15:44
So much food! And what a surprisingly high drinking and eating out cost. But so glad you are able to splurge a little bit. It looks like it was totally worth it. And if your goal is $1000, it looks like you can do even a little more splurging (although I realize you are paying lots more for gas now).
And I love the paintings! Money well spent, I think.
August 12, 2023 at 22:03
Hi Duwan,
It was so nice to eat out whenever we wanted to and to stay in towns where good and healthy food was available. That’s not happening in Peru so far! But maybe that’s a good thing, because we are paying hundreds of dollars for gasoline this month and will need to save in other categories.
August 12, 2023 at 16:22
Wow, that’s an amazingly low monthly expenditure! And all your delicious-looking food photos made my mouth water. Yum! It seems as though this was a very successful and enjoyable month for you. 🙂
August 12, 2023 at 22:07
Hi Diane,
I think you are right. July was a pretty good month for us, except for the fireworks and noise in certain places. Few good nights of sleep were had those last weeks in Ecuador and this trend is, unfortunately, continuing in Peru. We are not too happy at the moment, needing to move every day (for internet, to escape loud booms, cold and condensation, or to find food, …), which is exhausting to say the least.
And wait until you see what kind of roads we are navigating… Not ideal to drive when tired. We keep telling ourselves that our situation will improve. Everyone we know who has visited Peru loves it! Why?? Time will tell. We hope.
August 12, 2023 at 22:10
Oh, no! I’m sorry to hear things have been so crappy for you. I hope you’ll soon find some things to enjoy in Peru.
August 12, 2023 at 22:22
We will. 🙂 Have a good night, my friend!
August 12, 2023 at 16:42
Wow! So impressed that you can do all that for $900. Meanwhile, my wife wanted to stay at a nice place for our 37th anniversary. She is a fabulous woman and a saint as a wife, mother, and friend. Whenever we travel, she like to stay at nice places though. I often don’t even see the bill when she books the room. This time I did—$400. I mean, it was nice enough, but not that nice. 🤣🤣🤣 Like a well-trained husband, I kept my mouth shut. She’s well worth it!
August 12, 2023 at 22:15
Hi Pete,
I am 100% convinced that Deb deserves a nice hotel room to stay at, especially on your anniversary. From what you’ve written, your wife is a super special person who means the world to you. Who am I to blink at at $400 for a hotel room? 🙂
People love and desire different things. When I hear how much people spend on their vacations and realize that those amounts might last us an entire year, I do swallow hard. But, then again, most people work a lot to make heaps of money, so they deserve to splurge.
August 12, 2023 at 17:43
Yay! Under-budget again.
August 12, 2023 at 22:15
Thanks for cheering us on, Marian! We are having highs and lows at the moment.
August 12, 2023 at 18:59
Glad money coming in now exceeds money going out. As adults, that should always be the goal! Not sure how you guys have time to work when you are off adventuring so much though.
August 12, 2023 at 22:17
Haha, Alex! Yes, staying positive on the money scale certainly should be the goal for adults. We’ve been doing fine being super frugal but I have to admit it’s nice to splurge once in a while and not worry about every penny – or our savings. 🙂
August 12, 2023 at 19:00
I am always amazing at you two. How you manage your finances is just phenomenal. Jim
August 12, 2023 at 22:18
Thanks, Jim. It’s so funny, though, how happy we are with money coming in and not only going out. Something everyone else is used to, haha.
August 12, 2023 at 20:42
Hi, Liesbet, Mark and Maya – I echo Jim’s comment above. And that view from your boondocking site near Cotopaxi Volcano — that is phenomenal.
August 12, 2023 at 22:20
Hi Donna,
The photos I took of Cotopaxi – and us/our camper – that day are my favorites of this year so far. And I’m glad we can stay under $1,000 so far. We will see if this is possible in Peru…
August 13, 2023 at 07:41
Earning more and spending less, sounds like you are doing great. But I am glad you did a little splurging also. I often think spending time with good friends and good food is so precious, embrace the good times.
August 13, 2023 at 09:02
Hi Gilda,
Being with friends makes everything better, at times. 🙂
It’s so strange, each time we enter a new country in South America, we miss the advantages of the previous one. We are having a hard time adjusting to Peru and there will be less splurging as life is more expensive here, for some reason.
August 13, 2023 at 12:38
I’m always amazed by these budgets. You work so hard saving money, living life the way you want to. Kudos!
August 14, 2023 at 21:17
Hi Ajcqui,
I often say that we “make money by saving money.” It’s not quite correct, but we are so careful about what we pay and shop for (and when) that this saves big time in the end. If that makes sense. 🙂
August 13, 2023 at 12:56
Thanks for the monthly recap of your finances. One thing that caught my eye as former campers was your being able to dry camp or boondock for two weeks at a time AND even take showers. How big is your water tank to allow that? We never used our trailer’s shower because of not wanting to ‘waste’ the water.
August 14, 2023 at 21:22
Hi Annie,
Mark and I installed an extra water tank as prep for this camper, before we took it to South America. I really ought to write a blog or article about those conversions one day as it really is important for the way we can travel and camp remotely and extensively now.
Anyway, our two freshwater tanks hold 48 gallons (30 + 18) and we shower every three days now (in North America, we showered every two days as potable water was easier to come by). Also, we have extra filters and drink the water from our tanks. If we wouldn’t shower in our camper, we’d have to stay at paid campgrounds, which would add to the cost.
So, if you stayed at campgrounds in the US, couldn’t you fill up with fresh water each time and then go boondock until the tank was empty to then stay at a campground (and fill up) again?
August 13, 2023 at 13:18
And BTW – I think you should really think about Starlink. It will ease the burden of worrying about being connected all the time – now especially since you are working. You will be able to do your work whenever and where ever you want. I know it’s pricey but some times you need to spend money to enjoy more. And if you can spend more time in the middle of nowhere you won’t be spending as much money in cities.
August 14, 2023 at 21:24
Haha, Duwan. Good point. We ARE thinking about Starlink. And, it’s actually much cheaper to buy the hardware down here and lay the local monthly fee as well. Colombia is the best for this – and Amazon ships there, but we missed that boat, not realizing we’d actually seriously consider Starlink at some point. We are still looking into it (for/in Brazil, for example) and would only really need it in Patagonia. We will see…
August 13, 2023 at 17:49
As usual, your monthly expenses are impressive. I had no idea that US dollars were accepted in Ecuador… do they have their own currency or do they just use dollars? Even though you might have spent more than usual on food and drink out, I’m glad you and mark are allowing yourselves to indulge a bit.
August 14, 2023 at 21:27
Hi Janis,
The official, national – and only – currency in Ecuador is the US dollar – and it’s funny to see 50 cent and $1 coins there, too. No dollar bills here! It’s one of the reasons why Ecuador is so popular with (American) expats. It makes the economy more stable and no exchange rates, devaluation, or tricky calculations to deal with.
Being able to work and earn more makes it easier for us to splurge. Funny how that goes! We are actually becoming a part of the economy! 🙂
August 14, 2023 at 23:04
Well I say you did pretty darned good, and had a great social outing time too! La Dolce Vita. 🙂 xx
August 18, 2023 at 12:26
Our last hurrahs in Ecuador, Debby. Peru is a different ballgame! The money spending (mainly gasoline, at US$5/gallon) is going through the roof. Mark just updated our cash and credit card expenses in Quicken and we are already at $800! We are only halfway in August… 🙁
August 18, 2023 at 16:27
Wow Peru is so much more than Ecuador?
August 18, 2023 at 16:49
Fuel here is twice the price than in Ecuador and Colombia! And, Peru is a huge country. And, since we are not finding nice and quiet places to camp, we keep on moving and driving heaps… Apparently, Cusco and the Sacred Valley are everyone’s highlights, so maybe we can take a good, long break there! 🙂
August 18, 2023 at 16:55
I hope so, or time to move on. I’ll look forward to hearing where you end up. 🙂
August 18, 2023 at 20:11
🙂
August 19, 2023 at 05:52
Well done on another month of going under $1,000. And great news to hear that you did not have to dip into your savings because of all the extra work you’re both getting.
I’m glad to hear you’re now in Peru, as I did hear that there has been trouble in Ecuador because of an upcoming election they have coming up.
August 20, 2023 at 12:20
Hi Hugh,
Yeah, Ecuador is getting a bit tricky and rough around the edges these months. They are having their (first) election today. For that reason, it’s good to be in Peru, but we have yet to find our groove in this country. It’ll happen… It’s also much more expensive here than in Ecuador and Colombia, especially the fuel (twice the price!), so I doubt we will be able to stay under $1,000 a month while in Peru. We are driving big distances to find areas we like.