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.
After spending three months in Europe and the US over the summer, Mark, Maya, and I returned to Argentina on September 21st, the first day of spring (primavera) down here. While the initial three weeks of the month had been cheap, thanks to the generosity of our parents regarding food expenses and car use, we immediately blew the budget once we moved back into our truck camper, Thirsty Bella . The flights had been paid for last March.
(As always, hover over or click on photos in galleries to read their captions.)
So, September 2024 was an expensive month for us, especially since we spent it all in the final ten days! Some of the high costs were expected, like Maya’s export permit, storage for our camper, an official campground, and renewing our car insurance for South America; others were not only surprising but also scary…
One of the mechanics needs to lie on the engine to work on it.
Our low-mileage F350 truck engine developed a serious issue – factory induced – when we did some maintenance on it upon our arrival in Argentina. A miss-threaded sparkplug (one of the sixteen) was difficult to remove and appeared to have damaged threads. This made it impossible to replace with a new one and caused profound worries about how to fix the issue. Especially since the spark plug hole was hidden, so out of view and difficult to access. We were stranded!
Long story short: we needed to hire professional, cautious, and capable mechanics who wouldn’t only be willing to drive to our campground an hour and a half outside Buenos Aires, but who could also solve our predicament. The pair came out twice and managed to install the new spark plug without damaging the engine block or anything else. The price tag: US$600 (reduced to $570, since we paid some in the local currency). It would have been cheaper ($500) if we would have possessed the full amount in pesos.
We renewed our Mercasur countries liability insurance for another year for $358, which was three times as high as six months ago! Yes, prices keep rising in Argentina. The storage fee for our camper at Julian’s place was cheap. He charges only 25,000 pesos a month, so we tipped him another 30% to make the bill exactly $100. We also paid $3 for toll roads.
To reach that whopping $1,079 for the car category, we also ordered tools to work on the sparkplug and ignition coils projects, bought fuel for my mother-in-law’s car in the US, and paid $2 for parking at Salisbury Beach, which is very close to our home base in Massachusetts, but I’d never been.
Our camper pantry and fridge were totally empty when we returned to Buenos Aires, so a giant stock-up was needed. On our first day back, we stopped by a small shop for necessities, before reaching the Zapparancho campground, where we’d regroup and prepare for the rest of our South American journey.
After the weekend, we drove to the town of Lujan to visit two supermarkets for a first heavy-loaded run. We immediately missed the diversity and quality of goods we’d gotten used to in the US and Belgium. It will take a few more grocery stops to fill the camper up.
Maya needed a new international health certificate from the US to enter Argentina, so there went another $225. We are super happy that vet fees and shots are much more affordable down south!
Another thing I did back in Massachusetts was reclaim my Plunge books from the local bookstore, where the owner had “archived” them in the storage room, because none had sold in the last two years. Better to distribute them from our camper!
Reclaiming my Plunge books from a local bookstore. The owner had put them in the storage room!
On the first day of our return to the continent, we filled our camper with potable water, installed a new part on the water heater – which leaked and needed a few tightening attempts; we hate plumbing! – and discovered the bathroom faucet was leaking. We use this handle in the sink and as a shower head. Wasting water in a small camper is detrimental.
Who would be returning to Buenos Aires soon as well? Our US motorcycle friends Katherine and Brandon! And, yes, they could bring back the small and light replacement part. We paid more than normal to ship it to their address in time. A few random other parts rounded out the camper category.
In general, our health and fitness category is low, since we rarely go to hair dressers or buy health products. But, a visit to the US is the opportune time to stock up on specialized toothpaste (which I now rely on), a bottle of aloe vera, and nine months’ worth of vitamins.
Mark and I always fly with carry-on luggage only, unless we have a huge amount of gear, products, and/or parts to bring back. In this case, we checked one bag for $60 and donated it afterwards. Many packages waited for us in Massachusetts after our break in Belgium. Most were Vine Voice items, which we order for free in return for an honest review. We brought back a lot of useful products!
We counted on a week at an official campground to get ready for the road again – unpacking, organizing, shopping, cleaning, filling with water, fixing issues, engine maintenance, catching up on sleep, and researching a route and upcoming destinations. Our unexpected engine issue extended that stay, so we paid around $50 for eight nights at Zapparancho.
Two of our three website domain name registrations were due for renewal in September and the monthly subscription fee for our Starlink satellite internet service went up. Depending on the exchange rate, we now pay about $80 a month, half of which is taken care of by our business.
Within an hour of arriving in Bella, after getting Thirsty’s engine started with an extra boost (first things first), Mark unpaused our internet service and reregistered our Starlink account in Argentina instead of Peru, where we’d bought the unit. The fees in Peru had risen enormously and being registered here works better if the policy of only being allowed two months outside of the host country will be enforced.
A nice evening with friends at their lake house in New Hampshire
Money also went to alcohol/wine ($29) in the US as gifts for friends and in Argentina for ourselves, an Uber taxi from the airport in BA to our camper 45 minutes away ($22), shared meals at Zapparancho and a food stand choripan ($18), a new doormat and baskets from Dollar Tree ($4), and laundry ($3).
The chocolate we brought back and our share of the Airbnb we rented with our German friends in Liege was paid for with my Belgian funds, which are not part yet of our bookkeeping records.
While our total amount for September is well above average, we did manage to stay under $2,000 despite the extra expenses. We boondocked after leaving Zapparancho and are cooking all our meals at home. Having been “sponsored” in Belgium, I did realize that Mark and I never went out for a meal just the two of us, there or anywhere else, in the last four months.
On the plane back home to Bella, I promised myself I would become less frugal when it comes to spoiling ourselves, which includes eating out. It’s something we thoroughly enjoy and, you know, cooking and doing dishes every evening gets old. Then, we faced that extra $600 bill for the engine (the world’s most expensive sparkplug), and my intentions went out the window! Give me a few months without unexpected bills and I might reconsider again. 😊
(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.
Next up: A one-week vacation in the Black Forest of Germany.
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October 8, 2024 at 12:53
I found it interesting that when they interviewed first-time painters with a question, “Were you happy with the results and would you do it again?” 65% responded, “Yes”. But when they interviewed first-time plumbers with the same question, only 5% had a positive response. 🙂 I suspect electrical work would elicit a comparably negative response. Job security for those of us who do that kind of work or are willing to lean into it, eh? 🙂
October 9, 2024 at 19:49
Hi Jim,
I guess plumbers don’t like their jobs… I can see why. Ever since we owned a sailboat, Mark has been grumpy when he does plumbing work; every new installation or fix always leaks at first and needs a few redos. He doesn’t mind electrical work, in general. But, yes, like you, we prefer to fix our own stuff – and learn it when needed. Hurrah for YouTube! 🙂
October 8, 2024 at 13:07
Even with the van expense, I’d say your bottom line this month is very respectable, Liesbet. 😀
October 9, 2024 at 19:50
Hi Marian,
I agree with you. With over $1,000 going to the car, it means that the rest of our expenses remained under $1,000. Not bad! I love your positive spin on everything. 🙂
October 8, 2024 at 13:37
Sorry the car expense killed your budget. At least your vehicle stayed safe in your absence.
October 9, 2024 at 19:51
Hi Alex!
Yes, we were happy to find our camper back the way we left it. Mostly, haha. We were in communication with the storage/property owner and never questioned his intentions and care.
October 8, 2024 at 15:23
So sorry about the truck trouble. But so glad you were able to get someone to work on it. $600 seems like a lot for a spark plug – but I imagine it would cost so much more in the US – and you’d have to get a tow because no one would come to you. I’m just glad it all worked out and you are on the road again.
How does it feel to be back?
So much Vine swag!
Had book club today, and you are next, so I assume you will be selling a few books in the coming weeks. Looking forward to hearing the discussion about it.
Yes, you should treat yourself more often. Eating in all the time does become a drag after a while. My digestion has gotten so weird, I’m afraid to eat out a lot, even though we have been eating out tons. I miss having a fridge to carry around all of my own food. but soon we will be settled again for three weeks and we will be able to buy things we don’t have to totally eat up in few days.
I thought about you the other day when we went on a chocolate tour in Ecuador. Is Belgium chocolate still better than any chocolate you’ve had in South America?
October 9, 2024 at 19:59
Hi Duwan,
That $600 didn’t even include the new spark plug, haha. We just started calling this episode “the most expensive spark plug in history,” because it took that much money to install one sole spark plug. We did think about you both being stuck in El Tule and how we were fortunate enough to only be stuck for two extra days (and not months), due to this issue.
We still have mixed feelings about being back. Nothing goes smoothly these days and we’ve had some issues sleeping (thanks to Maya and road noise) and improving our grumpy moods. We haven’t seen anything interesting yet and are struggling with power again, which doesn’t help on the job front and enjoyment.
We are super happy with our Vine swag and I look forward to the book club meeting – and selling some books!
I agree that it is nice to have our own fridge and food to cook, especially for health reasons. But a good balance of cooking and eating out would make us happier, I think. If we find ourselves in a town with decent food, haha.
I hope your house sitting gig in Cuenca is a blast and we look forward to hearing all about it. To your last question, I have to answer with a full-blown: “Yes!” Belgian chocolate is the world’s best! 🙂
October 8, 2024 at 15:30
Vehicle expenditures are the worst. We’ve finally decided to sell our F-250 and not get a truck camper. 😔 Life has taken us in a new direction. You always do such a great job with your budget even with unexpected expenses.
October 9, 2024 at 20:02
Hi Ingrid,
I’m sorry the truck camper plan is off the table. They are fuel suckers, if that makes you any happier. I’ve noticed your new direction in life. You still seem happy, so that’s the most important thing! And, your camera is still a trusty friend, which I’m glad to see.
Whenever we face a higher-than-normal expense, which seems to happen quite often, we reign ourselves in even more. It’s the only way to end up with a decent monthly average by the end of the year. But I look forward to “normal” months again.
October 8, 2024 at 19:56
Hi, Liesbet – Despite the unexpected expenses, I think you three did very, very well. I am always incredibly impressed how you balance everything — and in the end, make everything work! You three are remarkable!
October 9, 2024 at 20:08
Hi Donna,
Thanks again for the sweet and encouraging words. I feel like so much happens in our life every single day. No wonder my diaries are an hour long every night. But, you are right. We experience, persevere, and conquer. Most of the time! I guess it’s all part of the adventure. Hugs to you both!
October 8, 2024 at 19:58
Vehicle expenses are the worst, especially wondering how much the cost will be when awaiting the damages. There is a lot of psychology with car repair. I’ve had times when the bill comes in cheaper than expected and I happily fork over money when only days before I’ve dreaded the entire thing.
October 9, 2024 at 20:12
You are so right, Pete! We went from worst case scenario (nobody can fix this issue and it will mean the end of the South American trip) to finding a mechanic and receiving a quote that was high but manageable to being shocked at the actual bill after the mechanics came out twice.
What did we expect!? A bill of $200 less. But, all this was better than the alternative: getting a mediocre mechanic that didn’t do a good job and ruined the engine block with many months stuck in a garage and thousands of dollars wasted!
You go from “I pay anything to get this issue fixed and return to our lives on the road” to “Why did they charge so much?” Psychological indeed!
October 9, 2024 at 09:06
I always enjoy and am amazed at your monthly report. Jim
October 9, 2024 at 20:14
Thanks for reading and appreciating, Jim! Your latest post is waiting for me in my inbox when I find some extra time. Congratulations to you and Carmen with 3,000 days on the road!
October 9, 2024 at 16:40
It’s not fun to spend so much on a vehicle, that’s for sure, but it’s a necessary expense. Hopefully next month, that line item will be small. Despite all that, you still did remarkably well.
October 9, 2024 at 20:21
Hi Janis!
When we were going through this episode with the car, I remembered that I’d always been okay with anything spent on boat maintenance and issues in the past. And that was way more frequent and way more expensive. In the grand scheme of things, $600 is not that much and totally worth getting us a working engine and time on the road again. We have to move on and see this as an extra, inevitable expense. I’m with you in hoping that the car expensive is much lower this month. We shall see how much we drive and how expensive fuel actually is in Uruguay (I read $8 a gallon)…
October 9, 2024 at 17:29
Ouch! That expense list wasn’t a very nice way for Thirsty Bella to welcome you back. Getting back “up to speed” in South America must have been stressful and tiring – I hope you soon have some more enjoyable experiences!
October 9, 2024 at 20:24
Hello Diane!
That’s what we were thinking! We just got back and that’s how the car and camper received us… Can you believe things actually broke during our absence, meaning, without being used! Ghosts?
I find it so interesting that you totally know/anticipate what it’s like to return to our lives here in third world Latin America. Are you sure you were never a nomad in challenging conditions? 🙂 Yep, it’s been an adjustment to settle into our lives here again, to say the least. Those recharged batteries are draining again fast!
October 10, 2024 at 18:02
I bet they are. And nope, I’ve never been a nomad – my guesses about your lives are only my vivid imagination. But I’m no stranger to functioning in primitive conditions, so I guess I could be a nomad if I had to… I just hope I never have to! 🙂
October 10, 2024 at 18:38
Haha! Well, either way, I’m impressed that you can read me/us so well. It might be one of the reasons why you are an excellent author and blogger. You can certainly put yourself in other people’s shoes – and you have your own primitive experiences to go by. Win – win! 🙂