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A Life Less Ordinary

Tag: flights

Monthly Expenses – May 2021

Expenses - image

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, we both return to the East Coast.

The entire month of May, Mark, Maya, and I lived in our “room above the garage” in Newburyport, Massachusetts. We helped out my in-laws, worked, and researched pick-up trucks. It’s been a huge battle finding the right set-up for our next adventure in this post-pandemic, elusive, and inflated Super Duty truck market. One day, I hope to share our experiences about that in a blog post. So far, unfortunately, there is no end in sight.

May 2021 was another expensive month for us, mainly because we bought two plane tickets to Belgium, for the end of June. That being said, we have no conclusion yet if Mark gets to go, based on European travel restrictions being lifted. What’s a bit more stress… I should be okay with my Belgian passport. Fingers crossed! As prices for flights keep rising, we didn’t want to risk waiting too long to book the tickets. They are exchangeable for vouchers in case we/he can’t go, something we confirmed before paying money. If all goes well, our friends Duwan and Greg will watch Maya for two weeks.

Our grocery expenses are still high. We blame it on New England being more expensive than the American Southwest, let alone Mexico. We are careful, but each time we pass a Trader Joe’s (which isn’t often), we have to buy a few of our favorite specialties. And, when we visit friends, we can’t show up empty-handed of course. Or maybe the number remains high because we are eating too much?

We are fortunate to have the use of Mark’s parents’ car to run errands and look at (rusty) pick-up trucks and truck campers in the area. “The area” stretches throughout Massachusetts, to Connecticut, New Hampshire, Vermont, and New York. Most of our fuel goes to these widespread, time consuming pursuits. We are drinking alcohol again after a multiple-month hiatus. We also shipped a spare part we kept for Zesty to a friend in Arizona, now that we sold our camper van, and tentatively paid for a camper insurance policy (more about that later, if it sticks).

Visiting family in Connecticut on a detour from a truck “inspection”

The only other “high” expense was for a vet visit, in nearby Salisbury. Mark and I took Maya to another vet, in Newburyport, a couple of years ago and weren’t too happy with the inflated prices. So, we tried a different one for a check-up and small procedure, figuring it couldn’t be any worse. The vet and staff were friendly and professional; the doctor said everything was fine. Maya was healthy, the liquid that needed to be expressed was surprisingly clear, and there were no infections.

As we were ready to leave his office and pay our bill, he asked his assistant to grab a container of probiotics and another with antibiotics. Mark and I were confused. “Does she have an infection, or not?” my husband asked. “Yes,” the vet answered. What do you do when a doctor recommends medication, but you don’t quite believe your pet needs it?

We moved to the check-in counter to pay, as the nurse approached with the container of probiotics. “How much does that cost?” Mark inquired. “85 dollars.” What? We declined. We’d feed her a couple of spoons of yogurt each day, if needed, or look for probiotics online. Could we decline the antibiotics as well? This was a toughie. We let that one go ($40 for a generic brand) and for the next two weeks, we fed our dog drugs we didn’t think she needed.

Again, we were disgusted by how vet clinics upsell their products and try to make money. It’s all about money, especially in this part of the world, we once again concluded. Capitalism. It’s been confronting us every step of the way this year. We’ll look for yet another vet next time.

May 2021 Overview:

Travel (plane tickets):

Groceries:

Car (fuel: $182; camper ins.: $147; parking: $7; REFUND: $69):

Dog (vet: $143; food: $34):

Alcohol:

Dining out (take-out, ice cream treat):

Utilities (phone/internet):

Postage:

Medical (co-pay meds):

 

TOTAL:

 

$1,175

$408

$267

$177

$56

$55

$35

$17

$7

———

$ 2,197

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.

The Act of Swapping Coasts (in the US)

I wake with a start. Natural light enters the bedroom. Something is terribly wrong. I fumble to look for the time. “Oh no, it’s 7:45. My plane leaves in 30 minutes. There is no way I can make it!” This is my worst nightmare.

I wake with a start. It is pitch black in the room. We never close the shades. I relax the smallest bit. It is supposed to still be dark when I need to get up, but also when I need to leave. I fumble, grab my glasses and flip the lid of my iPad. It is 4am. I sigh. Plenty of time. The dogs stir against my body. I double-check the alarm setting: 5:30am. I double-check the volume: all the way up. I only have one alarm without Mark by my side. I asked him to call me on Skype at 9am EST (6am my time), in case I overslept. Of course, my iPad is on “sleep mode” whenever I am, so someone trying to reach me will be useless.

There is no way I can fall asleep again after that dream. Around 5am, I do doze off. Wait, was that a plane flying over the house? They usually don’t start until 6:30! Oh no. Maybe it was one landing? Or, a delayed departure from last night? I am wide awake now. 5:20am. I might as well get up. I send a quick email to Mark – I’m up! Don’t worry about calling me. – and to the home owner’s mother. She requested the contact info of the helpful guy – a friend of the owner – who will take over our house sitting duties for two weeks. Time to get ready! I have 45 minutes, so don’t have to rush. Sandwiches were made and put in the fridge last night; plenty of snacks are packed. After the “blizzard of the century” in New England yesterday, I am prepared for the worst. With record low temperatures, massive snowfall, and heavy wind gusts in Boston, I expect delays getting there.

My last shower without the heat on. I eat breakfast, do the dishes and call Elvis and Frida. They are not used to getting up this early and lay together, huddled under the bed covers. They have moved from their previous spot to where I slept. Warm and cozy. I wake them and feed them. “Come on, buddy.” I try not to lose my patience. Usually, Elvis gobbles his medicines up without any issues. The pill is covered with fresh, organic peanut butter.  He manages to spit it out. I smear more peanut butter on it. Nope! I’m running out of time. The third attempt is the charm. Down goes the pill, with more peanut butter. Three servings of peanut butter. He gets away with it!

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