Roaming About

A Life Less Ordinary

Tag: fuel cost (page 5 of 5)

Monthly Expenses of a Nomad – June 2021

July 21, 2021 / / 40 Comments

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.

In June, Mark, Maya, and I lived in “our room above the garage” for three weeks. My companions stayed there the entire month and I flew to Belgium, where I visited friends and family from June 24th to July 15th. That first week, I was spoiled rotten by myself. Mark – without Maya – joined me on July 1st, so that is reflected in next month’s expense report.

Kim and Eli offered me wine and snacks one evening
An impromptu, quick meet-up with An in Dendermonde one afternoon – she was smart and kind enough to bring soft drinks and snacks!
Stopping by my good friend Hilde one afternoon – her daughters made a lovely dessert!

The biggest category was a painful one. On our nationwide pick-up truck search, which I still have to elaborate on whenever there is conclusion, Mark flew to a small town in Arkansas on two different planes with a hotel stay in between.  From there he would drive back in our next vehicle. Again, it was not meant to be. Instead, he had to spend another night in a hotel and return by air at increased prices. The entire ordeal – other than loads of extra research, discussions, time, energy, and emotions – set us back almost $800!

When you subtract that amount from June’s total, it wasn’t too bad of a month, despite a few other high-ish categories, like “gifts”… I treated my mom (and dad) to a fancy meal for her 70th birthday at Pacht 26 in Gijzegem and we bought some goodies for our friends Duwan and Greg, who would pet sit Maya during our absence.

Mother and daughter spoiling themselves!
The three of us enjoyed a fabulous multi-course lunch.
The desserts

Before I left Massachusetts, we organized a small outdoor party with my brother-in-law and his wife. The occasion: my in-laws 64th wedding anniversary. The four “kids” cooked a fabulous meal and Mark and I found an original gift – a fancy Irish whisky that incorporates the family name.

A while ago, we noticed these fancy whiskies in the liquor store and a plan was set in motion.
Mark’s last name reflected in the whisky brand
Happy 64th anniversary!!
Good food on the grill…
… and from the oven.
Maya in her strategic position under the table
A family celebration of love in the courtyard
The twins had their own table.
A long relationship still going strong: 64 years!
Mark made a fabulous gluten-free apple crisp

Our dog needed new heartworm meds, so that was taken care of. And I “needed” a haircut before my trip across the Atlantic. Even though I only visit Supercuts once a year or so, I was surprised at how the prices have gone up.

Our grocery, borrowed car, alcohol, and take-out costs were manageable, but we needed a new battery for Mark’s phone (the old one literally grew out of proportions and almost exploded), his passport is due for renewal, and we bought Amazon credit. Mark couldn’t resist the deal “buy $40 of credit and receive $50 worth.” 🙂

Mark carefully replaces his phone battery – tricky!

I’m a tad late with this report; the last three weeks have been extremely hectic with unreliable internet and no me-time. Despite spending different currencies in July, we seem to be back on track this month! Or not?

June 2021 Overview:

Travel Mark (plane + hotels):

Gifts (festivities, treats D + G):

Groceries:

Car (fuel):

Dog (food: $34; meds: $22):

Household (Amazon credit, caulk):

Utilities (phone/internet):

Dining out (take-out pizza):

Health & Fitness (haircut Liesbet):

Customs & Immigration (photos):

Computer (phone battery):

Alcohol:

 

TOTAL:

 

$773

$266

$205

$87

$56

$51

$35

$26

$26

$16

$14

$13

———

$ 1,568

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.

Monthly Expenses – May 2021

June 9, 2021 / / 47 Comments

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.

Spoiled dog!
Maya loves squeezing in tight spaces – a camper would be the perfect home for her!

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.

Beach walk on Plum Island
Maya in the dunes
A man and his dog

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?

Friends in our Uxbridge guest room
Mark and his buddies Ryan and Chris
Holly and Liesbet
Take-out dinner with friends
Playing Jenga with friends

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.

Maya’s favorite spot in the house these last months: under my desk
Maya getting comfy at my feet
And, where do my feet go?

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.

Monthly Expenses – April 2021 (& Another Cross-Country Road Trip)

May 19, 2021 / / 64 Comments

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.

Mark and I sold Zesty last month! If you missed that post, read it here.

Apologies for the late expense report, but I wanted to update everyone about the sale of our camper van first, as it impacts everything we do. We are homeless and carless since April 3rd and rented a vehicle to drive back to Massachusetts, a trip that cost us about $1,000.

Once we removed the bike bag, our ride was smoother.

On hindsight, we should have driven Zesty. It would have saved us a bunch of money and interest was strong enough for a potential buyer to pick the van up on the opposite coast. Also, knowing what we know now – that finding a suitable truck is close to impossible unless we are okay spending $10K more than pre-inflation rates two months ago – we might have held on to our home on wheels a bit longer. Oh well.

April was a decent month, taking the pricey road trip – car rental, four dog-friendly Motel 6 nights, and gasoline to drive over 3,000 miles –  into account. We mostly prepared our own meals, even though this was tricky with the early starts, windy conditions, and not having our own kitchen anymore. It made our days on the road even longer.

Early starts

The grocery category is quite high, because we pretty much ate everything in the camper before we sold it and had to re-provision from scratch once we arrived in Newburyport, MA. We contributed some money to the water fund of our friends in Arizona and ordered dog food and vitamins ahead of our arrival.

The food prep and storage zone in our current room

The car expense was off-set because we received a refund for part of our cancelled camper insurance. Also, $288 for a one-way, one-week rental with unlimited miles is cheap. I commend Mark once more for his research abilities and always finding the best prices for anything we need. We purposefully left gear in Zesty for the new owners, so the camper was turnkey. This means we have to buy those items again, now (like a new router) and later (solar panels, outdoor mat, leveling blocks, …).

Driving by Oklahoma City – I do wish to visit, one day, when we have time.
Scene in the Midwest

I mentioned last week that I would touch on our five-day cross-country drive in this expense report. There really is not much to share: it was a hellish 3,200-mile ride of 10-12 hours in the car, each day. Stops were made to let Maya pee, eat lunch, get fuel, adjust the flimsy bike rack, shop for food, fetch or prepare dinner, work, and sleep.

Me, catching up on work at night

Plus, we made a detour to Arkansas to check out two truck campers. I didn’t have enough space in the passenger seat to work on my computer, so I mostly vegged, listened to music, and consulted my iPad.

Northstar Liberty truck camper
Northstar Liberty SS truck camper

Here are a few notes I took:

  • We should have stuck with the full-size car. What were we thinking to downgrade and pay extra when booking our transport method for the week?
  • All our belongings fit! Barely… But, we didn’t have to leave anything behind, except four rolls of toilet paper. Did you know small, 4-packs are not readily available anymore after the Covid outbreak? We had to buy a 12-pack in Zesty. Where to store all that?
  • Our sturdy swing-out bike rack had to be disassembled. It didn’t fit in the trunk, but we managed to lay it behind the seats on the ground. Not much else fit in those foot wells.
  • Maya needed half of the back seat. All okay. We made it comfy with blankets, pillows, and her dog bed.
Maya in her little nest
Maya was awesome on this long ride!
  • The new bike rack attached to the trunk is crappy — we bought one for three bikes and luckily our electric bikes fit after lots of trial and error. Alas, it needs to be adjusted every time we stop as the straps keep loosening up.
  • This Nissan has no power. (Another reason why a full-size car would have been a better option – a stronger engine.)
  • First day: over 3,000rpm constantly. Struggled to keep up the maximum highway speed. After removing the bike bag, things settled down and the ride was smoother. Then, we had to also store the big bag.
  • The fuel tank only holds 10 gallons, so we have to stop at a gas station two or three times a day! (Another reason why a full-size car would have been a better option – a bigger gas tank.)
  • We are so low by the ground. Every car that passes us is higher!

Most people need a U-Haul truck to transport their belongings!

  • Uncomfortable seats.
  • Where is the car parked on the lot of the supermarket? Hard to find! It’s a non-distinct white rental car…
  • We put the bike bag back at night, so nobody could see the bikes. Luckily, we managed to park in front of our motel doors.
  • We stay at Motel 6. Nothing fancy and often run down, but the cheapest place to stay with pets (no extra fee). Prices per night ranged from $45 (Tucumcari, NM) to $65 (Calvert City, KY).
Mark searching for pick-up trucks at night
One motel had hiking trails nearby – score!
Another night, another motel, more research.
  • No shampoo provided in motels? Ours is packed in the trunk, underneath the rack and bikes. No way of getting in there. We make due, washing our hair with soap (Mark) or dish soap (me). If you read Plunge, you know I have practice with that. 🙂 Just like we made due when needing our sheets hidden in there, staying at a friend’s casita for the night.
  • Windy in New Mexico, Texas, Oklahoma. Hard to make breakfast and lunch! We miss Zesty for that. And for human potty breaks.

A nice picnic area to eat lunch

  • The picnic areas in Oklahoma were filthy! No trash cans, so garbage everywhere. No toilets either. Broken glass. No spot for Maya to rest without getting hurt. We couldn’t stay for lunch.
  • The radio has issues.
  • The glove compartment door is open on the sides so things get pinched (like my sunglasses) or plainly fall out, each time I open the little door.
  • The fuel gauge didn’t work at the end, so we filled the tank instead of aiming for the amount we received the car with.
  • Because I couldn’t be added to our car rental agreement without paying a steep fee, Mark drove the entire 3,200 miles!

Arizona license plate in Massachusetts – not a common sight. Where is the desert?

But, we made it to Newburyport, Massachusetts, in one piece. The bikes did get scuffed up, however.

Most of our belongings, back in the room above the garage
First evening with Mark’s parents – they are happy we have returned.
The “office” and lounge area in our current digs
The “bedroom” and dining area” in our room – one person sits on the bed, the other on a foldable chair
I’m sure Maya misses sleeping with us on big hotel beds!

Stay tuned for the continuation of our truck search saga!

April 2021 Overview:

Groceries:

Travel (rental car):

Car (fuel: $377; tolls: $40; REFUND: $138):

Accommodation (motels):

Household (bike rack, battery parts):

Computer (new router):

Utilities (internet: $35; water: $25):

Health & Fitness (vitamins):

Dining out (road trip):

Dog (food):

Medical (co-pay meds):

Alcohol:

 

TOTAL:

 

$427

$288

$279

$217

$83

$61

$60

$49

$44

$38

$9

$6

———

$ 1,561

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.

I submitted this post to Natalie’s Weekend Coffee Share #20 link-up.

Newer posts

© 2024 Roaming About

Theme by Anders Noren — Up ↑