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A Life Less Ordinary

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Monthly Expenses – December 2020

January 12, 2021 / / 32 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, Maya, and I spent most of December on the road in Arizona and the last few days in California (warmer weather). We changed campsites every few days in our camper van Zesty. Our expenses were above average, because of the holidays. ‘t Was the season to buy gifts – for family members (my coveted annual calendars with a photo of our household in a different location on every page) and a few friends. We also bought special food and extra alcohol (for margaritas) for Christmas and New Year’s Eve, hence the higher numbers in the grocery and alcohol categories.

(Click on photos to enlarge or hover over them to read the captions.)

Homemade vegetarian spring rolls
New Year’s Eve buffet – Asian spring rolls, sushi, and curry
For New Years, we attempted to find warmer weather at a lower elevation, across the border with California. Some of you might remember us camping at this lovely spot in the California desert a couple of years ago…
A campfire is needed to get the chill out of the air at night.
Happy 2021! We started celebrating early and went to bed early…
Apple pie is served with our mimosas!
Homemade van pizza, cooked and provided by Greg and Duwan, as our NYE dinner.
Mark and I make our signature margaritas on NYE. (Photo courtesy Duwan Dunn)
Backgammon game at Five Palms Oasis. (Photo courtesy Duwan Dunn)
Having live music in our backyard is always special! (Photo courtesy Duwan Dunn)

I just realized there is no dog category. We must have bought an extra bag of food for Maya in November. Also, her treats go under our groceries. Hmmm. Maybe that’s why that category was so high…

Maya feels at home in our friends’ campers!

We had help from a mechanic changing Zesty’s transmission fluid in Tucson and had a scare in Bisbee, when there was no way around low-hanging tree branches leaving  the tight town. We hoped they would be “soft” limbs. The screeching sound of wood against metal made our hearts – and later our van – stop. Luckily, Mark managed to buff the new scratches out of the acrylic window and the top side panel.

Buffing out the scratches at a mine viewpoint in Bisbee, with a railing of the perfect height to stand on and work

We splurged on entertainment, a category that’s usually non-existent. Traveling with friends encourages us to have fun once in a while. We visited the Titan Missile Museum in Tucson with Duwan and Greg and the two of us signed up for the Queen Mine Tour in Bisbee. Our bubble of six friends also took a daytrip to Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument over the holidays. Giving Duwan and Greg a ride allowed us to enter for free because their National Park pass includes four adults. I’ll report on that excursion – and others – in a future blog post.

Titan Missile Museum, Tucson
Decommissioned Titan missile
Entering the Queen Mine in Bisbee
Greg and Duwan showing Maya their new bird identification book on the way to Organ Pipe Cactus NM

I’m happy to report that my writing expenses are dwindling.  I shipped a few books to sailing magazines in the hopes of seeing their review of Plunge in print one day. The proof copy I ordered from IngramSpark was a disaster and I asked for a refund. Their customer support team should get back to me between three to five weeks! Oh well…

As usual, we boondocked (camping without amenities) on public lands and therefore didn’t spend any money on accommodation. Keep an eye out for our yearly expense report later this month!

We love seeing signs like these at Whitewater Draw, a nature reserve!
Snyder Hill, Tucson
Free camping in Madera Canyon
Free camping in Las Cienegas National Conservation Area
Colossal Mountain Park in Tucson
Our free campsite near Locomotive Rock over Christmas was my favorite in December.

December 2020 Overview:

Groceries:

Gifts:

Camper (diesel: $151, maintenance: $152):

Alcohol:

Entertainment (museum and tour):

Utilities (phone: $35):

Drinking out:

Writing (postage; $13; proof copy: $12):

Laundry:

Accommodation:

 

TOTAL:

 

$447

$441

$303

$149

$58

$35

$28

$25

$8

$0

———

$ 1,494

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 – November 2020

December 8, 2020 / / 50 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 November, Mark, Maya, and I lived on the road, in our camper van Zesty, and drove from Alabama to Southern Arizona (Tucson), which is reflected in our diesel cost. As usual, we managed to dump and camp for free (boondock).  One of our favorite overnight sites of all times was the spot we found in Big Fur Public Use Area in Arkansas, early in the month. We stayed as long as our water and food supply lasted. (Hover over or click on photos to read captions.)

Sunrise!
Sunrise reflected in Zesty’s window
No more food in our fridge by the time we left!

No stipends or use of credit card miles this time, so what you see in the table underneath is what we spent. Mark fixed one of our car heaters, changed the oil, and replaced parts in the engine. To reward himself, he bought a better remote (Bluetooth) speaker. If you’ve read my travel memoir Plunge, you know how important crisp-sounding music is to my husband. 🙂

Spot at a pond in Hazen, Arkansas
Possum Kingdom, Texas
Free dump station and campground all in one in Lamesa, Texas
The desert near Las Cruces, New Mexico
Beautiful surroundings

The writing category is finally going down. I owed my cover artist $50 for the paperback cover (the eBook cover package a month ago was $125), we ordered two proofs of Plunge to check for issues and mistakes, and, to self-publish my book under a different name than my own (we chose Roaming About Press as our publishing company), I needed to purchase a business license in Massachusetts for the price of $35.

Camped with our bubble of friends
Dusk in the desert
We love saguaros
Twice, we built a campfire
Greg playing guitar

You can blame our special celebrations in the desert for the alcohol expense last month. Our bubble of nomadic friends includes two other couples, Duwan and Greg from Make Like An Ape Man and Ellen and Scott, who we hung out with for Thanksgiving, the release of Plunge, and my birthday, all of which took place the end of November. We made our own margaritas; a much better and tastier deal than the ones we bought in Hot Springs, Arkansas.

Thanksgiving buffet in the desert
My Thanksgiving plate
Birthday girl in the flames (Photo courtesy Duwan Dunn)
Duwan made a chocolate-peanut butter cake in a pan – yum! (Photo courtesy Duwan Dunn)
Friends around the fire (Photo courtesy Duwan Dunn)

Not a bad expense month. Maybe we are finally back on track?

November 2020 Overview:

Camper (diesel: $150, maintenance: $229):

Groceries:

Writing (cover, proofs, license):

Household (speaker):

Alcohol:

Utilities (phone: $35; propane: $19):

Dog (food):

Drinking out:

Gifts:

Laundry:

Accommodation:

 

TOTAL:

 

$379

$306

$111

$109

$61

$54

$32

$24

$15

$5

$0

———

$ 1,096

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.

Full moonrise in the desert

Monthly Expenses – October 2020

November 11, 2020 / / 24 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 October, Mark, Maya, and I lived in our room above the garage for the first two weeks and back on the road, in our camper van Zesty, the  rest of the month. The expense report is a tad messy, because of stipends and reimbursements of Mark’s employer, the US Census. These are incorporated in our expenses (*), which is the reason why the dining out category shows $0 (Mark received a stipend of $70 a day while “on location” for ten days in September;  he didn’t need it all, so we’re still using some of that money now) and why the camper category is lower than it should be (Mark received a per mile reimbursement that was more generous than what his fuel cost during his two-month Census job). I did not attribute the $60 we used in credit card points (instead of cash). Confused yet?

Walmart parking lot in Maryland
Marina parking lot in Virginia
Blue Ridge Parkway, North Carolina
Picnic area in North Carolina, near Smokey Mountain National Park
Lovely spot in Alabama, along the Nachez Trace Parkway

As you can see, I’m still spending a lot of money on my writing career. I owed my copy-editor another $528, we bought a pack of ISBN-numbers (these are exorbitantly-priced identification numbers) for current and future books (I needed three for Plunge – paperback, Kindle, ePub),  I paid my cover artist for the eBook cover, and we needed to buy the title font of my memoir, so we could utilize it inside the book. One day, I should calculate how many books I actually have to sell to get all these investments back! 🙂 Camping still remained free.

Liesbet and Denise – photo courtesy of Holly Horgan
Holly, Kevin, and Ginger – almost as cute as Maya!
Grilling plant-based burgers – photo courtesy of Holly Horgan
Visit to our friends Karmen and Tom on SV Sauvage – photo courtesy of Karmen Chow

Groceries and alcohol are a bit high, which has to do with us visiting a few sets of friends in October. Same reason for the gift items. And then there is the clothes category. Here’s that story…

The three of us had just left in our camper, destination Annapolis, Maryland. A couple of hours north of town,  we stopped to eat lunch in Zesty. We don’t usually wear our shoes inside, so Mark had left his outside. After our meal, he needed to call a friend. There was a lot of noise, because someone decided to drag race his dilapidated car in front of the gas station we were parked at. I shut the door to keep the ruckus out as Mark talked. Two hours later, we arrived at the home of our Annapolis friend. Before Mark got out of the car, he asked: “Where are my shoes?”

Mark’s new shoes
Filling a gap in our small closet with this new shelf system

His go-to brand has been discontinued, so for the next ten days he researched and eventually bought another pair of shoes, slightly used. We had them shipped to the post office in Hot Springs, Arkansas, and, since they were not brand new, he obtained them for half price. After two weeks of only wearing flip flops in fall, he was delighted to own a pair of hiking shoes again!

October 2020 Overview:

Writing (editor, cover artist, and publication prep):

Groceries:

Dog (food, Whistle data plan, groomer):

Camper* (diesel, registration, license, heater):

Clothing (shoes Mark):

Alcohol:

Gifts:

Health & Fitness (vitamins Mark):

Utilities (phone):

Medical (drugs):

Computer (domain hosting):

Household (cloth shelving):

Entertainment (brochure NP):

Dining out*:

Accommodation:

 

TOTAL:

 

$963

$372

$142

$121

$82

$72

$58

$51

$35

$21

$18

$13

$1

$0

$0

———

$ 1,949

To learn what other full-time nomads spend each month, check out the expense blogs of our vanlife friends Duwan and Greg at Make Like An Ape Man.

Monthly Expenses – September 2020

October 4, 2020 / / 45 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.

During the entire month of September, Mark, Maya, and I lived in our “room above the garage” in Newburyport, MA – no side-trips in Zesty. Mark had a job with the US Census bureau in August and September and I’m 100% focused on my upcoming travel memoir. He made good money at $27.50 an hour, especially when working overtime for1.5x that amount. During his week-long stint on Cape Cod, putting in 12-hour days, he sometimes made $500 a day! I generated zero income working on my memoir… Instead, I spent a bunch more on it and will keep doing so this month.

Sign for the parked car when Mark performed his Census job

My editor would have been the most expensive category last month (and for four months in a row), if it wasn’t for us buying tires. Zesty made it through the annual Massachusetts inspection with flying colors, but a new set of tires was recommended and – as a matter of fact – we had been planning to replace them before heading west. Mark’s careful research and patience paid off. We managed to upgrade our tires to all-terrain and bigger ones for less than $600. Not only will we be better equipped for dirt roads this winter, but our clearance is an inch or two higher; just what we needed!

New all-terrain tires
Zesty gained a couple of inches! Yay!

For my father-in-law’s 90th birthday, Mark, his brother, our sister-in-law, and I organized a socially distanced outdoor party, where the four of us cooked and provided food and drinks. Sixteen family members were present and we were grateful for the sunny weather and space on the patio of my in-laws. The second expense in the gift category went to a non-fiction book written by a friend.

Birthday party outdoors
The adorable twins in their play corner
The buffet table and cooking station
Happy 90th birthday, Stan!
Not quite ninety candles, but good enough – Stan has his own (favorite) pie: strawberry – rhubarb!
Modern-day kissing

Another perk of Mark’s temporary relocation to the Cape was a daily food stipend of $70, which he never used up. So, we managed to get a few take-out meals and even an outdoor restaurant dinner that didn’t cost us anything! Also, with the last of our credit card points being allocated to food, we actually spent $400 less than this report shows. But, Maya’s fish oil cost almost as much as a 28-pound bag of dog food last month!

Usually, we manage to buy Maya’s fish oil supplement for under $20, so the $30 expense for it last month was painful.
Does this mean Maya is ready to hit the road? Or, the opposite?

At $1,800, September was an above average month in which we spent much more than usual, but for good reasons! 🙂

September 2020 Overview:

Camper (inspection: $36; tires: $558):

Writing (editor):

Groceries:

Gifts (party: $107; eBook: $25):

Dining out:

Computer (domain hosting):

Utilities (phone):

Dog (fish oil):

Alcohol:

Household (brake pads bike):

Transport (train ride from dentist):

Health & Fitness (meds):

Accommodation:

 

TOTAL:

 

$594

$528

$342

$132

$56

$36

$35

$30

$24

$12

$4

$4

$0

———

$ 1,797

To learn what other full-time nomads spend each month, check out the expense blogs of our vanlife friends Duwan and Greg at Make Like An Ape Man.

Monthly Expenses – August 2020

September 13, 2020 / / 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.

During the entire month of August, Mark, Maya, and I lived in our “room above the garage” in Newburyport, MA – no side-trips in Zesty. As I mentioned before, he has a job with the US Census bureau for two months and I’m 100% focused on my upcoming travel memoir. Other than a neighbor I’ve gotten friendly with, we are not seeing friends or eating out, which is reflected in our expenses. I did finally buy some shorts online, because clothing shops and thrift stores don’t let you try anything on yet; fitting rooms remain closed in Massachusetts.

Mark is ready for another day at work. Maya is not happy.
Weekend walk along the waterfront
My neighbor/new friend likes to forage, which is even possible in this city. (She received permission to pick the pumpkins.)

Maya and I met Mark after work for drinks at a brewery – with picnic tables outside – once, I treated my new friend for ice cream (that’s the eating out category – yep, $5 a scoop in this touristy town!), and we cooked all our meals at home last month.

Picking the steamed lobsters apart…
… for lobster rolls! Served with homemade fries in the oven.
We finally made a special dinner again for Mark’s parents.

Our twin nieces celebrated their seventh birthday at a socially distanced family party, which called for a few gifts. Groceries is on par with a “normal” month and my editor is, once again, our biggest expense in this report. In general, August was a decent spending month, all things considered.

Games at the birthday party
Socially distanced tables for each group of the family.
Cera and Lily turned seven in August.
Gifts!
The main birthday gift: new bikes!

August 2020 Overview:

Writing (editor):

Groceries:

Clothing (shorts, socks):

Health & Fitness (vitamins Mark, haircut Liesbet):

Camper (repairs):

Gifts:

Utilities (phone):

Dog (food):

Alcohol:

Drinking out:

Household (fan):

Dining out (ice cream):

Accommodation:

 

TOTAL:

 

$484

$347

$93

$81

$45

$36

$35

$34

$33

$25

$18

$10

$0

———

$ 1,241

To learn what other full-time nomads spend each month, check out the expense blogs of our vanlife friends Duwan and Greg at Make Like An Ape Man.

Monthly Expenses – July 2020

August 8, 2020 / / 34 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 July, we boondocked in the woods of White Mountain National Forest, New Hampshire, with Zesty for a week and stayed put in our “room above the garage” in Newburyport, Massachusetts for the rest of the month. Our time in nature cost approximately the same as not going anywhere, except for the fuel. We bought groceries and alcohol as usual and camped for free. Yet, the camper expense was higher than normal, because Mark replaced a heating element.

Our free campsite in White Mountains National Forest
Campsite in the woods – social distancing is easy
Our current home base

Early in the month, we had dinner with relatives outside on picnic tables at a brewery. That was the first time we ate “out” in months and probably the last time. We prefer take-out, which we ended the month with. Of the four items we ordered at this Thai restaurant, two were wrong. I guess we will stick to cooking ourselves from now on!

Falafels with homemade pita bread
Vegetarian goodness!
Camper meal: vegetarian pasta dish with homemade no-yeast pan-bread

And, there is a new expense category! Writing. It immediately became the highest cost of the month. Almost $500. That amount in July went to my editor and is half of her fee for the first round of (substantive) edits she performed for my travel memoir. This month, we paid the same amount and I expect two more expenses like these for the second round of edits in September.

My mother-in-law’s patio and garden
Plenty of room to social distance here, for a group up to eight people

Where we saved money is by taking advantage of a credit card offer I wrote about last month. Because of using our miles at 1.5x their value for groceries and restaurant expenses, our actual spending in July was $496 dollars less than reflected in the total underneath.

I don’t tire of this view of the White Mountains!

On paper, it was a relatively expensive month for us, about $100 above our monthly average, but that’s mostly due to a new “investment”.  I hope to earn that back one day. 🙂

I encourage any questions and thoughts in the comment section underneath!

July 2020 Overview:

Writing (editor):

Groceries:

Camper (diesel: $43; repairs: $198):

Dining out:

Alcohol:

Clothing (undies, shirts):

Utilities (phone):

Medical (Corona fee dentist + drugs):

Dog (toys):

Computer (new mouse):

Entertainment (e-book):

Accommodation:

 

TOTAL:

 

$484

$409

$241

$80

$68

$49

$35

$19

$9

$6

$1

$0

———

$ 1,401

To learn what other full-time nomads spend each month, check out the expense blogs of our vanlife friends Duwan and Greg at Make Like An Ape Man.

Monthly Expenses – June 2020

July 5, 2020 / / 38 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.

Most of June was spent away from “our room above the garage”. After six weeks of sheltering in place in this tiny, uninspiring, yet relatively comfortable setting in Massachusetts, Mark, Maya, and I loaded up our campervan with belongings and groceries and traveled north.

We self-isolated for two weeks in Lincolnville, Maine, where we helped out with renovations in a house recently purchased by our brother-in-law and his wife. We didn’t spend any money during those weeks as we didn’t do anything and didn’t go anywhere. The numbers of Covid cases in Maine, New Hampshire, and Vermont have always been low, but we quarantined for 14 days nevertheless.

(Captions appear when you click on or hover over the photos. I have posted more visuals of last month’s experiences in previous blog posts here and here.)

Zesty’s parking spot for two weeks
Sanding the big front porch
Replacing light fixtures
Re-purposing French doors
Kitchen in our “construction zone”
Beautiful view
Meeting halfway the deck – sanding done!
I applied stain with a brush, Mark with a roller.
It only took a day to apply two coats of stain to the sanded front porch

That visit concluded with a couple of hikes and a quick stop in the cute seaside town of Belfast on day 15 and 16, before we moved on to Kingfield, Maine, to hang out with friends for a couple of days.

Rest and a snack during a hike
Skipping eating out for lunch at a popular restaurant in Belfast
Belfast waterfront
Maya and Moose being cute
Cooling off at Flagstaff Lake in Maine
Jen with “frozen” Moose – the lake was too cold for him
Hot afternoon at the lake with friends

Next up, more relaxing with another set of friends at a lake house in Island Pond, Vermont. That was a VERY enjoyable weekend, despite the 90-degree weather. We concluded our “grand tour” with a quick “hello and goodbye” to one more set of friends met on the road last year. Again, it was extremely hot and there was no shade for Zesty. We cooled off in the woods on their property and in a swimming hole by Troy Falls. Other than the last three nights of camping in our van, we stayed inside houses.

Island Pond. our location for a long weekend with friends
Maya blends in with her surroundings
Waterfall in White Mountains National Forest, New Hampshire
Quick stop for a photo of these falls on the drive back to Massachusetts
Sunset over Island Pond

Some of the June categories were higher than usual: groceries because we stopped at a Trader Joe’s (which means splurging on goodies like dumplings, goat cheese, and snacks) and shared special home-cooked dinners, alcohol because we are social drinkers and we socialized a lot, and the dog section because of Maya’s new flea & tick collar and heartworm medicine.

All things considered, June was a decent spending month for us and the numbers underneath are accurate. But… a Covid-related action made us spend much less in real life. Let me explain. With our Chase credit card, Mark and I have been collecting points over the years, accumulating to $1,500 in cash last month. Usually, we save the points and use them for flights to Boston or Belgium. Well, that isn’t happening anytime soon, so we considered alternative benefits. At the same time, Chase announced that customers could redeem points during the pandemic for 1.5 times their value when paying for groceries and dining out, retroactive for 90 days. Our $1,500 instantaneously turned into $2,250!

Mark and I jumped on the offer, waving grocery and restaurant expenses from the previous three months and using points for all our current grocery shopping and take-out meals. To put things in perspective, a $30 food order, for example, costs us $20 as only that equivalent of points is redeemed. It’s a bit of an accounting nightmare, so I’m keeping the spending numbers in my reports equal to what we paid, not incorporating the “free money”. But, based on this fortunate turn of events, we only spent $410 of real money last month and a few hundred dollars less than recorded in February, March , and April as well.

Sorry for the confusion, but I added this explanation to provide total transparency about our expenses. At the end of the year, I will have to post two sets of numbers because of the generosity of our credit card company during these challenging times. Thank you, Chase!

June 2020 Overview:

Groceries:

Alcohol:

Camper (diesel: $87; maintenance: $17):

Dog (food: $35; health: $58):

Health & Fitness (vitamins):

Utilities (phone: $35; Skype:$5):

Dining out (pastries):

Accommodation:

 

TOTAL:

 

$412

$117

$104

$93

$56

$40

$15

$0

———

$ 837

To learn what other full-time nomads spend each month, check out the expense blogs of our vanlife friends Duwan and Greg at Make Like An Ape Man.

I hope my American friends and family are enjoying their Independence Day Weekend. The three of us had a mellow social-distanced BBQ with my brother-in-law and his family yesterday.

Monthly Expenses – May 2020

June 7, 2020 / / 45 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.

Our “kitchen corner” and “office”
Maya enjoys her stay in this “big” room

The entire period, Mark, Maya, and I lived in a room with en-suite bathroom and a makeshift “kitchen” in Newburyport, Massachusetts. Zesty was parked in the driveway, feeling neglected. Apart from getting a thorough cleaning inside and out and having a few parts replaced or fixed. No diesel cost, but May is when our annual camper insurance is due, generally making it the most expensive month of the year.

Quiet boardwalk in Newburyport
Reminder for walkers and bench sitters

The weather wasn’t great. Being cooped up affects Mark more than me. I’m always busy with one or another writing or editing project (or attempting to make headway with my travel memoir – choosing an editor last month), happy with prolonged computer time. Walks with Maya in town involved crossing the road often to avoid pedestrians and keeping at least 6 feet distance when passing on the trails.

Being in nature is the best!
Conquering the hill
Maya is happy to be out and about

Mark found a forested, dog-friendly park ten minutes away from our home base, so he often drove Maya there for a hike. Her itchiness has improved since Florida, but we needed another bottle of Apoquel, which set us back $175 for 100 pills. It’s the cheapest option for this anti-itch medicine. Other “extra” expenses in May included flowers for my mother-in-law and one take-out dinner from a local burger joint.

Mark’s mom sent us a photo of her new Mother’s Day orchid
The average price for one pill is usually $2. Not cheap!

As often, our camper van is the most expensive category in this monthly report, but June should be better!

May 2020 Overview:

Camper (insurance: $1118; maintenance: $294):

Groceries:

Dog (drugs: $175; treats: $8):

Utilities (phone):

Dining out:

Gifts (Mother’s Day):

Clothing (flip flops Mark)

Household (propane outdoor grill):

Postage:

Alcohol:

Accommodation:

 

TOTAL:

 

$1,412

$327

$183

$35

$20

$18

$11

$8

$1

$0

$0

———

$ 2,015

To learn what other full-time nomads spend each month, check out the expense blogs of our vanlife friends Duwan and Greg at Make Like An Ape Man.

Monthly Expenses – April 2020

May 13, 2020 / / 32 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 first half of April, Mark, Maya, and I spent in our camper van, boondocking (free camping) and driving. The last half, we lived in “the room above the garage” at my in-laws’ place in Massachusetts. Our accommodation costs remain nil (thank you, Carol and Stan) and we managed to save our April laundry up until we arrived here, taking the necessary precautions to avoid spreading a potential Covid-19 infection.

One of our campsites on the way north in April
The building in which my in-laws have a condo
The room above the garage – our current living quarters

Usually, when we visit Mark’s parents (our current home is also our residency address), we use their kitchen and share all the meals . Because we can’t set foot in the house, we had to buy a couple of kitchen appliances, which I briefly mentioned in a previous blog. Mark’s research always pays off, as we found a big toaster oven and a one-burner induction stove (both new) for $80. To complete our set-up, we are borrowing a water cooker and a college fridge.

Our kitchen “station” with the new oven and induction stove
We love being able to use an oven, as our van doesn’t have one.
We’ve been using our oven a lot!

Mark and I did order Thai take-out for our anniversary on April 30th (this is actually one of two anniversaries; it’s complicated), but we used gift money from my parents for that, so no “eating out” category , last month. 🙂

While we might be spending a bit more on certain products in the absence of generic brands or by having to go to different stores during this pandemic, April was another decent month.

April 2020 Overview:

Groceries:

Camper (diesel: $130; repairs: $89):

Household (oven + stove):

Alcohol:

Dog (food + fish oil):

Utilities (phone):

Postage:

Entertainment (e-books):

Accommodation:

 

TOTAL:

 

$338

$219

$80

$66

$46

$35

$2

$2

$0

———

$ 788

To find out what other full-time nomads spend each month, check out the expense blogs of our vanlife friends Duwan and Greg at Make Like An Ape Man.

Monthly Expenses – March 2020

April 8, 2020 / / 46 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.

How did the outbreak of the Coronavirus affect our expenses? Less than you might think. The only category that spiked is groceries. I think that happened because of our “constant” topping up of the fridge and cupboards, each time we anticipated self-isolating in the woods of Florida. But, as I wrote about previously, most of those attempts failed, so we kept buying more provisions and – in the beginning – our only choices were name brands instead of the cheaper generic brands we usually buy.

Boondocking along a river and boat ramp in Western Florida
Sunset at the boat ramp
Vultures along the waterfront
Another campground in Osceola NF, Florida, that didn’t work out because of heat, bugs, and incessantly barking hunting dogs.
It doesn’t look like a bad spot from the observation tower.
Lines (with social distancing) before the store opened, at Sam’s Club in Hilton Head

We drove a lot during our quick circle down and around and back up Florida. If we would have been able to sightsee, we would have driven more, but we would have traveled slower. We boogied north quicker than expected, because of our rising discomfort with heat, humidity, and bugs and not so much COVID-19. Therefore, our monthly fuel expenses are pretty much what they would have been otherwise. The diesel price was as low as we’ve ever seen it!

The fuel prices have dropped a lot.
This is the cheapest diesel we ever bought for Zesty. $1.99 a gallon boils down to 50 cents a liter.
Our tank wasn’t totally empty when we found this Sam’s Club/Walmart fuel station.

If it wasn’t for the recent pandemic, our entertainment and camping categories would be higher (I really wanted to visit the Dali Museum in St. Petersburg and spend time with the manatees while camping at Manatee State Park), the health topic would have popped up as I urgently needed a haircut, and doing laundry might have cost twice as much. Instead, Mark cut everyone’s hair and we did a load of laundry by hand.

Dog beach at Fort DeSoto Park, Florida
Short hair again after Mark chopped it off
Maya received a haircut as well, which helps with the heat.
Hanging our clean laundry at the campsite to dry. We found a water spigot at a park an hour away.
The netting offers a reprieve from the bugs at our current campsite

The drinking and eating out expenses can be blamed on hanging out with friends and Mark’s birthday (a self-proclaimed brewery tour) before social distancing took effect. Since then, I have been able to keep in touch with friends and family via email, social media, Skype, and Zoom!

Approach to our current campground
Boardwalk in the nature reserve
We are enjoying our daily hikes in nature, without people around.
Our current campsite
A $3 meal for two – egg noodles, asparagus, and chicken thighs.
A total spoil: cheese platter including two kinds of Brie!

All in all, March was not a bad month under the circumstances, but it is the most expensive one this year so far.

March 2020 Overview:

Groceries:

Camper (diesel: $187; registration: $12; tolls: $4):

Bank charge (annual credit card fee):

Alcohol:

Drinking out:

Dining out:

Dog (food):

Utilities (phone):

Postage:

Entertainment (dog beach @ state park):

Laundry:

Miscellaneous (printing taxes):

Camping:

 

TOTAL:

 

$433

$203

$150

$90

$66

$63

$35

$35

$11

$5

$5

$3

$0

———

$ 1099

To find out what other full-time nomads spend each month, check out the blog of our vanlife friends Duwan and Greg at Make Like An Ape Man.

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