Roaming About

A Life Less Ordinary

Tag: traveling with dogs (page 3 of 3)

Monthly Expenses of a Nomad in South America – December 2022 (Colombia)

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 and extensive care, we return to the US East Coast.

The first two weeks of December, Mark, Maya, and I still stayed in Airbnbs in Cartagena, like the majority of November, to wait for our camper’s arrival from Texas. This was followed by a night in a hotel close to the port where we picked up our truck camper, Thirsty Bella, on the evening of the 14th. Rule #1 in developing countries, “Do not drive at night,” was immediately disregarded. We didn’t have a choice. Luckily, nothing was hit or damaged on that first drive.

(As always, click on or hover over photos in the galleries to read their captions.)

We paid for all these nights with credit card points, depleting our account, leaving us with no buffer for a break from the road in the future. All because we had to wait two extra weeks for our vehicle. Oh well. We were beyond happy and relieved to be reunited with our home on wheels.

After spending the first night on a hot and humid parking lot, we put in many more miles to reach Mompox, a World Heritage Site, for another night at a hotel. It was too uncomfortable to sleep in the camper. The other accommodation expenses went to campsites without hookups (just parking, sometimes with the availability of showers, toilets, a shared kitchen, and a laundry machine), which seem to range between $2 and $4 a person per night. It doesn’t sound like a lot, but $8 a night does add up for us, so we try to combine free camping andcampgrounds.

December was the first decent expense month since Mexico in February. We stayed under $1,000 for the three of us. The highest categories, “groceries” and “car,” were close, but not that crazy.

What we saved in groceries, we spent in eating out, by the looks of it. Again, this pastime in Colombia is affordable, but $8 dinners also add up after a while. Another balancing act is needed.

We did cover a bit of ground in those first two weeks on the road, but with gasoline at $2 a gallon, we don’t worry too much. The $40 insurance (SOAT) cost covers our vehicle for liability for three months. Our cost for tolls was actually higher than stated – amazing how many toll roads (Northern) Colombia has, and they’re expensive all things considered – but we received a refund for our toll device and credit we returned to Massachusetts before leaving the country.

The gift category should fall away next month. As usual, I created and shipped calendars to my family in Belgium and the US. Each month of the year exhibits a photo of the two or three of us in a different location. This way, we are somewhat present in the households of our loved ones. And we bought small Christmas gifts for our new friends Sheri and Jeff, whom we met up with several times over the last two months.

Propane is cheaper in Colombia than in the States, but it is a pain to obtain nevertheless. That’s why we changed our propane fridge out for an electric one that efficiently works on our solar panels. This way, a full propane tank (20 pounds), used only for cooking and heating, should last months instead of weeks. For internet, we still use a Google Fi global data plan, but we already have been warned this will be suspended next month, so we will need to find another, local solution in each country. We’ve been working on that.

I’d say our alcohol consumption was average last month, despite it being the holidays. Beer and rum are cheaper than what we purchase in the US, wine is similar in price. The only reason there is a clothing expense is because Amazon messed up one of the refunds before we left. Therefore, we were recharged for a pair of jeans.

We didn’t plan on buying dog food for Maya in Cartagena, since we carried plenty of it with us on the plane, enough for the expected three weeks there, plus an extra Ziploc bag in case four weeks of waiting were required. Not five, though. Luckily, we found food that she wasn’t allergic to and once Thirsty Bella arrived, carrying heaps of dogfood, Maya could go back on her usual diet. The meds we bought are herbal drops that should calm her down during all the stress and anxiety from Colombia’s daily firecrackers, bottle rockets, and fireworks.

Our drinking out cost is negligible – we usually prefer to have happy hour at home – and the low entertainment amount went to the entrance fee of Los Estoraques National Park in Playa de Belen, where we camped for almost a week as well.

Last month, we managed to only pay $2 for water, a donation to a friendly and helpful family along the way, and do laundry for free at the Airbnbs we stayed at.

The total amount for shipping our truck camper from Texas to Colombia was $5,500, which is not included in this report as it is a one-time cost. Because moving our vehicle between continents was so expensive, we plan on making our time here worthwhile. A few years of slow travel should do it! 🙂

December 2022 Overview:

Groceries:

Car (fuel: $194; insurance: $40; tolls: $14):

Gifts (Christmas & New Year):

Dining out:

Utilities (internet: $50; propane: $9; water:$2):

Alcohol:

Accommodation:

Clothing:

Dog (food: $20; meds:$3):

Drinking out:

Entertainment:

 

TOTAL:

 

$249

$248

$125

$99

$61

$47

$44

$31

$23

$6

$4

———

$ 937

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.

Donate to Roaming About to help maintain this website.

Monthly Expenses of a Nomad – November 2022

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 and extensive care, we return to the East Coast.

Even though the three of us have been “stuck” in Cartagena for over a month, November went by fast. For once, we didn’t care, because the sooner we would be reunited with our camper, Thirsty Bella, the better. Guess what? We are still waiting. But the end of that is coming near.

This is where the RORO car carriers dock in Cartagena Harbor

Mark, Maya, and I flew from Houston, Texas, to Miami, Florida, on November 7th. From there, we continued on to Cartagena, Colombia, the following day. Since the 8th, we have been apartment hopping in this hectic, dusty, hot, and humid city, not spending a lot of time in tourist areas but immersing ourselves in the noisy and affordable Colombian way of (city) life.

(As always, hover over or click on photos in galleries to read their captions.)

We booked our plane tickets in early October,  using credit card points (valued at US$590) and we managed to do the same for our airport hotel in Miami (US$112) and five Airbnb rentals (the equivalent of US$945 in total, so far). The estimate was to be here for three weeks (an important factor for packing our belongings, toiletries, and food for Maya, all in carry-on luggage), but we will have been here over five weeks by the time we pick up our vehicle at the port. I will elaborate on the why another time.

On our last week in the US, we bounced between uncomfortable overnight parking lots and parks, meeting up with friends and preparing our vehicle for leaving the country.

The last weekend saw us finalize everything at and in the convenient house and driveway of friends.

Then, camper drop-off and moving day happened, followed with the rest of the month living in Cartagena. We had a lot of extra expenses in November, yet we managed to not go too far over our average budget.

I am now reporting on camper costs as well, because the basics of our conversions, improvements, and upgrades were finished in October. I will post a separate report about buying and equipping Bella in the near future. This camper category was the highest by surprise, because, you know, nothing goes as planned…

A lot went wrong when Mark finally dropped our camper off at the port of Galveston, which caused added stress on an already logistically stressful day, but I will just elaborate on one episode for now.

There are quite a few rules if you want to ship a vehicle abroad. One of those, regarding campers, is that the propane tank has to be empty and a certificate to prove this is required. We called the issuing company in League City to inquire about the certificate and were told those are only provided for fixed tanks. We had a portable 20-pound tank, so should be fine. Our tank was empty. Our tank was newish. We taped the purchase receipt to the tank, just to not get into trouble.

Nope. Not enough. We needed the certificate. It was 2pm in the afternoon. The port closed at 4pm. Our plane left that evening. We didn’t see an option for Mark to leave Galveston port, drive to League City 40 minutes away, get our tank certified – or buy a new one with a certified receipt – and get the vehicle cleared for shipment, plus visit Customs, before four. Oh, and the escort to guide you through the port costs $50 per hour and once you’re ten minutes over that, a second hour is charged…

Phone numbers of port escorts on the day of our drop-off

Mark called me (I was waiting in a public park with Maya and all our luggage) and we concluded we only had one choice if we wanted to catch our plane: remove the tank from our camper and leave it at the port. This was a huge problem and complication: our tank had US fittings, fit snugly in its compartment, and all our cooking and heating facilities (including hot water and grill) depended on this particular set-up, which we would not be able to find and reproduce in Colombia (different fittings and tank sizes).

Waiting for Mark in a Galveston park

We were screwed and almost gave up on this whole journey (for the first time). Employees, including Mark’s escort Kaylyn, understood, but there was nothing they could do. Mark continued the drop-off and clearing out procedures and joined me in the park. We felt defeated – and homeless – without even having left the US.

On that picnic bench in Galveston, we brainstormed. We had another hour to kill before airport focus was upon us. A crazy idea emerged, one that would be hard to pull off…

Mark called his escort Kaylyn, asked her if she would be able to deposit a new propane tank inside our camper if we had someone deliver it. The answer was surprising, but music to our ears: “Yes.” Question #2: “Would you be willing to pick one up if we order it? We will pay you for your help, of course.” Another “yes” followed and life looked up again.

Dealing with the propane tank disaster

Over the next half an hour, we called the propane place in League City and paid for a new tank and its certification, emailed them Kaylyn’s information, and copied her on any correspondence with Baygas Propane. Our angel called us three days after we arrived in Cartagena. She had picked up the tank and needed instructions about where to put it – and how to get there. We walked her through storing the new tank safely and securely inside Bella, made sure she locked our home properly again, and sent her $100 as a thank you. Hence our high propane cost last month…

This is where Kaylyn wrapped and stored our new propane tank (we think)

The other amount paid for the camper went to protection (wood to board up the windows and tension rods to keep them in place) and gear to potentially fix our fridge issue. It was our goal to have a fully-working (brand new) fridge before shipment, but that failed.

Buying cut plywood at Home Depot and storing it for a few days – back and forth from the bed of the camper to the back seat of the truck

To bring Maya into Colombia, we needed an international health certificate and a couple of extra shots. That required a vet visit of multiple hours and approval by the USDA; an expensive ordeal. The temporary import permit for Colombia was only $11 and took an hour of red tape.

Back in Houston, we treated our generous and hospitable friends John and Harriet to a Thai take-out dinner. The rest of the eating out category was spent in Cartagena – one “expensive” meal and drinks for my birthday ($60 for two people) in a nice restaurant and the rest on local food.

The grocery category was low – we needed to eat everything up before leaving the US and Colombia is cheap. We still cooked most of our meals to save money and eat relatively healthy. After we recovered from being sick the first ten days, our Venezuelan friend Nathalie, who lives in Manga, Cartagena, invited us over for a yummy salmon-pasta lunch.

We didn’t spend a lot on fuel last month, only enough for dock workers to move our truck on and off the boat(s). Your gas tank can only be 1/4 full. We had a last-minute tire alignment and rotation done two days before we left.

Transportation was another extra category. The Uber from Galveston Island to Hobby Airport in Houston cost a whopping $50 and we have been getting around Cartagena in local taxis. The price for the port escort was also $50.

Cab in Manga’s flooded streets

Our monthly amount for internet went up. We finally retired our amazing unlimited AT&T data plan that was $35/month for years (we sold it on) and switched to a Google Fi worldwide plan, sharing an account with our friends Duwan and Greg. After the initial set-up fees incorporated in this report, the new monthly amount should be $50 for 50 gig of data.

The only other thing worth mentioning is that I finally spent the second half of Mark’s birthday gift for me from last year (November 2021) on goodies at Trader Joe’s. I totally forgot I had some “credit” left for that! As I write this, I’m eating my final dark-chocolate-covered almonds from the US…

November 2022 Overview:

Camper (propane tank: $220; parts: $87):

Dog (vet + certificate: $260; import permit: $11):

Dining out:

Groceries:

Car (maintenance: $131; fuel: $24):

Transportation (taxis: $75; port escort: $50):

Utilities (internet):

Alcohol:

Gifts (B-day Liesbet 2021):

Drinking out:

Postage:

Clothing:

 

TOTAL:

 

$307

$271

$224

$164

$155

$125

$62

$52

$24

$10

$5

$2

———

$ 1,401

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.

Donate to Roaming About to help maintain this website.

Monthly Expenses of a Nomad – October 2022

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 and extensive care, we return to the East Coast.

October was a rough month for us, in terms of discomfort, stress, frustration, and bad luck. Nothing, truly nothing, went according to plan. But we persevered and, once again, friends came to the rescue. I’ll explain when going through the numbers.

Mark, Maya, and I arrived in the Houston area of Texas several weeks earlier than planned, because our brand-new, state-of-the-art $1,400 Isotherm fridge had to be replaced under warranty. The most economical way for us to arrange this (from Colorado) was by picking up a replacement 1,100 miles away, in Seabrook, Texas, ideally as soon as possible. This would give us “plenty of time” to make sure fridge #2 worked as advertised and expected. Well, it didn’t, and to this day – now out of the country – we are trying to diagnose the cooling issue. We bought extra tools and gear to keep working on this in Colombia.

Delays of the ship that would bring Thirsty Bella to Cartagena had us pinned in Eastern Texas even longer. And, believe me, there is another story coming about that as well. This post of last month was just the beginning. I think Mark and I could produce our own drama series or soap opera by now!

But, let’s get back to our expenses. The grocery category ($354) was on the high side, because we had emptied our fridge the previous month, since it had to be replaced and we had no cool space in 100-degree Texas to store perishables. So, we started over, with a similar goal: finish eating all/most of the food by the time we’d leave the country.

Texas is big, but we figured that once we had reached Houston and Galveston (from where our camper ships), we’d stay put for the month. Fuel is pretty much the cheapest in the country here. Yay. Maybe we could get by on one tank?

Nope. The weather chased us around, from county park to the beach, onto the mainland, and back to grassier environs. Incessant heat, 90% humidity, being sandblasted by wind, and a good sprinkle of mosquitoes had us drive the two-hour distance between Galveston and Anahuac multiple times.

We also did more preemptive car maintenance ($120) in preparation for the big trip: changing the air filter, transfer case fluid (one extra top-up needed), and coolant (three flushes) in our engine. These were tasks that couldn’t be done in sand, on windy days, in parks, surrounded by mosquitoes, or during the heat of the day. The tolls were paid to cross a $2 bridge between Galveston Island and San Luis Island, where we hoped to spend a week and finally relax a bit, but the wind had something else in mind. More driving.

Mark and I bought three bags of dogfood ($131) for Maya to give us a head start in South America. Since our girl is allergic to corn and chicken (and a lot of other things), finding suitable food will be a challenge. We also stocked up on another container of her fish oil supplement ($49) to keep her coat shiny and her health optimal.

The alcohol category was surprisingly high ($81).  I guess we tried to drink some of our worries away. We also hung out with friends and bought wine and rum to share.

Our new grill in action! (Photo by Duwan Dunn)

For the first time in years, there was an accommodation cost! One we happily obliged to. Our Houston friends, John and Harriet, graciously offered us the use of their condo right on the beach in Galveston, when we met up at their house in the city, the end of September. Our only contribution would be the cleaning fee at the end of our stay. We eventually planned on using this accommodation for our last week in the US, during which time our camper would be shipped. We’d be able to see the car carrier leave from the condo’s balcony!

But the anticipated schedule was not to be, delays messed everything up, and we felt no need for a condo when we could still live in Bella. So, we cancelled our reservation for the end of October. Our camper was to be dropped off on November 7th at that point, with our plane to Miami leaving the same day…

As most of you know, Mark and I never stay in and pay for campgrounds. We wouldn’t be able to afford this lifestyle otherwise. We boondock pretty much 100% of the time, which means we camp without facilities and amenities. Not that electricity hookups would matter, since we don’t have an air conditioner on board. And this is an important factor: nobody lives, let alone camps, without AC in Eastern Texas this time of the year. After weeks of suffering from the high humidity, we finally realized why we were always the only RV wherever we parked for the night…

So, when it all became too much – the sweating, the running around, the stressing over issues and logistics, the bugs – we inquired about the availability of John and Harriet’s condo and snatched a glorious week there to cool down, take a deep breath, keep working on the fridge issue and more logistics, go for long beach walks with Maya, and… be sick. Maybe it was the AC? Maybe the culmination of everything going on? Maybe it was finally “letting go” for a bit? It was mostly Mark being under the weather last month, but now, here in our Airbnb in Colombia (with AC), it’s my turn.

The cost for our utilities ($48) was similar to previous months. It was the last time we paid for our fantastic unlimited AT&T data plan of $35 a month, which doesn’t exist anymore for new subscribers and which we managed to sell on. The rest of the amount was for propane. Frugal as we are, we only bought two gallons, since our tank needed to be empty in order to ship our camper (which is another incredible story for later). Then, Mark discovered a propane leak. It took weeks to diagnose and fix that issue, and more propane.

The last week of October, our good friends and fellow nomads Duwan and Greg joined us in Texas. We started out at Fort Anahuac Park for three nights (a permit is needed) and – contrary to what we were told previously – discovered we couldn’t stay at other Chambers County Parks for another week. The hunt for free camping in the region then had us stay at a boat ramp, rest area, and Harvest Host brewery location, finishing up at the beach in Galveston again when the wind finally subsided.

When camped at the Equal Parts brewery in Houston, our group went out for drinks and appetizers ($30) on their patio and street tacos at a Mexican food stand ($10). My (bad) Spanish was rewarded with a free Agua de Jamaica (hibiscus juice) and meat taco. 😊

As always, we cooked and ate most of our meals at home, by ourselves or with friends. Mark spoiled me with his favorite recipe a couple of times: mushroom burgers on a bed of lettuce with aioli and jasmine rice.

I finally met Lexie, a fellow adventurer whose blog I have been following for years. She treated us to lunch and gifted us Texan goodies, which we savored for days.

Meeting blogging friend Lexie in League City

The money spent on household items went to yet another clock and stain and brushes for our new cabinet. I’m still baffled at how we managed to pick the perfect color from memory – no samples and no photos had accompanied us to Home Depot.

During our 24 hours in the big city, Duwan, Greg, Mark, and I also enjoyed free entertainment in the form of historic buildings, street art, a walk in Buffalo Bayou Park, a glimpse of and in Rothko Chapel, and a stroll through the impressive and fascinating Menil collection.

To top it off, our total expenses for October were not bad at all – under our monthly average. Maybe this is the start of affordable living again…

(PS: We did have $101 of Lance camper expenses in October as well – diagnostic tools and extra parts – as preparation for our upcoming multiple-year South America trip, but since we budgeted for that, it becomes part of our purchase price. I plan to write a separate post about those projects and costs in the future.)

October 2022 Overview:

Groceries:

Car (fuel: $153; maintenance: $120; tolls: $4):

Dog (food: $131; fish oil: $49):

Alcohol:

Accommodation (condo cleaning fee):

Utilities (internet: $35; propane: $13):

Drinking out:

Household (clock, batteries,…):

Computer (hosting site):

Clothing (hat Liesbet):

Dining out:

Gifts:

 

TOTAL:

 

$354

$277

$179

$81

$80

$48

$30

$24

$20

$12

$10

$8

———

$ 1,123

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.

Donate to Roaming About to help maintain this website.

Monthly Expenses of a Nomad – September 2022

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 and extensive care, we return to the East Coast.

A lot has been going on the last few weeks (again), which means I barely have time to breathe, let alone keep up with my diaries, answer emails, practice Spanish, read a book or blog posts, write, research products and destinations, or work on my own blogs. This one has been ten days in the making, half an hour each time I make an attempt, not my usual approach.

It’s been busy on the road – driving huge distances, dealing with logistics to get us all to South America, returning wrong Amazon packages, fixing items that shouldn’t break, maintenance on the car, dealing with failing equipment, disappointments, and limited customer support, and keeping up with our current life – finding free camping spots, locating stores to buy specific items, picking up packages (which require an address), finding the resources we need, and hopping from store to store and campsite to campsite and fuel station to fuel station.

I’m due for an update here on Roaming About, but first we have to find a decent (and free) location to sit for a while. This proves to be hard in the Houston area. Maybe next week. Back to our expenses of last month…

In September, Mark and I drove a lot – from the middle of Oregon through Idaho, Utah, a tiny piece of  Colorado, and New Mexico to the Houston area in Texas. And then a bunch more in this state as well. With our crappy fuel economy (10.5 miles to the gallon), it is no surprise we spent $900 on gasoline to drive 2,000 miles.  The idea was to sit still somewhere, once we arrived in our last US state, but the weather has not been cooperative. High heat and humidity, nasty bugs, and heavy wind have kept us moving about.

We did another oil change and bought spare parts for our engine.  Our grocery expenditure was relatively low. One of the reasons for that was needing to empty our fridge, because we had to “swap it out” and staying for a few days at a decent beach without shopping for food beforehand. I really enjoy getting rid of things – whether it is by eating food or donating material belongings.

On the opposite end of the spectrum, we keep on buying and buying for this upcoming South America trip – mostly on Amazon. Mark and I purchased new KEEN hiking shoes (you can find Mark’s here and mine here), ZEEPORTE snorkel gear (Mark picked grey ones here and I chose blue ones here), and a new CUISINART grill (which you find here). We are still considering replacing our 5-year-old COLEMAN camping chairs before leaving.

The advantage of this particular CUISINART grill is that the regulator is easily removed and it allows you to use the low-pressure propane from your RV tank. As always, we researched these products, checked their reviews, and bought them at a great price (at half their original price or heavily discounted), because they are Amazon warehouse deals – the perfect way to save lots of money. To see if there is a warehouse deal on the product you are interested in, click on the “New & Used” box at the right side of the purchase page. The same Amazon rules and conditions apply.

Finally we own a grill again – this has been since 2015 on Irie as well

Side note: My parents usually give us Amazon gift cards as New Year and birthday presents and I asked these in advance this year, because we won’t be able to order stuff down south. The money is to be used for “fun stuff”, not camper parts or necessary items to sustain ourselves. Yet, based on the timeline and returns and refunds for wrong parts, the categories of these might change over time. Our end-of-the-year expense report is therefore more accurate in terms of categories and amounts. The personal goods in this report are supposed to come off the gift cards, which are currently used for spare parts, car maintenance items, and household necessities as well.

The alcohol and gifts (dessert goodies) last month came with us when visiting friends and family, and we paid the annual fees for one of four website domains. The total for our hosting fees is around $200 a year. I hereby want to thank everyone who has donated to this cause, so far.

This truck passed us at a 75mph and – no doubt – scratched the driver side of our camper. It was hard to catch up with him to take this photo. Luckily, the damage was negligible but we did chew through extra gas as it took twenty minutes, before we caught up!

Accommodation last month was free again, thanks to friends inviting us to camp on their property or offering a guest room and us boondocking everywhere else.

We also never paid for sightseeing – once because our friend Christine has a National Park pass; other times because the destinations and activities didn’t cost anything.

September wasn’t a cheap month, but it brought us to Texas (prematurely, but more about that another time) and we are now biding time in the Galveston area, which is where we will ship Thirsty Bella from. Plus, we stayed under $2,000. Maybe that should become our goal, instead of the usual average of $1,300. It is certainly more realistic. For now.

(PS: We did have $1,711 of Lance camper expenses in September as well – mostly to buy a new fridge – as preparation for our upcoming multiple-year South America trip, but since we budgeted for that, it becomes part of our purchase price. I plan to write a separate post about those projects and costs in the future.)

This post contains affiliate links to Amazon. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases without extra cost to you.

September 2022 Overview:

Car (fuel: $913; maintenance & parts: $294):

Groceries:

Clothing (new hiking shoes):

Household (grill, oven pans, filters,…):

Entertainment (snorkel gear):

Utilities (internet: $35; propane: $14):

Alcohol:

Computer (hosting site):

Gifts:

Dog:

Accommodation:

 

TOTAL:

 

$1,217

$267

$141

$130

$72

$49

$41

$20

$17

$1

$0

———

$ 1,955

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.

Donate to Roaming About to help maintain this website.

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