The cost of July 2013
I had fully expected to spend a lot more than usual this month as I knew I would have some larger single-item expenses this month:
Primarily I am talking about all the vehicle maintenance that was done on the van ($139 in parts and did the labor myself) before restarting my driving adventures. Luckily, these are all long-term maintenance items so most are repeated yearly or longer, which is a relief.
In preparation of my departure in August, I made sure to donate $100 to the Moose lodge as I have been plugged in and using their 120v power these past few months of extreme heat. I am very grateful to the Longmont Moose Lodge for allowing me to stay here for so long. I wish I could have given more, and hope to do just that before leaving.
I did have to purchase more minutes for my ‘pay as you go’ cell phone. This is the first time in 3 months (seems this is becoming the normal purchase schedule) I spent the $45 for more phone minutes. Together with my monthly Skype bill, it brings my average monthly phone bill to under $17 per month! I actually survived the entire month of June on 46(!) cell phone minutes.
Even with the added single-item expenses, my total spending for the month was roughly the same due to spending less in other areas, by sheer chance.
Coming up on my 10th month living exclusively in the van, I am learning a lot about how my spending has changed over a conventional house/apartment.I certainly have a lot more freedom to spend on things I “want” since I do not have a massive rent/mortgage, but I do also have to think more about the maintenance of my home; what would happen if I fail to keep the van in good condition and it leaves me parked on the side of the road… with everything I own in my entire life inside? It is one burden associated with this lifestyle.
August will bring me back into travel-mode expenses. I will surely spend more money on fuel and groceries, but I am hoping to tighten up my spending in all other areas to see just how low my costs can go while living in a van. I have achieved another month below $30 per day in spending, but I’d like to reach below $25 per day ($750 per month) as a norm.
To summarize my year-to-date figures:
Gasoline total: $1,558 in 2013
Food total: $1,948 in 2013
Camping total: $345 (142 nights total)
Or to put it into daily-averages:
Gasoline: $7.37 per day
Food: $9.19 per day
Camping: $1.61 per day
