December 2019 Cost of Being a Nomad

In November we blew our average monthly goal of spending only $1,500 per month due to our $3,797.96 worth of van repair expenses. So we thought what the heck, let’s just blow it out and spend like crazy the last month of December. Well we didn’t get too crazy but we did spend extra on things we don’t normally spend on.

We had been talking about getting binoculars for a while and after we took a National Park birding walk at Gulf Shores National Seashore we decided that we really needed them. We replaced our pillows which had become flat, our towels which didn’t have enough fluff anymore, and our throw rugs which had lost their rubber backing and were kind of tacky feeling to walk on. I bought more credits for my postcard app so we can continue sending original pictures postcards to Greg’s grandson and friends while we travel. I bought some leggings. And we spent a little extra on tours, attractions, eating out, and camping.

Also unusual in December was the 10 days sleeping outside of the van (indoors), house sitting, semi-house sitting and basically squatting when we visited my niece, Ariadne, in New Orleans. Three of those days were spent at Ariadne’s house while she stayed at her boyfriend’s place in town, 6 were spent at Will and Aubrey’s, friends of Aridane’s, house sitting their cat, bird, and two chickens. The odd day was spent at complete stranger’s house which was unoccupied. We ended up with a homeless day when Ariadne’s house sitter (prearranged long before we got there) moved in after Ariadne left for the holidays and before Will and Aubrey left for their trip. Ariadne found a friend who was also away for the holidays and we moved into her house for that one night. Conveniently all the houses were in the same neighborhood within a block from each other.

A few notes before we get to December’s total:

• All expenses are in US dollars.
• We drive a 2015 Ford Transit Cargo Van upfitted for living in.
• We are vegetarians and we cook – eating little packed or prepared food.

Total Money Spent

Our total expenses for December were:

$1,718.07

And here is the break down of everything in spreadsheet form:

Let’s look at a few of those numbers in detail…

Van Living Expenses

These are all expenses relating to the van itself, living in the van, and traveling in the van.

The total of all Van Living Expenses for December are:

$518.36

Here is a breakdown of some specific van expenses:

– Van Upgrades

These expense are for things that improve the van. I am constantly thinking of ways to make the van more comfortable and more efficient.

$62.54

This was mostly for replacing the switch that we use to power our house batteries for the camper part of the van from our engine starting battery. We had been having trouble with the switch for some time. And after we moved the switch from the back of the van to a spot by the driver’s it started blowing fuses. When the last fuse actually melted we decided we needed a more robust solution. We left our forest campground and drove to West Marine in Tallahassee where we bought a big old marine switch. So odd to continue to buy things in marine stores, but we have no more blown fuses.

– Van Utilities

Here we include expenses for things like water, propane for our stove and heater, and expenses for maintaining and using our composting toilet.

$13.64

This includes wood shavings for our composting toilet and 22 gallons of water.

– Gas

$271.10

In December we traveled from the coast of the panhandle of Florida from Carrabelle to the middle of southern Louisianna. We did a bit of back in forth in Florida when we received a van recall notice and had to drive from the Apalachicola National Forest to Fort Walton Beach and back (an almost 300-mile round trip). We also did a bit of extra driving back and forth in New Orleans shopping.

– Insurance

$101.08

– Camping

$70

This $70 was for three nights and two different National Park Campgrounds. A bit pricey (for us) but the camping came with showers and I just love being in National Parks. Plus campgrounds are great places to meet other travelers.

Here are our camping/sleeping stats for December (all camping is free unless indicated):

5 – nights camping in a National Forest
4 – nights Boondockers Welcome
2 – nights Florida Water District Campsite
2 – nights boondocking at a Walmart
3 – nights paid National Park Campground
2 – nights rest area
10 – nights sleeping inside in a house
3 – nights Louisianna WMA campground

– Repairs, Maintenance, Misc.

$0!!!!!!!!

Groceries and Booze

This is food and alcohol we buy a grocery or liquor store as opposed to in a restaurant.

Food: $270.97
Booze: $171.81

Entertainment

This category is for eating and drinking out, live music, museums, and attractions.

Here is the total for everything in the Entertainment category:

$254.65

We ate and drank out a bit in New Orleans ($105.89) and we tried to treat my niece whenever we could. We also did an amazing plantation tour and saw a very fun holiday play in which my niece’s boyfriend, Ian, not only performed in but wrote as well.

We have been going to a lot of little free museums. The people who volunteer there are always very enthusiastic. I always end up putting a few bucks in the donation box.

Personal/Household

These are the same kind of household expenses that you might have even if you didn’t live in a van or on a boat. Like toilet paper, clothes, personal items, laundry, and phone/data plan.

Here is the total for everything in the Personal/Household category:

$477.72

This number includes our new binoculars ($131.03), postcard credits ($79.95), pillows, towels, and rugs ($130.96) as well as the usual phone bill ($77.84), two pairs of leggings ($13.02), paper towels, toilet paper, and cleaning supplies ($26.71), and many loads of laundry ($12.25).

Travel

This category if for expenses outside of usual van travel expenses like the extra costs of traveling to another country, plane tickets, tolls, public transportation expenses, and parking.

$1.00

Toll bridge to Pensacola Beach/Fort Pickens.

To see all of our expense reports, click here.

If you are interested in reading other expense reports from people living on the road, check out these links:

Far Out Ride
Roaming About
Just Call Us Nomads

*All pics are click to enlarge.

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So what do you think? Do you track your expenses? How does this compare to your sticks and bricks expenses or your traveling expenses? Are our expenses less or more than you would have expected?