April Expenses

April was a travel month, so we expect our expenses to be higher during a travel month. And sure enough, they were higher.

But when you consider that we started the month in Ottawa, then went to Nova Scotia, then Las Vegas, then drove 1,500 miles (2,400 kms) and saw a whole pile of things along the way, the amount we spent for the month was pretty darn reasonable!

So, the total was $2,171 CAD, or about $1,740 USD. Keep in mind that our costs are in Canadian dollars, but the actual price we paid was in US dollars. So you can deduct about 20% from the Canadian dollar cost to figure out the US dollar cost. It's a total rip off for us Canadians, but it is what it is. Here's how it all broke down...

Gasoline: Good thing the price per gallon was a little cheaper this year because we still spent $591 CAD on gasoline for  the month. $40 of that was put into our daughter Lindsey's car when we were in Nova Scotia at the beginning of the month, but the balance was what it cost to drive Sherman up here from Las Vegas. Of course he still has about 3/4 of a tank remaining, so that'll be a bit of a bonus when we take off from here in the fall. This trip Sherman got 9 miles to the gallon, which is a full 10% less than his normal 10 mpg. But, we did a lot of steep hills, plus he is due for a bit of a tune up, which I will do at some point in September.

Toll Roads: $18.96 CAD for the tunnel in Zion National Park.

Propane: $43.48 CAD to fill us up. Our last purchase was at $2.50 USD per gallon, which is not great, but not bad.

Groceries: A little better than expected, at $445.82 CAD. We did some stocking up on deals that are slightly cheaper in the States despite the exchange rate. Now that we're back in Canada though, we'll be closer to an average of $550 per month for the next few months.

Alcohol: Still a little high, at $97.86 CAD, but we have some left over to use up. That's okay, because we won't be buying any alcohol over the next five months.

Miscellaneous: One of our best months ever in this category! Only $112.74 CAD.

Entertainment: And, one of our best months ever in the category too! Only $10.88 CAD for a subway salad that we shared in the airport during one of our flights. It was the only meal we ate out all month!

Overnight: A little high, at $156.91 CAD. We paid for nine nights of overnight accommodation, so an average of $17.43 per night. Most of these were in State and National parks, so that's where the costs are. The other nights were free.

Motorhome: Not bad, at $157 CAD. This includes our new fresh water pump, new wiper blades, and the oil and filter to do an oil change before we park Sherman for the summer.

Travel: $534 CAD ($427 USD), for the two of us to fly one way from Halifax to Las Vegas. Not bad, but not fantastic.

So, a total of $2,171 CAD, or $1,740 USD.

Our costs for the next five months will be very low, so unless we go crazy and buy a cheap flight somewhere (it's been known to happen!), then we can figure on between $700 and $800 a month for the next few months.

Oh, and you helped us earn $185 USD ($231 CAD) from Amazon.com last month, so thanks for that! All of the money that we earn from Amazon goes directly towards our future travels, so that we can tell you all about the places that we visit.

Click here to shop at Amazon.com - USA

And, it was our first month with Amazon.ca here in Canada. We weren't sure if this would be successful because Amazon in Canada doesn't often have the same number of great deals that Amazon does in the States. But, our Canadian readers helped us earn nearly $22 last month, so we're encouraged by that and we'll keep it up. Thanks to all of you who are shopping through our links!

Click here to shop at Amazon.ca - Canada