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Monday, April 9, 2018

March Expenses

Okay, have to post this mid day to get caught up. If you missed the earlier post, you can read it here...

http://www.travelwithkevinandruth.com/2018/04/not-thrilled-with-south-llano-river.html

We spent a total of $2,763 CAD ($2,200 USD) in the month of March. Yes, quite a lot higher than expected. Most of that was due to Sherman's breakdown, but we were also far higher in gasoline and toll road expenses than we would have preferred.

Here's how it all broke down...(the following figures are all in Canadian dollars. To get approximate USD equivalent, subtract about 20%.)

Gasoline: We spent $789 CAD on gasoline. We drove a lot more miles this winter than we normally would in Mexico, and it shows up in this category.

Road Tolls: $316 CAD on road tolls in Mexico in the month of March.

Propane: We filled the tank on March 4th for $26 CAD. We're still using that propane today, and we are just under half full.

Grocery: Pretty average for Mexico, we spent $188 CAD. We tend to eat out more often while in Mexico because the food is great and the prices are reasonable. So that shows up in slightly higher entertainment expenses. Also, we took part in five or six meals out with the group that are part of our compensation package.

Alcohol: Higher than normal, at $195. But that's only because February was lower than normal and we had to do some stocking up early in the month.

Miscellaneous: $119 CAD in this category, which is not bad. We only recharged the phone once. The other expenses were laundry and a few taxis.

Entertainment: $107, which mostly consisted of meals out and a few ice creams along the way!

Overnight: No overnight expenses, as they are covered by the caravan group.

Motorhome: We spent $1,021 on Sherman's breakdowns last month. We don't begrudge that.... Sherman has cost us very little money over the years. We're not done though, and we have to spend more this month to get him prepared for the trip up to Yukon!

So, a total of $2,763 CAD ($2,200 USD) for the month of March.

I'm going to be doing a recap of our expenses for the entire three month trip, including thoughts about the trip itself and how it can be made better in our opinion.

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8 comments:

  1. You still amaze me at how little your life costs you - even with a breakdown! Be sure to stock up on canned food before you get to the Yukon, groceries are supposed to be so much higher there (and bug spray)

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    1. We still feel at times that our expenses are still too high but we some how always make things work. It is still a lot less then we ever spent per month when we had a house, so we are definitely doing it right. :-)

      Unfortunately we buy very little in the way of canned goods so we are just going to have to make things work with what we have to buy up there. We are prepared for prices to be quite a bit higher.

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  2. Bug spray for sure is essential for the Yukon!
    Looking forward to your summary of all expenses during the caravan and your thoughts pro and con about the entire experience. I kmow I can trust your objective and candid remarks Kevin. Thanks agaon for being such a conscientious and dedicated blogger! Your blogs make an interesting day all the time! Safe travels!

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    1. Bugs are the one thing we really aren't looking forward to on this trip but somehow we will deal with it. We are already stocking up on Thermacell cartridges and pads and some good bug spray.

      Overall I think we did quite well on our trip through Mexico, really the only things that hurt us more than normal were the gas and toll expenses. Mostly because we would never travel that much over so little time and we rarely take toll roads when we travel in Mexico. And of course our breakdown didn't do anything to help with the expenses.

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  3. Kevin, you indicated that you were going to do prep work on Sherman for the Yukon; as usual, you will likely do most of the work yourself. Are you buying parts you need in the US? I know you had mentioned earlier that you needed a new tire. Also, RVers from here locally who have made the trip to the Yukon and Alaska have mentioned that fresh foods are outrageously expensive, so being forewarned other RVers stocked up on sealed bags of dried fruit and canned meats, vegetables, and beans. However, they really missed fresh bread, but now freeze half loaves of bread. What is a plus is that Ruth makes her own bread.

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    1. He will do some of the work himself but some of it he won't be able to so he will have someone else do it for him. Right now a wheel aliment is needed but there is no need for a new tire.

      We know that fresh food will be expensive but we don't do canned food, or very little of it. We managed to make do with expensive food in Barbados so I am sure we will manage up north as well. We will definitely buy as much food supplies as we can before heading up there but we will certainly be buying fresh food up there too.

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  4. Love reading your experience... can't wait to be on the road similar as you. Questions like phones / internet and vehicle coverage like CAA for down south are our biggest concerns right now if you or others could help...
    Than you - Dar & Jer ( [email protected] )

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    1. We have a Verizon Mifi which we get pay as you go data packages for. It's expensive, but works well for the time we're in the U.S., which is usually not more than a month or so at a time because we spend most of the winter in Mexico. We rarely use our phone for voice, although right now it has a Mexican SIM card in it that works up here. We do not currently have roadside assistance for the U.S., however we are thinking of getting a Good Sam Roadside Assistance package. Hope that answers your questions. If you have more don't hesitate to ask and we will try to answer them.

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