March Expenses

After three very expensive months in a row, March's total doesn't seem that bad. It was still $3,665 CAD ($2,910 USD), which is higher than we'd like, but considering we started the month in Lushoto, Tanzania, and ended it in Berat, Albania we actually did pretty good.

And almost $1,700 was related to travel itself, so just under $2,000 for everything else. A little over budget, but not bad and you'll see why when you read the details below...

The following figures are in Canadian dollars. For $USD equivalent subtract about 20%...

Gasoline: We spent $111 on gasoline for our rental car here in Albania. We haven't driven very much, but gasoline is expensive here in Albania, and 80% of it is still sitting in the fuel tank which will come out in the wash in April, making our April expenses in this category a little lower.

Groceries: The first half of March we were in Tanzania, and the second half in Albania. But most of March's $356 total in this category was spent here in Albania. We arrived with nothing, so had to stock up on everything, including spices and condiments etc. On an overall basis, groceries are slightly more expensive than they were in Turkey, but still quite a bit cheaper than Canada or the U.S..

Meals Out: We ate out 8 times during the first half of the month in Tanzania, but only twice during the second half of the month in Albania. Total of those came to $154.

Alcohol: Beer and wine are reasonably priced here in Albania! We spent a total of $136.

Miscellaneous: Most ($264) of our total $330 expenses in this category are related to our travel medical insurance. We had been spending $8.67 per day, but towards the end of the month we changed suppliers with better coverage and a lower deductible and are now paying $8.08 per day. I will talk about this in detail in a future post. Other expenses during the month were our cell access ($17), a few taxi rides and parking and my haircut.

Entertainment: After spending huge amounts of money in this category during January and February for our Meru and Kilimanjaro hiking trips, we needed to reduce our discretionary spending. So with  a total of $14, I think we succeeded.

Overnight: A little higher than we would like, at $867. An average of $28.90 per night. But we realize that this is still very cheap when you consider that we are getting decent furnished accommodation that includes WiFi and all utilities.

Travel: An expensive travel month, at $1,695 total. Our flights from Dar es Salaam, Tanzania to Rome, Italy were $965, and Rome, Italy to Tirana, Albania were $260. But then we also paid $250 for PCR tests to be able to fly in the first place. We also put our car rental in this category, 16 days at $10.50 per day for a total of $168.

Not included in our monthly expenses is the big capital expense of our new motorhome. We have so far paid out €36,000 ($54,672 CAD, $43,400 USD) of the €52,700 ($77,842 CAD, $61,820 USD) purchase price, and plan to have it paid in full by the end of April. Of course we can't start using it yet. It likely won't be until mid June at this rate, and even then who knows. But eventually, we will be let into Germany to pick it up. 

We've been benefitting by the recent strength of the Canadian dollar. The price of our new motorhome in Canadian dollar terms has dropped by about $3,500 since the start of the year!

April will be a cheaper month, providing nothing out of the ordinary comes along! Our budget for April is $2,300 CAD ($1,825 USD).

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

WiFi Enabled Plugs, Switches, and Bulbs

And in Canada...

WiFi Pet Cam with Treat Dispenser