May Expenses

Well, May was an interesting month from an expenses perspective. We drove a lot of miles, having started the month in southern Romania and ending it at the northern tip of Denmark!

Our planned budget was about $1,700 CAD, and we spent a total of $1,817 CAD ($1,437 USD, €1,338). Not bad, considering we drove about 2,600 kms (1,615 miles) and visited 6 different European countries.

Here's how it all broke down... (the following figures are all in Canadian dollars...)

Diesel Fuel: Like everywhere else in the world, fuel was pretty expensive for us during the month of May. We are so happy that Max is a fuel efficient motorhome! We spent $556 on fuel. 

Toll Roads: Surprisingly, we did not spend any money on toll roads in May. We did have to obtain road toll vignettes for both Bulgaria and Romania, however they were both purchased and expensed during the month of April. We stuck to the free roads in the other countries and mostly stayed off the freeways.

LPG Propane: We filled both tanks for a total of $52.

Groceries: Our food bills were pretty cheap in Romania, Hungary and Czechia. Of course getting more expensive in Slovakia and Germany, but still reasonable. We spent $488 in total.

Meals out: We spent $58 eating out.

Alcohol: We enjoyed the cheap booze prices of Romania... perhaps a little too much. But, you only live once and we will be on the wagon for much of our Norway trip. Make hay when the sun shines, as they say! We spent a total of $186 for the month.

Miscellaneous: This was actually the category where we overspent and it was mostly related to cellular internet access. We had to do an annual recharge on our emergency Keepgo data device, and it wasn't that cheap to get decent access once we got into Germany and Denmark. Of course we also had laundry and other minor expenses. We spent $230 in this category.

Medical: $175 for our Heymondo travel medical insurance.

Entertainment: Of course we did a lot of hiking and biking which was totally free. But we also visited a castle, a cave, and a church tower! Between them, we spent a total of $71.

Overnight expenses: Zero! We did not stay in a single paid overnight spot the entire month. 

And that's it. Not a bad month, all things considered.

June is going to be difficult to budget. Norway is an expensive country to visit, and we've got a couple of special things planned. We've set a budget of $2,250 for the month, but are prepared to have to adjust as we go.

Our approximate driving route during the month of May.