July Expenses

We started the month in Geiranger, Norway which was about as far north as we went in Norway. And we finished the month close to Max's "home base" in Germany. So we did a fair bit of driving in the month of July!

This means that our fuel expenses were quite high, and of course everybody knows about the price of fuel lately. Especially the price of fuel in one of the most expensive countries in the world!

I can't yet offer the exact total of how much we spent because it includes the new laptops that we bought. And we won't know exactly how much the tax rebate is until it actually makes its way back into our credit card account as a refund in Canadian dollars. 

But suffice to say that we spent around $1,450 CAD ($1,130 USD) total on the two of them.

Taking the laptops out of the equation, we had not a bad month, all things considered. Without the laptops, we spent a total of $2,166 CAD ($1,692 USD) which is only about $200 higher than we budgeted. 

Here's how it all broke down... (Note: The following figures are in $CAD)...

Fuel: Like I said, we drove a few miles this month and fuel was expensive. And, I filled up the tank as soon as we entered Germany, so we aren't leaving Max totally empty. He's still about two thirds full. We spent a total of $609 CAD on fuel.

Toll Roads: This is also an expensive category because we took so many ferries... including the one that brought us back from Norway to Denmark as well as the tourist ferry that we treated Max to when we left Geiranger. 

Propane LPG: We only had to fill one of our tanks in July, at a cost of $23. One tank is already empty, and the other will be getting close, but they can sit that way until we return to Max in early November.

Groceries: This is interesting because Norway is well known to be the most expensive country in the world for groceries. It's one of the few countries that actually charges a tax on groceries... at 15%. We spent $680 in the month of June, and that included some stocking up in Denmark before we left. In July, we spent $565, but the fridge is pretty bare and we planned it that way since we are leaving Max on his own this coming Thursday. Still, to average $622 for groceries for the two of us is pretty good we think. And there was no eating out... that was all for home cooked meals.

Meals out: As I said, there were no meals out in Norway at all. Restaurants are ridiculously expensive.

Alcohol: We did better in June than July! We don't drink soft drinks, and it gets a little boring drinking water all the time! So we did break down and buy a few beers and ciders throughout the month. We spent $117, and no... we didn't get much for it!

Miscellaneous: Pretty much as expected. $189 for our travel medical insurance, $55 for cellular data access, and a few loads of laundry. Total of $272.

Entertainment: Zero. We did a lot of hiking, biking, and walking and that's all free.

Overnight: We free camped everywhere for the entire month. In fact, we haven't paid for an overnight stay since we entered Romania at the end of April!

Motorhome: We bought a new inverter for our new laptops. Cost was about $61.

So, a total of $2,166 CAD ($1,692 USD) plus the cost of our new laptops which are a one time expense every three or four years it seems.

August is going to be an expensive month. We always spend more than expected when we return to Canada, and this time will be no different. Car rentals are ridiculous and we've got a lot of flights coming up as well, although I'm using credit card points for the Amsterdam to Canada flights and return so that eases the sting a little bit. Even with that, it will probably still be a $4,000 month. 

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TV Wall Mount Brackets. A whole bunch of different models are on sale.

And in Canada...

Stand Up Paddle Boards.