August Expenses - an expensive month, with a big bonus at the end!

At the end of July, I had mentioned that we were expecting an expensive month in August, with a forecast budget of $4,500 CAD ($3,400 USD).

We ended up coming in only slightly higher than forecast, which is pretty good because there were a lot of variables in my original guess. But then, right at the end of the month we received a big bonus which dropped us well below budget!

The major expenses of the month were travel related. We paid the airfare for grandson Cameron to come and visit us in England through to Germany, and of course feeding and entertaining him for those 11 days.

And of course we traveled back to Canada on the 31st.

We started the month in southwest England, took the ferry to France, then through Belgium, Netherlands, Germany and onwards to Paris where we flew back to Canada at the end of the month.

We spent a total of $3.913 CAD, ($2,879 USD) for the month.

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

Fuel: Fuel prices in UK and Europe had increased quite a lot by the end of July, and we had a fair bit of driving to do in August. Plus, we didn't want to leave Max's new owners with a totally empty tank! We spent $573 on fuel.

Toll Roads and Ferries: We did one smaller ferry in England for $14, and a toll road around Antwerp. Plus of course our English Channel crossing from Dover to Calais for $125. Total was $149.

Propane; We filled one of Max's two tanks for the new owners. Cost was $28.

Groceries: Total of $433. Lower than expected. We had the benefit of using everything up because we were leaving Max's fridge and freezer empty. But, our average over the four months we were in Ireland and the UK was $444 a month. Very reasonable.

Meals out: The big meal was when we treated Ruth's aunt out to dinner in London. We had Cameron with us as well, so there were four of us for $142. Then, our hamburger lunch the next day in London. And a couple of airport meal expenses at the end of the month. Total was $221.

Alcohol: Total of $181. A little on the high side. Booze has gone up in price a lot in England.

Miscellaneous: $50 or so for cellular data access. $75 or so for public transportation for the three of us in and around London for three days. $65 or so for various parking charges. Laundry and a few other miscellaneous items. Cameron's flights to and from Canada were $1,183. A credit of $51 for the old laptops that we sold. Total of $1,355 in this category.

Entertainment: $132 for the Bruges football match we took Cameron to, and the balance on various castles. Total of $211 for the month.

Overnight: We paid for 7 different nights of camping/overnight parking charges. Then two nights of hotels, one in Dusseldorf, and one at Paris airport. Total of $307.

Motorhome: Our last month of expenses for Max. This $235 charge was paid annually in advance, but I broke it down into a monthly charge just to average out our expenses.

Travel: Originally, we had a total expense of around $1,100 in this category, but we were compensated for the overbooked flight back to Canada, so that essentially became free. Otherwise, we paid for the train to Dusseldorf and the car share ride to Paris airport. Total of $210.

So, our total was less than expected, at $3.913 CAD, ($2,879 USD).

September, we're hoping for a very reasonable month. We're in Ottawa area for the whole month other than a weekend we have planned with our son north of Toronto, and my weekend away with my guy friends towards the end of the month. 

We have a planned budget for September of $1,605 CAD ($1,181 USD).

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