Interesting clouds in the sky west of Ottawa, Ontario, Canada.
Where are Kevin and Ruth now? Ottawa, Ontario, Canada.

Where are Kevin and Ruth going next? Cancun, Mexico on November 1st.

Saturday, June 1, 2013

May Expenses

Well, after having a higher than expected April, we were glad to get back to a more reasonable level of expenses. Not quite as low as we hoped it would be, but not bad. We spent a total of $1,075 during the month of May. Here's how it all broke down...

Gasoline: Well that was a good month for gasoline. I think we've only had one month lower than that in the last six years! $20.00. Seriously. We only spent $20 on fuel the whole month. Of course $20 in the little blue car goes a long way, but it lasts even longer when you don't drive the car! Out of our four trips to Prince Albert, we used the campground truck two of those times. It's not that we don't want to drive our car, but the campground truck needed gasoline and there's only one way to fill it up...driving it in to town.

But it's frustrating to know that we're also paying $75 a month for insurance on the little blue car. That's pretty expensive insurance for only driving it a couple of hours per month. Maybe if we return next year we'll see about the possibility of using the camp truck all the time.

Groceries: Hmmm. Well this category is sure starting off higher than we had hoped. After spending over $500 in April on groceries, we spent $626.15 in May! How does one spend over $1,100 in two months for groceries?? Ah, take us back to Mexico where we've done two months for $350! Again, some of that was spent stocking up at the beginning of the month when we arrived to empty shelves, so we'll see how things average out over the summer months.

A tree fell on this table. Guess I'll do a repair job today!

Alcohol: We did not spend any money on booze in the month of May. Zero. Did we make moonshine? Nope. Did we steal it? Nope. We are simply boycotting the expensive alcohol products here in Canada.

There's a little more to it. We feel that the job we're doing is better done without drinking. We're pretty much on call 24/7 so better to stay totally sober. Besides, our livers need a chance to recuperate after all the cheaper booze elsewhere in the world. So we save money and stay healthier. It's a win-win.

This is probably the longest I've gone in 25 years without any alcohol. Do I miss it? Not really. Surprisingly little as a matter of fact. The odd time when we come in really tired I think boy, it sure would be nice to have a beer. But then I have a glass of orange juice or something instead.

Miscellaneous: A little higher here. We spent $454.37 in total. The most expensive item was a gift for our daughter and family...a new stroller and car seat for the baby she's expecting in September. It was on sale, and the one she wanted so we bought it for them. Other than that, we spent about $70 on miscellaneous kitchen items...frying pan, knives, that sort of thing. And $75 on car insurance, and $56 on our internet connection.

Entertainment: Boy, we gotta stop treating ourselves! That $2.75 we spent for ice cream is going to break the bank!

What's in store for June? Well, the lowest we can expect is for about $600 a month while we're here. That would be $100 a week for groceries, plus a little gas and insurance and our internet connection. We'll see how we do!

Okay, time to go vote...if you're one of our facebook fans, please take a minute out of your day and go through the procedure to vote for us. After all this hard work, we'd really like a trip to Namibia when we're done!


Find the photo "Drab Landscape" and click on the far right star to award us with five points!

22 comments:

  1. Yes expensive Canada does put over budget too.
    But six months down south sure helps when we are under budget.
    You are still doing pretty good.

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    1. We are trying really hard to keep our expenses down. The hardest one is our food, We really miss all the beautiful and cheap produce in Mexico.

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  2. You are doing the best you can under the circumstances. Like the bit about perhaps doing this again next year. That way some of us can pre plan a visit your way.

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    1. Working here definitely helps the budget, not only are we paid for the work, we also get the cabin which totally cuts out the overnight expenses. Pretty sure we will be back next year, hope you do make plans for a visit.

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  3. Heck Kevin just you're recycling makes for half the expenses and keep boycotting that Canadian Liquor it's also healthier :)

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    1. Yep, those empties sure help a lot and don't worry we will keep on with our boycott!

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  4. We are still working on meal planning. It is helping a bit. Your food budget is about the same as ours. Would like to be up there right now!

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    1. It takes some work planning but in the long run it is worth the effort. Wish you were up here too, we would love to meet you.

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  5. As I said before, we could probably rv Canada just living off recycling! That would make for a good experiment and blog!

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    1. It would be hard to do unless you knew where there was a steady supply of recycling containers to keep you going.

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  6. Just really looked at the photo....that campground is pristine!

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  7. You are so great about monitoring all your expenses. After spending time with you in Mexico and then reading your blog about expenses, I've started (May 15th) keeping track of everything I spend. Boy, what an eye-opener. Thank you both for the little 'shove' to get my budget in order. And, boy it is expensive in California too. YUCK. But, it's better to know where in the heck its going than to pretend like money will drop from the sky! Love your blog and adventures. Sturgeon Lake is truly magnificent too!

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    1. Thank you Mary-Pat! We have just gotten into a routine of doing it everday so it is like second nature now. We don't have money to throw out the window so as you said, people need to know where that money is going and adjust our budget accordingly. Sure hope you are able to make up here for a visit.

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  8. We like having a budget...sure makes planning easier!

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  9. Having a certain level of alcohol in the blood stream acts as a mosquito repellent, or so I have heard. Something to think about.
    Really like the new header, very professional looking.

    Cheers

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    1. I like that theory but we still are not going to purchase alcohol up here in Canada to test it out. Thanks for your comments on the new header.

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  10. Very interesting comments about the alcohol, we find the longer we go without drinking the less we are bothered and certainly not when there are just the 2 of us. If anything it can be get togethers with others that may induce me to have a drink or two but that's about all. Should be good for your long term health as well as wealth.

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    1. Yep, we're not missing it much and you're right, as time goes on it should be even less.

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  11. Hi K and R: Your Internet sure seems a little high. I'm in AB using Telus and I think 35.00 per month is too high. I hope you are having a great summer. cheers tom

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    1. Hi Tommy...with Bell Mobility it's actually based on the amount of GB that you use. Provided we stayed below 500MB, it would only be $30 a month. But up to 2GB is $45 a month, up to 6GB is $70 a month, up to 10GB is $85 a month and up to 15GB is $105 a month. Telus rates are exactly the same for our device.

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