2012 July's Budget Figures

I am changing how we post our budget.  While we still are not including items that are stick house expenses but only what we spend living on the road I thought it would be useful to include our starting envelope points.  This starting point is the money we managed to save for our first year of travel  since we knew we would not have enough in our "standard future" budget.  I've included the amount we had July 1 as our "start of retirement budgeting date."  We will also be putting money in the envelopes but not enough to pay for our adventures over the next year.  We cover envelope budgeting in the tabs above this post.

      In July we traveled from Vermont to Bethel Park in order to make several improvements that would cost nothing there.  For instance, we improved my bed by cutting up an extra mattress (sorry company) and using it to make my new bed. Cost was 0.  We had also decided to purchase a new TV for the trailer so we could use hdmi from the computers to watch hulu or any other internet item.  Lew has more tools and widgets at Stix&Brix so we went there.
     Our 'large expenditures' were the new TV for Marco and a tracfone.  That is, we purchased minutes for a two year old Tracfone we had lying around.  We have on several occasions wanted to contact each other and been unable to with one Cellphone between us.  It was starting to make me uncomfortable to be unable to call for help if Lew had gone biking and I did not have a phone.  So as a compromise expenditure we purchased 2000 minutes for the tracfone.
     Campground fees were items we purchased to camp on Amy's land (hoses, etc) as well as the Passport America membership discussed on this page.  We also prepaid for another trip to be made in August to Darien Lake.
     Once at Bethel Park, I got sick for a couple of weeks, thus the doctor, dentist and drug bills.  You will note that this item will continue to climb because this is me. We will be paying to see the doctors in the hinterlands of the USA! 
    The food bill was a bit high due to the pop and ice cream.


Jan