Van Life Costs - March - Ruhls of the Road's life on a budget

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Heading into our van life adventure at the beginning of 2019, one thing that we were hyper-focused on was our van life costs. We had some money saved from working full time, and did not have a ton of money coming in each month. What did that mean? It meant that the more we spent, the shorter our adventure would be! So we HAD to minimize costs, because we wanted to adventure as long as possible! We are going to give you a 100% transparent view into our expenses we had in our third month on the road. Here we go!

In March, we spent a TON of time with family! The whole month in fact. We started the month in Minnesota staying with Zach’s parents, took a Wisconsin trip to see Julie’s parents, and capped off the Midwestern excursion with a wedding in Stillwater, MN in mid-March!

We had an absolute BLAST seeing so much family and friends for the first time since we started our adventure! After the wedding (and Julie passing her nursing boards YAY!!) we took off from Minnesota heading South!

We stopped in Oklahoma City, Dallas, and Waco on our way towards Houston. We had so much fun seeing our new nephew JP in February that we had to go back in March to see him again! We stayed in Houston with our Texas family until the end of March, exploring everything we could while we were there.

Photos from Month 3’s Adventure

Our budget for March was smaller than our January and February budgets because we were spending so much time with Family. We knew we would probably have higher entertainment expenses, but fewer gas and grocery trips, so those expenses would probably be lower. Here’s what we came up with for the budget:

February Budget

Expense	Budget
Gas	$300
Groceries	$100
Lodging	$0
Auto Maintenance	$100
Other / Entertainment	$300
Total	$800

Now, let’s see how we did!

Gas

Budget: $300 || Actual: $147.93

Exxon (1 fill up)	$28.37
Super America (1)	$38.78
Cenex (1)	$40.89
Holiday (1)	$32.11
Other (1)	$7.78
Total	$147.93

We did WAY better than expected on gas in March. That was mainly due to a few reasons:

We traveled much less than we thought we would while in MN and WI
We split gas by carpooling from MN back to Houston

On the trip from MN to Houston, we had the pleasure of riding with some of Zach’s family! It made the road trip SO fun, and also it helped because the gas cost for us was much much lower.

Our Gas Search Strategy

Once we were under 1/4 tank, Julie opens up Get Upside and Google Maps, and searches for gas places on our route in the next 50 miles. We’d find and stop at the cheapest one, whether it was 2 miles away or 48!

If you decide to download Get Upside, use code ‘2GZ28A’ for an extra $.15/gal cash back on your first gas purchase!

Groceries

Budget: $100 || Actual: $116.20

Wal Mart (2 times)	$109.51
Gas Station Coffee (3)	$8.86
Total	$116.20

We were SO close on our grocery budget for March. Close enough that I’m going to give us the benefit of the doubt and say we basically hit our goal.

If only a few more things were on sale at the right time, we could have snuck in right under budget for March. Either way, se la vie, life goes on.

One of our Favorite Recipes

Lodging

Budget: $0 || Actual: $0

Living in our van at Harvest Hosts, National Forests, and Wal Mart parking lots	$0
Total	$0

Just like February, we hit our budget DEAD ON for lodging… ZERO! Nada! Zip!

To be honest, finding lodging has become one of the most fun portions of our adventure! Also, to be honest, it has gotten MUCH easier the further West we’ve traveled.

Out West, there is MUCH more public property (National Forests, Bureau of Land Management, Wildlife Areas, etc) that offer opportunities for free camping! What’s more? The land is BETTER!

We have found b-e-a-utiful places to spend the night almost each and every night!

https://ruhlsoftheroad.com/park-overnight-free/

If you are interested in exploring Harvest Hosts, use this link for 15% off a membership:

Click this Image for 15% off your Harvest Hosts Membership!

Auto Maintenance

Budget: $100 || Actual: $94.69

One oil change and general tune-up	$94.69
Total	$94.69

In March, Winnie continued to be an absolute CHAMPION on the road! Absolutely no issues to deal with except our regular oil change and tune up.

We try to stay ahead of schedule with these to keep Winnie in as tip top of shape as we can. So far our strategy seems to be working well! Knock on wood…

Other / Entertainment

Budget: $300 || Actual: $660.99

Drinking Out (7 times)	$171.65
Eating Out (4)	$60.31
Van Improvements	$269.73
Subscriptions (Canva, Adobe, Spotify, Planet Fitness)	$62.90
Other	$96.40
Cash Expenses	$0
Total	$660.99

Once again we are over budget in our other/entertainment category! I guess you can say we cave in to peer pressure pretty easily.

Being back home with friends we found ourselves going out a lot more. How can you say no to a damn good time?? We have no idea!

Also while we were back in Minnesota, we made some van improvements. Our first two months on the road were a great test drive for what van-life would be like and we learned a ton!

For example, we learned having our kitchen pull out of the back was a huge pain, especially with our bikes on the back. Brushing your teeth/washing your face isn’t very fun using water bottles either.

Therefore, while we were home we rearranged some things in the van and put our kitchen with running water inside! We also added a deck to our roof, which has been by far our favorite improvement! We’ve loved reading, sunbathing, and star gazing on our roof all over the country.

Even though our van improvements took us over budget, they were totally worth it. Having running water in the van and a rooftop deck have been extreme life improvements for us!

We Added a Sink to the Inside of the Van!

Total

Expense	Budget	Actual
Gas	$300	$147.93
Groceries	$100	$16.20
Lodging	$0	$0
Auto Maintenance	$100	$94.69
Other / Entertainment	$300	$660.99
Total	$800	$1019.81

So close, but yet so far. Again and again, it is the other/entertainment category that absolutely CRUSHES us month after month.

We REALLY need to improve our self-control, but we just have so much rootin’ tootin’ FUN when we see friends and family! So sue us. Actually please don’t, we don’t have a lot of money, so you won’t win a lot anyways…

Month 4 Budget

Expense	Budget
Gas	$400
Groceries	$300
Lodging	$0
Auto Maintenance	$100
Other / Entertainment	$200
Total	$1000

For April, we will be back on the road FULL TIME! That means our budget is back to what it was in February: $1000, broken down just as it is in the table above.

Will we hit it? Will April be the first time this year that we actually HIT our budget? You’ll have to check back to find out!

If you liked this article, use the below image to Pin it and save for later!

If you want to hear more about our budget, here is our budget and spending from February and January!

https://ruhlsoftheroad.com/van-life-costs-february/

https://ruhlsoftheroad.com/van-life-cost-month-1/

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As depressive conditions establish, they can develop into a lot more hazardous kinds of problems, e.g. psychosis, delusions or schizophrenia. Slowing down this process as promptly as feasible might become vital in the reliable therapy of mental illness of human functioning.

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CBD for Stress And Anxiety as well as Anxiety: Envision that it is possible to present one all-natural prep work into your day-to-day diet regimen, which could prove to be the trick to winning the fight for a calmer life for individuals with depressive conditions. What if the addition of this prep work, created on the basis of a progressively popular and tested chemical compound of plant origin, is not just potentially extremely efficient, however is not associated with the risk of side effects common of medicinal medicines? Is it also feasible? Where’s the catch? Do you wish to know more? Read this post In this article we will cover: What is anxiety? THC and also CBD cannabinoids – differences Depression and also the endocannabinoid system What is clinical depression? Official interpretations recommend that depressive conditions, likewise known colloquially as clinical depression, are defined by: abrupt anxiety of a person’s mood, in the unfavorable direction, of modest to strong strength of the intensity of the experienced modifications, for more than a few weeks. There may be one or more reasons for the incident of modifications. It also happens that it is difficult to identify any unequivocal reason. We very often stumbled upon the declaration that it is a people illness of the 21st century – it influences both older and more youthful people. Our education is trivial for clinical depression, not to mention our incomes – it can influence any individual. Treatment of depression comes down to: pharmacotherapy, psychiatric therapy and also psychoeducation, phototherapy, electroconvulsive therapy as well as even more natural tasks connected to the rise of exercise and the introduction of substantial modifications in the everyday diet plan. It is as part of natural techniques of dealing with as well as counteracting anxiety that the inclusion of cannabis prep work with cannabinoids naturally happening in the plant in the daily diet plan is getting an increasing number of appeal worldwide. Cannabidiol CBD, found in e.g. CBD oil or full-spectrum hemp oil, shows up in various scientific research studies as a potentially effective cannabinoid in the treatment of clinical depression. Significantly, it is a 100 all-natural chemical compound of plant beginning. Remarkably, anxiety is among the 3 most typical mental illness in which patients resort to CBD hemp prep work such as CBD oil, complete range hemp oil with CBD or CBD pills. Records from customers and also their favorable point of views on the efficiency of e.g. CBD oil or full range hemp oil with all-natural CBD are growing at an extraordinary rate. THC and also CBD cannabinoids – differences The key cannabinoids in the marijuana plant are THC (Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol) and CBD (cannabidiol). They show antagonistic impacts, which suggests that CBD decreases the effects of THC. What are these effects? THC has an intoxicating result, triggers a feeling of bliss, affects cognitive features, however additionally relaxes. Big, consistently eaten doses of THC are considered harmful to the human mind. Extreme consumption of THC can bring about psychosis, absence of motivation, as well as even long-term adverse changes in cognitive feature. Both THC and CBD influence the endocannabinoid system in the human body. Their activity, as currently pointed out, is contradictory. Cbd-a-thc-in-the-endocannabinoid-1 system When writing images, CBD decreases the depletion of anandamide sources, and THC speeds up this process. Nevertheless, this does not suggest that THC is just a hazardous cannabinoid and must not be in the prep work in all. As a matter of fact. Its small existence in hemp preparations is even needed in order to obtain the so-called effect. synergy. THC completely range hemp oil is present in such a marginal as well as, notably, legal amount. This amount is so little (less than 0.2) that it does not create drunkenness. Interacting, THC as well as CBD have better potential than either particle acting alone. What is anandamide (AEA)? What is its value for people suffering from anxiety? Keep reading! CBD, Clinical depression and the endocannabinoid system The endocannabinoid system is a vital system responsible for the regulation of fundamental human physiological processes, such as power management, neurohormonal and neuroimmune links, motor task, mood as well as inspiration, and also fat metabolism. The endocannabinoid system consists of a natural chemical called anandamide (AEA). Anandamide is a natural chemical that is naturally produced in the human mind. Its manufacturing is promoted by e.g. physical activity, and to a minimal extent by the supposed work with the body (massage therapy!). Its resources are “used” to keep the correct performance of the body, consisting of in the field of mental wellness. As displayed in this study: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23580381 high levels of anandamide are associated with a decreased danger of establishing psychotic signs. A high level of anandamide is likewise related to a positive impact on the reduction of depression as well as anxiousness signs and symptoms. This system is still not completely comprehended, however it appears rational that a strongly depressed state of mind in a private time period for a particular instance, as well as with the synchronised absence of activities targeted at its renovation, brings about an intensification of the influx of adverse thoughts. As depressive conditions establish, they can develop into a lot more hazardous kinds of problems, e.g. psychosis, delusions or schizophrenia. Slowing down this process as promptly as feasible might become vital in the reliable therapy of mental illness of human functioning.

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