Table of Contents
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
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Wedding in Minnesota! -
Wedding in Minnesota! -
Wedding in Minnesota -
Grassy Knoll in Dallas -
JFK Memorial in Dallas -
Grassy Knoll in Dallas -
Magnolia in Waco! -
Magnolia in Waco! -
Magnolia in Waco! -
Hanging with our Nephew JP in Houston! -
Hanging with our Nephew JP in Houston!
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!
If you are interested in exploring Harvest Hosts, use this link for 15% off a membership:
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Bayou Teche – Harvest Hosts -
Everything is Beachy Here! -
Golden Acres Ranch – Harvest Hosts -
Buffalo National River
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!
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We Added a Sink to the Inside of the Van! -
Rooftop Deck after Construction -
Rooftop Deck after Construction
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!
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Official meanings suggest that depressive disorders, also understood informally as clinical depression, are characterized by: abrupt anxiety of an individual’s state of mind, in the negative instructions, of modest to strong strength of the strength of the seasoned changes, for greater than a couple of weeks. There might be one or more reasons for the event of modifications. It also occurs that it is tough to identify any kind of unquestionable factor. We extremely often encountered the declaration that it is a world disease of the 21st century – it influences both older as well as younger people. Our education is not important for clinical depression, let alone our revenues – it can impact anyone. 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CBD for Anxiety and also Clinical Depression: Visualize that it is possible to present one natural preparation right into your day-to-day diet, which could prove to be the trick to winning the defend a calmer life for people with depressive disorders. What if the addition of this prep work, produced on the basis of an increasingly widely known as well as evaluated chemical substance of plant beginning, is not only possibly extremely reliable, yet is not connected with the threat of side effects regular of medicinal medicines? Is it also possible? Where’s the catch? Do you need to know even more? Read this article In this post we will cover: What is clinical depression? THC as well as CBD cannabinoids – differences Anxiety as well as the endocannabinoid system What is anxiety? Official meanings recommend that depressive conditions, likewise known informally as anxiety, are defined by: sudden depression of a person’s state of mind, in the negative instructions, of modest to strong strength of the intensity of the skilled adjustments, for greater than a few weeks. There might be several reasons for the event of modifications. It additionally occurs that it is difficult to recognize any type of unquestionable factor. We really frequently found the statement that it is a civilization condition of the 21st century – it impacts both older and also more youthful individuals. Our education and learning is not important for clinical depression, let alone our profits – it can affect any person. Treatment of anxiety comes down to: pharmacotherapy, psychiatric therapy as well as psychoeducation, phototherapy, electroconvulsive therapy as well as more all-natural activities related to the intensification of exercise as well as the introduction of considerable changes in the everyday diet plan. It is as part of natural approaches of fighting and also neutralizing clinical depression that the addition of marijuana preparations with cannabinoids normally occurring in the plant in the everyday diet is acquiring increasingly more popularity in the world. Cannabidiol CBD, found in e.g. CBD oil or full-spectrum hemp oil, shows up in countless clinical studies as a potentially efficient cannabinoid in the treatment of anxiety. Importantly, it is a 100 all-natural chemical substance of plant beginning. Remarkably, clinical depression is among the three most common mental illness in which individuals resort to CBD hemp prep work such as CBD oil, full range hemp oil with CBD or CBD capsules. Records from consumers as well as their positive opinions on the effectiveness of e.g. CBD oil or full range hemp oil with natural CBD are expanding at an extraordinary pace. THC as well as CBD cannabinoids – differences The main cannabinoids in the cannabis plant are THC (Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol) and also CBD (cannabidiol). They show antagonistic impacts, which indicates that CBD minimizes the impacts of THC. What are these impacts? THC has an envigorating result, triggers a sensation of bliss, affects cognitive functions, but additionally relaxes. Large, on a regular basis taken in doses of THC are considered harmful to the human brain. Excessive usage of THC can bring about psychosis, absence of inspiration, and even long-term negative modifications in cognitive function. Both THC and also CBD affect the endocannabinoid system in the body. Their action, as already mentioned, is contradictory. Cbd-a-thc-in-the-endocannabinoid-1 system When composing pictures, CBD slows down the depletion of anandamide sources, and also THC speeds up this procedure. Nonetheless, this does not mean that THC is just a hazardous cannabinoid and also should not remain in the preparation whatsoever. On the other hand. Its tiny existence in hemp preparations is even needed in order to obtain the supposed effect. harmony. THC in full range hemp oil is present in such a minimal as well as, notably, lawful quantity. This quantity is so small (less than 0.2) that it does not create intoxication. Working together, THC as well as CBD have better potential than either molecule acting alone. What is anandamide (AEA)? What is its relevance for people struggling with depression? Read on! CBD, Clinical depression as well as the endocannabinoid system The endocannabinoid system is an essential system in charge of the regulation of fundamental human physical procedures, such as power management, neurohormonal and also neuroimmune connections, motor task, state of mind and motivation, as well as fat metabolic rate. The endocannabinoid system consists of a neurotransmitter called anandamide (AEA). Anandamide is a neurotransmitter that is normally produced in the human mind. Its manufacturing is boosted by e.g. exercise, as well as to a lesser level by the supposed collaborate with the body (massage!). Its resources are “utilized” to maintain the appropriate functioning of the body, including in the field of mental wellness. As displayed in this study: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23580381 high levels of anandamide are connected with a reduced risk of establishing psychotic signs. A high level of anandamide is likewise related to a favorable effect on the decrease of depression and anxiousness symptoms. This mechanism is still not totally recognized, yet it appears sensible that a strongly depressed mood in a specific period for a certain instance, and also with the simultaneous lack of activities focused on its renovation, results in an aggravation of the increase of unfavorable ideas. As depressive problems develop, they can develop into a lot more hazardous kinds of conditions, e.g. psychosis, delusions or schizophrenia. Slowing down this process as rapidly as possible may become essential in the reliable treatment of mental illness of human performance.