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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A high degree of anandamide is also connected with a positive effect on the decrease of clinical depression as well as stress and anxiety symptoms. This device is still not fully comprehended, yet it seems logical that a highly depressed mood in an individual period for a specific case, and with the synchronised absence of actions focused on its improvement, leads to an increase of the influx of unfavorable thoughts. As depressive problems establish, they can turn into much more unsafe types of problems, e.g. psychosis, delusions or schizophrenia. Reducing this procedure as swiftly as possible may turn out to be crucial in the effective treatment of mental illness of human performance.

3,465 thoughts on “Van Life Costs – March”

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April 22, 2021 at 11:59 am

CBD for Anxiousness and Depression: Picture that it is possible to present one all-natural preparation right into your everyday diet, which could verify to be the secret to winning the fight for a calmer life for people with depressive disorders. Suppose the addition of this prep work, created on the basis of an increasingly popular as well as evaluated chemical substance of plant beginning, is not just potentially extremely efficient, but is not connected with the danger of adverse effects regular of pharmacological drugs? Is it also possible? Where’s the catch? Do you want to know more? Read this short article In this article we will cover: What is anxiety? THC as well as CBD cannabinoids – differences Depression and also the endocannabinoid system What is anxiety? Official meanings recommend that depressive problems, also understood informally as anxiety, are characterized by: unexpected clinical depression of an individual’s state of mind, in the negative instructions, of modest to strong intensity of the intensity of the seasoned modifications, for greater than a couple of weeks. There may be several reasons for the occurrence of changes. It additionally happens that it is hard to identify any kind of indisputable factor. We really frequently come across the declaration that it is a civilization condition of the 21st century – it affects both older as well as more youthful people. Our education is not important for anxiety, not to mention our profits – it can affect any individual. Treatment of depression comes down to: pharmacotherapy, psychiatric therapy and psychoeducation, photo-therapy, electroconvulsive therapy and also even more natural tasks connected to the accumulation of physical activity and the introduction of substantial changes in the daily diet regimen. It is as part of natural methods of fighting as well as combating anxiety that the addition of marijuana prep work with cannabinoids normally occurring in the plant in the day-to-day diet plan is gaining increasingly more popularity worldwide. Cannabidiol CBD, found in e.g. CBD oil or full-spectrum hemp oil, shows up in countless clinical researches as a potentially effective cannabinoid in the therapy of anxiety. Significantly, it is a 100 natural chemical substance of plant origin. Surprisingly, anxiety is amongst the three most usual mental illness in which people turn to CBD hemp preparations such as CBD oil, complete range hemp oil with CBD or CBD capsules. Reports from consumers and their positive point of views on the performance of e.g. CBD oil or complete range hemp oil with natural CBD are growing at an extraordinary pace. THC as well as CBD cannabinoids – distinctions The key cannabinoids in the marijuana plant are THC (Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol) as well as CBD (cannabidiol). They reveal hostile results, which means that CBD minimizes the results of THC. What are these impacts? THC has an intoxicating effect, causes a feeling of ecstasy, influences cognitive features, yet also kicks back. Large, on a regular basis consumed doses of THC are considered unsafe to the human brain. Extreme usage of THC can cause psychosis, absence of inspiration, and even permanent negative adjustments in cognitive feature. Both THC and CBD impact the endocannabinoid system in the body. Their action, as already mentioned, is contradictory. Cbd-a-thc-in-the-endocannabinoid-1 system When composing images, CBD decreases the depletion of anandamide sources, as well as THC speeds up this process. Nonetheless, this does not mean that THC is only a dangerous cannabinoid and also should not remain in the prep work in all. On the other hand. Its small visibility in hemp preparations is also required in order to get the supposed impact. synergy. THC in full spectrum hemp oil exists in such a limited and, importantly, lawful quantity. This amount is so little (less than 0.2) that it does not cause drunkenness. Collaborating, THC and also CBD have better potential than either molecule performing alone. What is anandamide (AEA)? What is its significance for people experiencing depression? Read on! CBD, Clinical depression as well as the endocannabinoid system The endocannabinoid system is a key system in charge of the law of fundamental human physiological processes, such as energy administration, neurohormonal and also neuroimmune links, electric motor activity, state of mind as well as inspiration, and fat metabolic process. The endocannabinoid system consists of a natural chemical called anandamide (AEA). Anandamide is a natural chemical that is normally produced in the human brain. Its production is boosted by e.g. exercise, and to a minimal degree by the supposed work with the body (massage!). Its sources are “made use of” to preserve the proper performance of the body, including in the field of psychological health. As received this research: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23580381 high degrees of anandamide are related to a lowered danger of developing psychotic symptoms. A high degree of anandamide is also connected with a positive effect on the decrease of clinical depression as well as stress and anxiety symptoms. This device is still not fully comprehended, yet it seems logical that a highly depressed mood in an individual period for a specific case, and with the synchronised absence of actions focused on its improvement, leads to an increase of the influx of unfavorable thoughts. As depressive problems establish, they can turn into much more unsafe types of problems, e.g. psychosis, delusions or schizophrenia. Reducing this procedure as swiftly as possible may turn out to be crucial in the effective treatment of mental illness of human performance.
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