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/

CBD for Anxiousness and also Clinical Depression: Envision that it is feasible to introduce one all-natural preparation into your daily diet plan, which could prove to be the key to winning the fight for a calmer life for people with depressive disorders. Suppose the addition of this preparation, created on the basis of an increasingly well-known and examined chemical substance of plant origin, is not just possibly really reliable, yet is not connected with the danger of side effects normal of pharmacological medicines? Is it even possible? Where’s the catch? Do you want to know even more? Read this post In this post we will certainly cover: What is depression? THC as well as CBD cannabinoids – differences Depression and the endocannabinoid system What is clinical depression? Official meanings recommend that depressive disorders, likewise understood informally as depression, are defined by: unexpected clinical depression of an individual’s state of mind, in the adverse direction, of moderate to strong strength of the strength of the seasoned modifications, for greater than a few weeks. There may be one or more reasons for the occurrence of modifications. It likewise takes place that it is hard to recognize any unquestionable reason. We extremely commonly encountered the statement that it is a people condition of the 21st century – it affects both older and also more youthful individuals. Our education and learning is not important for depression, let alone our revenues – it can influence any person. Treatment of depression comes down to: pharmacotherapy, psychiatric therapy and also psychoeducation, phototherapy, electroconvulsive therapy and even more all-natural tasks connected to the climax of exercise and the introduction of substantial changes in the daily diet regimen. It is as part of all-natural approaches of fighting as well as neutralizing depression that the incorporation of cannabis preparations with cannabinoids naturally taking place in the plant in the daily diet plan is obtaining increasingly more popularity on the planet. Cannabidiol CBD, found in e.g. CBD oil or full-spectrum hemp oil, appears in various clinical researches as a possibly efficient cannabinoid in the treatment of anxiety. Importantly, it is a 100 natural chemical substance of plant beginning. Surprisingly, depression is among the three most usual mental disorders in which individuals turn to CBD hemp preparations such as CBD oil, complete range hemp oil with CBD or CBD capsules. Records from consumers and their positive point of views on the efficiency of e.g. CBD oil or complete range hemp oil with all-natural CBD are expanding at an unprecedented pace. THC and CBD cannabinoids – differences The main cannabinoids in the marijuana plant are THC (Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol) as well as CBD (cannabidiol). They reveal hostile impacts, which means that CBD reduces the impacts of THC. What are these results? THC has an envigorating result, triggers a sensation of ecstasy, influences cognitive features, but additionally unwinds. Huge, consistently consumed dosages of THC are considered dangerous to the human brain. Extreme intake of THC can cause psychosis, absence of motivation, and also also permanent negative adjustments in cognitive feature. Both THC and CBD affect the endocannabinoid system in the human body. Their activity, as currently stated, is inconsistent. 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CBD, Anxiety and also the endocannabinoid system The endocannabinoid system is an essential system responsible for the regulation of fundamental human physical processes, such as energy administration, neurohormonal as well as neuroimmune links, motor activity, mood as well as motivation, and fat metabolism. The endocannabinoid system includes a natural chemical called anandamide (AEA). Anandamide is a natural chemical that is normally produced in the human brain. Its manufacturing is stimulated by e.g. exercise, and also to a lower level by the supposed work with the body (massage!). Its resources are “made use of” to keep the proper functioning of the body, consisting of in the field of mental health. As received this research study: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23580381 high degrees of anandamide are associated with a lowered danger of establishing psychotic symptoms. A high level of anandamide is additionally associated with a positive impact on the decrease of anxiety as well as anxiousness signs and symptoms. This device is still not fully understood, yet it appears logical that a highly depressed state of mind in an individual time period for a particular situation, and with the synchronised absence of activities focused on its improvement, results in an aggravation of the influx of adverse thoughts. As depressive disorders develop, they can turn into much more harmful forms of conditions, e.g. psychosis, deceptions or schizophrenia. Slowing down this process as quickly as possible might end up being important in the effective therapy of mental illness of human performance.

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CBD for Anxiousness and also Clinical Depression: Envision that it is feasible to introduce one all-natural preparation into your daily diet plan, which could prove to be the key to winning the fight for a calmer life for people with depressive disorders. Suppose the addition of this preparation, created on the basis of an increasingly well-known and examined chemical substance of plant origin, is not just possibly really reliable, yet is not connected with the danger of side effects normal of pharmacological medicines? Is it even possible? Where’s the catch? Do you want to know even more? Read this post In this post we will certainly cover: What is depression? THC as well as CBD cannabinoids – differences Depression and the endocannabinoid system What is clinical depression? Official meanings recommend that depressive disorders, likewise understood informally as depression, are defined by: unexpected clinical depression of an individual’s state of mind, in the adverse direction, of moderate to strong strength of the strength of the seasoned modifications, for greater than a few weeks. There may be one or more reasons for the occurrence of modifications. It likewise takes place that it is hard to recognize any unquestionable reason. We extremely commonly encountered the statement that it is a people condition of the 21st century – it affects both older and also more youthful individuals. Our education and learning is not important for depression, let alone our revenues – it can influence any person. Treatment of depression comes down to: pharmacotherapy, psychiatric therapy and also psychoeducation, phototherapy, electroconvulsive therapy and even more all-natural tasks connected to the climax of exercise and the introduction of substantial changes in the daily diet regimen. It is as part of all-natural approaches of fighting as well as neutralizing depression that the incorporation of cannabis preparations with cannabinoids naturally taking place in the plant in the daily diet plan is obtaining increasingly more popularity on the planet. Cannabidiol CBD, found in e.g. CBD oil or full-spectrum hemp oil, appears in various clinical researches as a possibly efficient cannabinoid in the treatment of anxiety. Importantly, it is a 100 natural chemical substance of plant beginning. Surprisingly, depression is among the three most usual mental disorders in which individuals turn to CBD hemp preparations such as CBD oil, complete range hemp oil with CBD or CBD capsules. Records from consumers and their positive point of views on the efficiency of e.g. CBD oil or complete range hemp oil with all-natural CBD are expanding at an unprecedented pace. THC and CBD cannabinoids – differences The main cannabinoids in the marijuana plant are THC (Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol) as well as CBD (cannabidiol). They reveal hostile impacts, which means that CBD reduces the impacts of THC. What are these results? THC has an envigorating result, triggers a sensation of ecstasy, influences cognitive features, but additionally unwinds. Huge, consistently consumed dosages of THC are considered dangerous to the human brain. Extreme intake of THC can cause psychosis, absence of motivation, and also also permanent negative adjustments in cognitive feature. Both THC and CBD affect the endocannabinoid system in the human body. Their activity, as currently stated, is inconsistent. Cbd-a-thc-in-the-endocannabinoid-1 system When composing images, CBD slows down the deficiency of anandamide resources, as well as THC accelerate this process. However, this does not mean that THC is only a damaging cannabinoid as well as needs to not be in the prep work in all. On the other hand. Its little presence in hemp preparations is also needed in order to get the so-called effect. synergy. THC completely spectrum hemp oil is present in such a marginal and also, importantly, lawful quantity. This amount is so little (less than 0.2) that it does not create drunkenness. Collaborating, THC as well as CBD have greater potential than either particle performing alone. What is anandamide (AEA)? What is its value for people suffering from anxiety? Continue reading! CBD, Anxiety and also the endocannabinoid system The endocannabinoid system is an essential system responsible for the regulation of fundamental human physical processes, such as energy administration, neurohormonal as well as neuroimmune links, motor activity, mood as well as motivation, and fat metabolism. The endocannabinoid system includes a natural chemical called anandamide (AEA). Anandamide is a natural chemical that is normally produced in the human brain. Its manufacturing is stimulated by e.g. exercise, and also to a lower level by the supposed work with the body (massage!). Its resources are “made use of” to keep the proper functioning of the body, consisting of in the field of mental health. As received this research study: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23580381 high degrees of anandamide are associated with a lowered danger of establishing psychotic symptoms. 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