Let’s start with money.
For some people they think about a budget to live off of towards the beginning of their plans to live on the road. This is smart because if you haven’t quite your job yet you can set a monetary goal to reach before taking off. Another reason to think about this early is so you can see what travel-friendly jobs you can find to have income while on the road.
I have been going off of saving and never set a monthly budget but would be as frugal as possible while still seeing some sites and attractions. On average I spend $1000 a month at least. I wish it was less and I know I can be. Here are my spending categories and my philosophy for their average amount.
1. Overnight parking/where I park and sleep: $0
I can do this because I stealth camp and use freecampsites.net. Living free means not paying to park my home while I sleep.
2. Gas: $400-$500 a month
I like to move around. I rarely stay in the same place two nights in a row when I am by myself. I stealth camp a lot but when I am with friends I tend to stick around for a week or so. That really helps my gas budget.
3. Food & Water, i.e. Groceries: $50 average a week
A subgroup of this would be dining/fast food which I usually do like $30 or less a week when I am by myself. When I am with friends this average goes up. I hear that there are people living off of $50 a month for groceries. So anything is possible. I will do a grocery list post soon.
4. Auto: $100
This is a high average but I do get an oil change once a month(I did 1000 miles in the 3 days). I do have some little fixes here and there. My most expensive was getting my windshield replaced. I have also had the belt, speedometer and front tires replaced. I have done all this over an 8 month span. Next on my list are brakes and a transmission leak.
5. Entertainment: $200+
This can be where a I splurge too much. Eating out tends to fall into this spot. Going to movies, I got my nails done, went to museums, bought little souvenirs, and just tried to enjoy each area I went to. Pretty much anything that is a “want” and not a “need”.
Your Truly,
Karli
©Curious Karli
Feature Photo Credit – @herbal_mint
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