Budget Breakdown: August on the PanAmerican Highway
As August drew to a close, we found ourselves in the south of West Cost USA, having traversed from Washington to California on our journey down the PanAmerican Highway. The landscapes and the joy of living on the open road have been extraordinary, but as with any grand adventure, managing our budget is key to making this trip sustainable.
Budget Overview
For this trip, we have a total in savings amounting to $70,000 CAD (or $51,500 USD). This gives us a maximum daily spend of $71.50 USD, but we’re aiming for a more conservative budget of $60 USD per day to allow for some flexibility.
In August, our target budget was $1860 USD. Here's a detailed look at how we did:
Anticipated Daily Budget: $60
August Total Budget: $1860
Actual Monthly Spends: $2043.85
So, how did we fare? Let's break it down:
Daily Spending Calculation:
To find out our actual daily spend in August, we divide our total spending by the number of days in the month. August has 31 days, so:
We spent approximately $66.58 per day, which is above our target of $60 but still below our maximum allowable spend of $71.50.
Expense Breakdown
Fuel: $604.26
The vast distances covered have naturally led to significant fuel costs. Gasoline is cheaper in the USA compared to Canada, which somewhat alleviated the sting of these expenses. Fuel costs will be a recurring major theme in our budget!
Groceries: $491.63
Our goal has been to maintain a healthy diet with plenty of fresh produce, which, while beneficial for our well-being, has proved quite costly in the USA. On average, we spent over $120 a week on groceries for two.
Camping: $0
We successfully avoided paid campsites in August by utilising a combinations of apps and websites such as iOverlander and Compendium to find wild camping spots. This meant throughout August we were able to spend nothing on camp sites. On average campsites range from $25 - $60 USD per night so costs would mount up quickly. This will likely change as we head into Mexico, where we plan to reduce our wild camping due to safety and logistical reasons.
Attractions: $385.58
We typically aren’t too interested in major tourist attractions and don’t partake in many tours so as expected, our costs in this area were relatively low. We prefer to explore at our own pace, self-guided but do occasionally find some attractions of interest. Some of favourite activities and attractions have included a stagecoach ride at Colombia state historic park in California, a visit to Alcatraz in San Francisco and the Timber Museum in Forks.
Eating Out: $181.68
Eating out has been a treat, but it adds up. We allowed ourselves a few meals out but otherwise we’ve spent much of our time cooking. Much of this cost has come from buying ourselves snacks, coffees and soft drinks in gas stations during the long drives. As we drive into Latin America, where the food will be more of an experience for us, we imagine we’ll be eating out significantly more!
Overhead Costs: $373.30
This includes insurance, breakdown cover, and phone bills. These fixed costs are necessary and unavoidable but have been managed within our budget. We will be able to reduce these overheads further by changing our phone plans when we head into Mexico.
Mo and Transportation Costs: $0
No costs for repairs or maintenance for Mo this month, which is a relief. However, we anticipate some repair expenses in September so we're preparing for that. Our bikes have been invaluable on this trip so far, allowing us to explore further without having to pay for bike rentals.
Miscellaneous: $104.20
Small but varied expenses, such as toiletries, unexpected purchases, and other odds and ends.
Key Takeaways
Staying Within Budget: While we did exceed our budget slightly, the extra costs were manageable, especially considering the USA is the most expensive segment of our journey. We anticipated spending significantly more on this portion of the trip and as such
Main Expenses: Fuel and food remain our largest expenses. Fuel costs were somewhat offset by lower gas prices compared to Canada, but food costs have been higher than anticipated.
Camping: Our strategy of avoiding paid campsites and wild camping each night worked well in August, but we’ll need to adapt this as we move through Mexico and beyond.
Food Costs: We’ve been prioritizing healthy foods with our groceries, which has been both rewarding and costly. We’re aware that we’ll need to find ways to reduce these costs moving forward. Another major spend in this area was gas station drinks and snacks for those days that we’re on the go - we’ll definitely need to cut down here!
Hobbies: Engaging in activities like photographing, fishing and hiking has been a cost-effective way to enrich our journey, keeping us entertained without straining our budget. Luckily for us, we love being in nature and that’s free! Sam even tried his hand at crabbing!
Overall, while we were slightly over budget in August, this is a part of the learning curve as we navigate through more expensive regions. Our focus now shifts to finding ways to economize as we enter Central and South America. We hope to increase the proportion of our budget spent on activities by reducing food costs. In this way we hope to balance out our spending and continue enjoying this once-in-a-lifetime adventure. Stay tuned for more updates as we continue our journey southward!