This is our 2nd year recording our van life expenses and we’re getting the hang of things. Compared to our 2020 expenses, we simplified a few things in order to make our expense recordings faster and less cumbersome.
We merged a few categories together and got rid of most of our sub-categories.
Let’s get going!
Our 2021 Van Life Expense Breakdown
In the below table (1.1), we break down our 2021 van life monthly expenses into large, general expense categories. This gives us a good, bird’s eye view of where our money is going.
Table 1.1 - Primary Expense Categories (USD)
| Jan | Feb | Mar | |
| Country | Mexico | Mexico | Coming Soon... |
| Monthly Total | $1,374.27 | $1,984.81 | |
| Eating Out | $401.81 | $867.07 | |
| Gas | $275.43 | $200.00 | |
| Groceries | $213.57 | $118.79 | |
| Other | $111.26 | $304.19 | |
| Sleeping | $332.26 | $226.63 | |
| Travel Expenses (excl. gas) | $39.95 | $268.12 | |
| Van Maintenance | $0.00 | $0.00 |
In the below table (1.2), we break down the ‘other’ category to see ina bit more detail where that other money went.
Table 1.2 - Secondary Expense Categories (USD)
| Jan | Feb | Mar | |
| Country | Mexico | Mexico | Coming Soon... |
| Other | |||
| Household Items | $27.84 | $7.54 | |
| Online Subscriptions | $0.00 | $0.00 | |
| Other | $52.76 | $84.22 | |
| Propane/Diesel | $0.00 | $5.03 | |
| Tips | $0.50 | $150.75 | |
| Sub-Total | $81.11 | $247.54 | |
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Van Life Monthly Expense Notes
January
By the start of January we found ourselves in Oaxaca, Mexico. But with many international borders still closed throughout Latin America, we would not be doing nearly as much driving this year as last year. We stayed longer at the various camping sites in Mexico, thus our gas expenses were considerably lower than usual. We also spent more time sitting and working on our blog. Meaning we were traveling less and eating out less, too.
February
By the start of February, we began exploring the last part of Mexico we had yet to visit; the Yucatan Peninsula. Although we weren’t driving so much, we were eating out plenty, especially at pricey hotel restaurants in Tulum. And so our ‘eating out’ expenses rose drastically.
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