April 2008 Results
Campground Fees $0.00 - Budget $0.00
Free campsite for April in return for volunteering as a Campground Host at Arches National Park in Moab, UT.
RV Clubs $0.00 - Budget $0.00
RV Insurance $714.29 - Budget $950.00
I was pleasantly surprised by that difference.
Propane $39.43 - Budget $10.00
We knew we would not be reimbursed for propane at Arches because we are living in a park residence. We anticipated using the furnace on occasion to keep our rig warm, but we had no idea that it would be as cold as it was overnight. Fortunately, we didn't have to use nearly as much as last month. :)
Cell Phones $84.90 - Budget $85.00
Satellite Internet $0.00 - Budget $0.00
Note: Satellite internet is no longer included in our regular expenses. We now classify it as a business expense. We paid $798 in December 2007 for all of 2008.
RV Taxes/Registration $0.00 - Budget $0.00
Satellite TV $100.20 - Budget $75.00
The extra $25 was to ship us a new DVR since I dropped one and broke it while moving from our rig to the campground residence.
RV Maintenance $80.17 - Budget $50.00
Had to replace a latch that keeps our entry door open after it broke off. Also, had to replace our water input component due to a broken check valve. But the expenses were only for parts. Believe it or not, I actually did the work myself. :)
Diesel $0.00 - Budget $0.00
Didn't take the truck anywhere in April.
Gas $169.07 - Budget $170.00
We drove more in April than we did in March - 944 miles. Still less than expected, but higher gas prices still made our expenses right on the budget. Our average gas cost was $3.26 per gallon.
Truck Maintenance $0.00 - Budget $35.00
Jeep Maintenance $0.00 - Budget $20.00
Truck Insurance $0.00 - Budget $0.00
Jeep Insurance $0.00 - Budget $0.00
Truck Taxes/Registration $0.00 - Budget $0.00
Jeep Taxes/Registration $0.00 - Budget $0.00
Groceries & Dining Out $447.25 ($14.91 per day) - Budget $450.00
Our Groceries & Dining Out budget for 2008 is based on $12 per day per month for groceries PLUS $90 for dining out. We're actually really pleased to be under budget because groceries in Moab are pretty expensive.
Laundry, Clothing, Hair Care $41.50 - Budget $75.00
Entertainment $25.00 ($0.83 per day) - Budget $275.00
Lots of free stuff to do around here. :)
Insurance - Health, Life, Umbrella, Etc. $180.48 - Budget $181.00
Monthly health insurance premium.
Medical & Dental Expenses $0.00 - Budget $50.00
Miscellaneous $232.31 - Budget $150.00
Forgot to budget for our renewal of our Coach-Net roadside assistance plan ($99).
Emergencies/Budget Cushion $11,625.70 - Budget $500.00
What?!! I'm afraid that's correct.
First, I failed to anticipate the capital gains taxes from our investment withdrawals in 2007 to buy the Jeep. That was $3,450. Ouch.
Add to that $700 to pay our accountant and another $800 in quarterly estimates we had to pay. Of course, we shouldn't have the same issue in 2008 and will probably get money back in 2009.
But Moab caused more expenses to enhance our lifestyle and increase our fun on the road. :)
With it being one of the foremost off-roading places in the country, we decided to outfit our Liberty. We added skid plates to protect vital parts underneath and a bumper/winch combination to get ourselves out of problem situations. That cost us $3,600. We probably spent more than necessary to have it all done, but we were confident it would be done right here at Moab 4X4 Outpost. Now we can go off-road in more places with more confidence and that should be handy during our upcoming four-month stay in the Colorado mountains.
And, finally, we added solar panels and a solar charge controller to complete our electrical upgrade we began last year. We were going to hold off on the panels, but being in this area of the west showed us how many boondocking opportunities there are and how solar could benefit us immediately. Plus we had Jack to do the installation while I watched and learned. So add another $3,000 to the tally. By the way, after only a week, we are very, very pleased we went ahead and did the solar thing.
To start the year, I budgeted $6,000 in this category, but we did not intend to use it. Not only did we use it in a single month, but now we have to make up another $5,000 the rest of the year to make budget.
Fortunately, we are already $1,900 under budget in our normal living expenses for the year. And the extra four months of workamping from July through October should help since we didn't plan for that either.
Totals $2,114.60 ($70.49 per day) for normal living expenses - Budget $2,576.00
Totals with Emergencies/Budget Cushion $13,740.30 - Budget $3,076.00.
Obviously, being almost $11,000 over budget isn't really what we expected. But we have no regrets and we are pleased that we were $460 under budget on our normal living expenses for April.
For a look at this year's numbers through April go to Our 2008 Actual Expenses. To see our budget month-by-month click on Our 2008 Budget.
On the business income side, it was a decent month at $658. But our annual bill for web hosting for the Journal was due as were our annual subscriptions to Workamper News and Caretaker Gazette.
Still, we had a respectable net income of $264 for the month.
Our business income & expense summary statement is now available at Our 2008 Business Financial Summary page.
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