Our Budget
Posted by RachelAfter 8 months of travel, we spent a total of $13,471.46. This does not include the upfront costs of a bike tour, which can be quite expensive and are itemized at the end.
To begin, we each contributed $8,000 to a joint bank account. We also raised over $4,000 from donors. Most of the money from the donors was used for purchasing a MacBook Air, 2 external hard drives for footage and photo backup, the video camera, a microphone, tripods, and a sound cable. We also used much of the money raised for upfront gear costs because they were significant. The remaining funds will be used to send the rewards, produce our documentary and a book.
I have categorized our spending below so as to be as transparent to our donors as possible and to serve as a guide for anyone considering long term travel. This is, of course, only what we spent, not what any other tourist might spend.
Grand Total: $13,471.46
Food: Dining Out: $3,034.32, Groceries: $2422.19
Food is by far our biggest expense. We are foodies who demand healthy, fresh food. We also feel that the best part of traveling is trying the cuisine of the region. As a result, controlling spending in this category was impossible. There was also a lot of waste when we had bought fresh vegetables that went bad before we were able to eat them. It was our biggest frustration on the road as well.
Lodging: Hotels: $1464.42, Camping: $378.43
Lodging was our second biggest expense due to the number and cost of hotels we stayed in. We managed to avoid staying in any hotels until Georgia, our second month on the road, but once we entered Florida and cold weather (which makes for miserable camping), it was impossible to either free camp or find campgrounds. In addition, the longer we were on the road and the more exhausted we became near the end, the more hotels we stayed at instead of riding further to find a campground (that often had no showers). We are very comfortable free camping now, however, and if we were to do a shorter tour in the future, we would likely choose a route that allowed us to keep out of hotels entirely.
Transportation: $1424.44, plus an additional Gasoline: $537.23
Transportation consists of anything from car rentals to bus fares to ferries to airplane tickets, all of which we used at some point or another on this trip. We rented one car to bypass riding through the Everglades to Tampa only once, and flew to bypass the still frozen Rockies once as well. The rest of the transportation costs were while in cities or to visit sights inaccessible by bike in the time we had available to us during our stay in a region. (i.e. visiting the Grand Canyon, Yosemite, Sequoia, White Sands, etc.). The cost for gasoline covered all those car rentals as well as a visit to Jessica’s parents during our break in February.
Entertainment: $1390.63, plus an additional Alcohol: $125.93
Entertainment includes anything from entrance fees at museums or parks to movies or concerts. Basically the same things one would consider entertainment in one place as well. We itemized out alcohol in order to keep an eye on this cost. It is far too easy to spend too much on alcohol and our priority is to keep that expenditure as low as possible so that we have money for things like entertainment.
Business: $381.29, plus an additional Gear: $287.52, Gifts: $304.07
Business costs include shipping various items home, web server costs, things that keep ATG going. Gear included buying new items that we needed like a second dromedary sack for water in the desert, or replacing worn out or broken items. Gifts include rewards for our donors and postcards for our grandparents because, you know, they are important people.
Miscellaneous: $808.70, plus an additional Cash: $488.52, Medical & Toiletries: $44.33, Unknown: $ 379.44
Miscellaneous is the grab bag of expenditures. It includes anything, quite literally. We withdrew nearly $500 in cash because it is incredibly important to have cash on hand when bike touring. Many small towns have shops that prefer cash, lots of campgrounds don’t even take credit cards, and sometimes it’s just easier. We spent a lot less on toiletries than I expected, but I think this is due to the fact that often, we kept the hotel shampoo, conditioner, soap and lotions. I mean, we paid an arm and a leg to stay in these places, and they would have tossed them anyway, so why not? We also have what we feel is a forgivable amount of items that we can’t identify what it was we spent our money on. Bank and credit card statements aren’t always clear and while I attempt to identify every single cost and keep receipts to assist in this, it’s literally impossible at times. Thankfully, the number isn’t too high.
As of September 20, 2011, we were expecting to spend $18,362.70 (this number includes upfront cost.) Therefore, we spent more overall than expected (Upfront cost of $11,000 + on-going cost of $13,000 = $24,000), but it was in different places than we originally projected. Going forward, we can not only better predict what our costs for the next (short) bike tour will cost, but we can also use it to compare cost of living expenses as we look forward to rejoining a stationary life. We had to spend a lot to make this dream possible, but it was still cheaper than expected and completely, utterly worth every penny.
Below is the original budget, which gives the $18,000 estimate. The first table includes all our “one time purchases”, which consist of all gear – camping, biking – clothes, and miscellaneous items like first aid kits. These are, of course, only one time purchases unless something breaks, so we’re keeping the prices listed, not only for your benefit, but also because we’ve got to budget in replacement costs in our on-going budget, which is the second table below.
The second table is our “on-going expenses” budget. This, of course, is subject to change because we are still fine tuning how much we spend on food and lodging. We’re pretty sure we can keep the rest of our expenses in line.
One Time Purchases Budget:
| Clothes: | Quantity | Individual Cost | Cost per Overall Quantity | Quantity Needed | Cost Remaining |
| Balaclava | 2 | 30.00 | 60.00 | 0 | 0.00 |
| Base Layer Socks | 3 | 15.00 | 45.00 | 0 | 0.00 |
| Fleece | 2 | 70.00 | 140.00 | 0 | 0.00 |
| Gloves | 2 | 30.00 | 60.00 | 0 | 0.00 |
| Gore-Tex Socks | 1 | 50.00 | 100.00 | 0 | 0.00 |
| Casual Pants (Converter) | 2 | 30.00 | 60.00 | 0 | 0.00 |
| Keen Commuter Sandals | 1 | 83.00 | 83.00 | 0 | 0.00 |
| Long Underwear | 2 | 30.00 | 60.00 | 0 | 0.00 |
| Nylon Pants (See Casual) | 0 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0 | 0.00 |
| Padded Bike Shorts | 4 | 30.00 | 120.00 | 0 | 0.00 |
| Regular Bra | 40.00 | 80.00 | 0 | 0.00 | |
| Quick Drying Underwear | 5 | 40.00 | 200.00 | 0 | 0.00 |
| Smartwool shirts | 2 | 70.00 | 140.00 | 0 | 0.00 |
| Smartwool socks | 5 | 15.00 | 75.00 | 0 | 0.00 |
| Sports Bra | 4 | 20.00 | 80.00 | 0 | 0.00 |
| Swim Suit | 2 | 30.00 | 60.00 | 0 | 0.00 |
| Waterproof Jacket | 2 | 80.00 | 160.00 | 0 | 0.00 |
| Waterproof Pants | 2 | 40.00 | 80.00 | 0 | 0.00 |
| Total: | 1,603.00 | 0.00 | |||
| Bike Related: | |||||
| Air Pump | 1 | 40.00 | 40.00 | 0 | 0.00 |
| Bike | 2 | 1,500.00 | 3,000.00 | 0 | 0.00 |
| Bike Computer/ GPS | 1 | 400.00 | 400.00 | 0 | 0.00 |
| Bike Lights | 4 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0 | 0.00 |
| Cleanup Rags | 3 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0 | 0.00 |
| Handlebar Bag | 1 | 25.00 | 25.00 | 0 | 0.00 |
| Helmet | 2 | 35.00 | 70.00 | 0 | 0.00 |
| Helmet Mirror | 2 | 15.00 | 30.00 | 0 | 0.00 |
| Panniers | 8 | 143.00 | 1,144.00 | 0 | 0.00 |
| Racks | 4 | 120.00 | 480.00 | 0 | 0.00 |
| Shimano Cleats | 1 | 20.00 | 20.00 | 0 | 0.00 |
| Shower Cap for Saddle | 2 | 3.00 | 6.00 | 0 | 0.00 |
| Total: | 5215.00 | 0.00 | |||
| Camp Related: | |||||
| Clothesline/Pins | 1 | 15.00 | 15.00 | 0 | 0.00 |
| Cooking Utensils | 1 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0 | 0.00 |
| Dishes | 2 | 3.25 | 6.50 | 0 | 0.00 |
| Flashlight/ Headlamp | 2 | 20.00 | 40.00 | 0 | 0.00 |
| Hachet/ Knife | 1 | 40.00 | 40.00 | 0 | 0.00 |
| Iodine Tablets | 1 | 10.00 | 10.00 | 0 | 0.00 |
| Needle & Thread | 1 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0 | 0.00 |
| Nylon Rope | 1 | 10.00 | 10.00 | 0 | 0.00 |
| Pillow | 2 | 9.50 | 19.00 | 0 | 0.00 |
| Pots and Pans | 1 | 20.00 | 20.00 | 0 | 0.00 |
| Sleeping Bag | 2 | 144.00 | 288.00 | 0 | 0.00 |
| Sleeping Bag Liner | 2 | 30.00 | 60.00 | 0 | 0.00 |
| Sleeping Pad | 2 | 89.85 | 179.70 | 0 | 0.00 |
| Solar Charger | 1 | 80.00 | 80.00 | 0 | 0.00 |
| Stuff Sacks | 4 | 20.00 | 80.00 | 0 | 0.00 |
| Swiss Army Knife | 1 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0 | 0.00 |
| Tarp | 1 | 6.50 | 6.50 | 0 | 0.00 |
| Trangia Stove | 1 | 30.00 | 30.00 | 0 | 0.00 |
| Trowel | 2 | 10.00 | 20.00 | 0 | 0.00 |
| Utensils | 2 | 0 | 0.00 | ||
| Wash Cloth | 1 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0 | 0.00 |
| Water Bottles | 3 | 6.00 | 18.00 | 0 | 0.00 |
| Water Purifier | 1 | 100.00 | 100.00 | 0 | 0.00 |
| Water Sacks | 1 | 45.00 | 45.00 | 0 | 0.00 |
| Total: | 1,067.70 | 0.00 | |||
| Emergency Expenditures: | |||||
| Bear Mace | 1 | 30.00 | 30.00 | 0 | 0.00 |
| Emer. Warming Blanket | 2 | 4.00 | 8.00 | 0 | 0.00 |
| Emergency Firestarter | 1 | 6.00 | 6.00 | 0 | 0.00 |
| First Aid kit | 1 | 40.00 | 40.00 | 0 | 0.00 |
| Total: | 84.00 | 0.00 | |||
| Toilettries: | |||||
| Camp Towel | 2 | 20.00 | 40.00 | 0 | 0.00 |
| Diva Cup | 2 | 30.00 | 60.00 | 0 | 0.00 |
| Prescription Sunglasses | 2 | 200.00 | 400.00 | 0 | 0.00 |
| Total: | 500.00 | 0.00 | |||
| Misc: | |||||
| Bungee Cords/Straps | 4 | 12.00 | 48.00 | 0 | 0.00 |
| Duct Tape | 1 | 5.00 | 5.00 | 0 | 0.00 |
| Nat’l Parks Pass | 1 | 80.00 | 80.00 | 1 | 80.00 |
| Pen | 2 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0 | 0.00 |
| Total: | 133.00 | 80.00 | |||
| Media: | |||||
| Camcorder | 1 | 1300.00 | 1300.00 | 0 | 0.00 |
| Camera | 1 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0 | 0.00 |
| Computer | 1 | 1100.00 | 1100.00 | 0 | 0.00 |
| Journal | 3 | 15.00 | 45.00 | 0 | 0.00 |
| Mini Tripod | 1 | 19.00 | 19.00 | 0 | 0.00 |
| 1 | |||||
| Total: | 2464.00 | 0.00 | |||
| One Time Expenditures Total: | 11,066.70 | ||||
On-Going Expenses Budget
| Daily | Monthly | Yearly | |
| Lodging: | |||
| Hotel | 0.00 | 100.00 | 1200.00 |
| Campsite | 20.00 | 100.00 | 1200.00 |
| Showers | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 |
| Total: | 20.00 | 200.00 | 2400.00 |
| Monthly Bills: | |||
| Cell Phone | 0.00 | 100.00 | 1200.00 |
| Health Insurance (Massachusetts Care) | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 |
| Prescriptions | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 |
| Web Server | 0.00 | 10.00 | 120.00 |
| Total: | 0.00 | 110.00 | 1320.00 |
| Incidentals: | |||
| Misc | 0.00 | 25.00 | 300.00 |
| Souveniers | 0.00 | 10.00 | 120.00 |
| Toilettries | 0.00 | 5.00 | 60.00 |
| First Aid | 0.00 | 3.00 | 36.00 |
| Detergent/Soap | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 |
| Sightseeing | 0.00 | 20.00 | 240.00 |
| Misc Transportation | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 |
| Total: | 63.00 | 756.00 | |
| Equipment Replacements: | |||
| Bicycle | 0.00 | 5.00 | 60.00 |
| Camping | 0.00 | 5.00 | 60.00 |
| Technology | 0.00 | 10.00 | 120.00 |
| Clothing | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 |
| Total: | 20.00 | 240.00 | |
| Food & Drink: | |||
| Groceries | 5.00 | 125.00 | 1500.00 |
| Alcohol/ Dessert | 0.00 | 15.00 | 180.00 |
| Dine Out | 0.00 | 75.00 | 900.00 |
| Total: | 215.00 | 2580.00 | |
| Overall Total: | 7296.00 | ||
