There will be many expenses during my travels, so I have tried to break It down a little. Also, if you donate I want you to know where your money is going!
Gas : $2,043
Gym membership : $276
Food: $980
Dog food: $220
Electric cooler: $200
Solar generator: $500
Other expenses: $781
Total estimated expenses: $5000
Gas :
Approximately 15,000 miles will be traveled just to the parks within the States. My van gets approximately 22 mpg. This will require approximately 682 gallons of gas. Since gas prices vary in every state and fluctuate, I will have to use an average gas price. $3.00 is the average gas price I will use, multiplied by 682 gives us $2,046.
Gym membership:
I will be using Planet Fitness to take showers in and the occasional workout. I am starting to pay for It in January 2021 and I am going to include the price for the rest of the year. The “big trip” will be in Summer 2021, but I plan to take trips throughout the year, which I will need a shower for. In order to use all of the locations, I need a black card. This costs $23/month and 23 multiplied by 12 gives us $276
Food:
Just as with gas, food prices vary from state to state. I will be cooking some of my own food and trying to cut costs on food, but I do not want to sell myself short. I am just including food costs for the “big trip”. I plan to leave around May 12th and return around August 18th. If I spend approximately $10 a day on food that will be 14 weeks or 98 days. This gives us approximately $980 for food.
Dog food:
Blue will be going along for the “big trip” as well, and of course he needs to eat. He needs approximately 4 cups of dog food a day. A 38 lb bag of Iams Proactive Adult Dry Dog Food costs $44. There are 2 cups in a pound so approximately 76 cups in one bag. 4 cups multiplied by the planned 98 day trip is equal to 392, divided by 76 cups per bag equals 5. 5 bags of dog food multiplied by cost of $44 per bag gives us $220.
Electric cooler:
On the road I will need some way to keep food cold. It is inefficient to continuously buy ice that will melt, quickly in the summer heat. Therefore, I will be buying a cooler, most likely Alpicool C20 portable refrigerator, which is $200
Solar generator:
This can be used to plug anything in that I may need on the road as far as electricity goes. Things such as a fan, cooler, phone, exc. This generator can be charged through a car charger, solar, or regular outlet. It is pricey, but will be worth It in the long run, $500.
Other expenses:
There are bound to be unexpected/unaccounted for expenses on the road, and to round the total up to a whole number I have chose to make these expenses $781
Van life 