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March Recap: We Survived Our First Month!

Let's do the numbers:


Miles driven: 2,914.7

Miles biked: 25


Video link here.

Miles hiked: 17






















Number of National Parks visited: 4


















Longest number of days without taking a shower: 3.5

Number of friends and family visited: 10

Spending:

Monthly projected budget:

Actual spending, February 21st to March 31st:



Spending Analysis:

At first glance, I was a tad concerned with some of these numbers but on closer examination, they all look good.

Health: Not a huge surprise that this was way over. We both went to the Walgreens Take Care Clinic and bought antibiotics. Let's hope this is a once a year occurrence.
Summary: Don't get sick anymore!

Food: This was a five week month so our projected total would have been $750. $771.16 is close enough for me. However...we were also well taken care of in CA by Chris and Hilary so it should have been significantly higher. We also were fed quite a bit in CO by my parents although we did try to buy groceries and alcohol to contribute.
Summary: Thank you Chris, Hilary, Mom and Dad for helping us stay within our budget for food.

Auto: On the way out of Utah, we noticed that our transmission was slipping. We spent $358.53 at the mechanic having him check it out, do a tune up and change our oil. We also paid $63.13 for storage of the Reighard's trailer that they kindly lent to us, saving us around $600. That leaves $634.94 for gas which is, again, close enough to the budget to keep me happy.
Summary: Praying for no more car problems.

Other: This one was WAY over-budget. Fortunately, the van renovation and some one-time set up and supplies costs were in there. Here's how it worked out:








Summary: Next month should be fine as long as we resist the temptation to install those rotating hubcaps we've been dreaming about.

Ellen Allowance: What can I say? I'm always over-budget on my allowance.
Summary: Increase allowance!! Seriously, we're going to increase it to $100 each. I can't be expected to live on $50 a month. What was I thinking?

Jon Allowance: Jon is never over on his allowance. Ever.
Summary: Jon is awesome.


Income: I didn't list income above but we did make $290 this month. Most of that was from selling our moving boxes and the Nikon D70s camera body on craigslist. And Chris and Hilary had us sell their extra bed frame as well, the proceeds of which they were kind enough to let us keep.
Summary: Making money is nice. Anyone else have stuff they want us to sell??

So there it is. The end of February and March have been fantastic as we settle into our new life. HUGE thanks to those of you who hosted us or came out to visit us. We love you!

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