Before I get started, I finally got our taxes done and we actually got a small state refund back.  We made a little less than I estimated for the affordable healthcare, and we got a $450 credit (I was super nervous about this one) and although we had a pretty large 1099 for gate guarding I had some costs to offset the revenue and overall it worked out OK.  Ultimately we got refunds from two states which more than covered the $252 we owed on federal.  I was pretty happy overall, and seriously relieved.  We still have $1500 in a taxes account we started on the road with so for now at least we are in good shape.  OK, on with August.

First off thank heavens this was a three paycheck month.  When you are salary you really don’t appreciate such things, but us hourly folks get a little bonus a few times a year and this was a great month to get it.  We spent a whopping $3,989 this month, but since we made $6278 we actually were $2289 to the good.  A few major events contributed to the spend.  I had my birthday mid-month and we went to Mt. Rainier, which hit our fuel and eating out budget, and then at the end of the month we went to Seattle and got a hotel room so we could see our daughter.  Lots of meals out on that trip as well.  We also had to pay for part of the tow and our deductible when the wheel bearing went bad on our truck and that ran around $335.  With all of that I am just happy we broke even.  For more details you can look below.

Groceries – We made a Costco run this month and the meat and paper products from that will definitely get us through September and a good chunk of October. We spent $806 …yikes.

Dining Out – We ate out a bunch this month and went over by $244.  We paid for a couple of meals for our daughter, ate an over priced meal at the Mt. Rainier lodge, and had lots of fast food when we were traveling.

Entertainment – We went over by $77 in this category.  It was a variety of things, nothing very major and since we hadn’t spent hardly anything at all this summer on this good for us 🙂

Truck Fuel – We spent $315 in this category which is under budget but much more than we have been spending.  Trips to Washington were the biggest contributor.

Truck Maintenance –  The $335 was for the deductible and part of the tow and wow did we get off easy.  Tows from this area are generally $750 and the repair was easily over $1K but our warranty covered it.

Cigarettes – For those paying attention you know we buy loose tobacco and tubes in bulk and roll our own cigarettes so $225 lasts us 3-4 months.  We are spending about $9 a carton for those who are interested which is obviously an amazing price considering that cartons are $50 plus.

Miscellaneous – The bulk of this was $351 for two nights in a hotel and parking when we went to Seattle.

Overall not bad considering how much we did and Lee was able to put another $2K in our savings because of the extra paycheck.  We don’t have much planned in the month of September, which is good because we are getting together with family in October and that is going to be an expensive month!

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Or you can check out our recipe book filled with 80 real recipes we have cooked in our RV and taste tested by Lee himself. The cookbook specializes in recipes that have a limited number of ingredients, without sacrificing flavor and is organized into categories that matter to full time RVers such as Happy Hours, Travel Days, and Pot Lucks   You can preview the kindle version on  Amazon or the Apple version on Itunes.    It is available in paperback on Amazon if you prefer.