February Recap: Travel and Expenses

For a short month, this was a very full one! It’s our last full month near home base, so we were tackling some projects, and some unexpected repairs, and had some annual expenses come due. I also spent a lot of it getting the travel map on our home page updated with last year’s travels and blogs. That will make it easier to keep up with this year to just plug in as we go. We also had some fun and made some great memories with friends and family, which is a big reason we come home for winter.

On the 1st, we returned from Ft. Myers then spent most of the month at home base since BJ picked up jobs in our local area. On the last day of the month, we checked in to spend the week in Georgia seeing our oldest son there for work. However, February is the month our Thousand Trail Encore dues are paid, and we pay those in full, so that’s why those were over budget. We paid off our Thousand Trails membership last year and still have 2 more years of camping left on that. It gives us access to Thousand Trails parks all over the country for 21 days, 14 days in Encore parks, and we can move park to park. So basically, we only pay for other camping if we choose to be in another area. Even though the weather has been cold, we’ve had full hookups so used electric heat as primary, so only needed one propane fill up this month.
Camping: $1173 (budgeted: $300)
Propane: $28 (budgeted: $35)

Ouch is the word of the month for Repairs and upgrades. But, we ticked off the last few things on our list–and one we didn’t plan on but that had to be done. The biggest expense was finally hiring someone to put down gravel in our home base spot so we’d stop sinking into the sand ($1500). We upgraded our other 2 RV tires to 14 ply, replaced our busted spare tire mount, and some odds and ends that needed fixed. Our bunkroom slide floor was giving, so BJ took it apart to replace the wood, only to find we had a leak and it was moldy, requiring us to also replace the vinyl floor. I’ve got a blog coming out on that later in the month for more. Luckily, we had a budget and cash set aside for most of these, so it didn’t get into our emergency fund. That should be it for things needing done, other than typical wear and tear.
Repairs/Upgrades: $2236 (budgeted: $200)

Since we did most of our medical stuff last month, this month was just a couple small appointments and recurring insurance payments. After more than a week of migraines, I did go to massage therapy and am finally feeling better, and we also took care of some hair cuts and clothing replacements. We also finally decided on a healthcare share plan and got that set up.
Medical/Health & Life Insurance: $390 (budgeted: $325 with new premium adjustment)
Personal Care: $281 (budgeted: $100)

This month we saw our staple items all needing replaced at the same time, as well as restocking the freezer and pantry with things we use often, but don’t buy all the time. We also did some day trips and explored, grabbing treats and meals out on those days, as well as Universal, so we went over budget. These are usually close or lower, so not too worried about it this month, but we will watch it closely since it could be a sign that prices are increasing, or we are just overspending.
Groceries/household items: $1149 (budgeted: $800)
Dining out: $375 (budgeted: $200)

We replenished our toll pass this month since we used it quite a bit, and went on several outings as a family! We went to the Edison & Ford Estate while in Ft. Myers, and invested in their annual family pass last month, so we were able to use that to visit the Dali Museum in St. Pete for free, but did have to pay parking. We also finally got to go to Universal, thanks to a friend giving us passes, but paid our parking and of course got some souvenirs. We still managed to stay on a low budget, too–check out last week’s blog to see how we did that, and what we spent in total for food and everything!
Entertainment/Tolls & Parking: $210 (budgeted: $200)

No big trips this month since we just came home from Ft. Myers and then up to Georgia, so that means very little towing miles and lower fuel expenses. We are expecting this to be our last full month at home and will start picking up more jobs out of Florida since it’s warming up around the country. Nothing permanent in the calendar yet, though! We plan to slow our travel pace down this year, now that we won’t have to move fast around my job and can spread jobs out with enough travel time. I have been working on the travel map and blogs from last year that I didn’t get to, so be sure to check out the home page for those pins!
Travel miles: 356
Fuel/Def: $335 (budgeted: $750)

Other expenses have been pretty routine and on budget, although we did get notice that our Netflix expense was increasing, so we cancelled that starting in March. Undecided if we will find something else, or just live without. Lots of family and friends had birthdays, too, so we were celebrating with them since we were home. We also got our taxes done, so had tax professional prep fees for that.
RV Loan $939 (budgeted $939)
Technology $435 (budgeted $435)
RV/Truck Insurance: $327 (budgeted $327)
Pet care: $95 (budgeted $150)
Dump/water fees: $0 (budgeted $10)
Laundry: $0 (budgeted $10)
Donations/fees/Extra Savings: $270 (budgeted $100)
Gifts: $50 (budgeted $100)

I hate that we were so overbudget this month, but February usually is for us with memberships and taxes, so we’re kinda used to it. Most of it was set aside so we paid cash and didn’t have to use our emergency fund or credit. One thing we’ve noticed is that, when we are home, we fall into our old routines of staying busy, eating out and shopping as we see friends and family, which isn’t bad–just expensive, especially in conjunction with the projects and repairs we get done at home when we have all the tools. We will find areas to cut back in and re-evaluate our spending and budget plan, as well.

2025 February expenses: $8293 (budgeted $4788)