Here goes!
Gas $ 2,131 Not very high because I mostly stayed in Arizona this year.
Groceries $ 1,923Repairs and Tags for car and trailer $ 1,883Includes 2 new tires each for the car and the trailer, plus a
new axle for the trailer.
Camping Fees $ 1,849I spent 2 1/2 months in RV parks in Mesa and Prescott when it got too hot, the rest is dry camping.
Photography and Computers $ 1,455No new computer this year, but my 4 new cameras cost $1,053. (It's an addiction...)
Entertainment $ 854Eating out, dancing, and a few tours
TV, Internet, and Telephone $ 995Would be higher, but I share them with Phil
Vehicle Insurance $ 801Clothes $ 538Propane $ 298Miscellaneous "Stuff" $ 1,153This includes non-consumable supples and unaccounted-for items. The biggest item was my new TV and mounting bracket for $ 154.
So far, the total is
$ 13,880, and it looks pretty good. But here are the killer items:
Health Insurance $ 4,644Fortunately, I recently got other insurance, so next year should be under $ 3,000.
Medical and Dental $ 7,522I had quite a bit of dental work done this year, and I refuse to have it done in Mexico.
So now we're up to
$ 26,046.
I have not included non-RVing expenses, such as the trip to
Tahiti, the trip to my son's
wedding, or the trip to my father's 90th birthday
party.
I have also not included income tax or the cost of new vehicles (none this year) or the loss in value of my current vehicles.
Another note - I am not trying to be particularly frugal. If I see something I want, I buy it. (Hence all the cameras...) But I always try to get the best deal possible.
While at our gathering in Wellton, AZ earlier this month (I'm really far behind in my blogging), Kurt took us on a jeep trip to Big Eye Mine. It's located in the Kofa National Wildlife Refuge, north of Yuma. The scenery on the drive there was gorgeous.
We first made a stop at the Colorado mine. There is a tunnel there to go through that seems to have no purpose, as you can easily go around it. Perhaps they were just looking for gold veins and didn't find any.
There was more beautiful scenery here -
Along with a big hole in the ground. Don't get too close, guys!
There were also 3 old graves.
And lots of rusty stuff!
Big Eye Mine is located at the end of the road, from which there is a 15-minute uphill climb to the old cabin buildings.
Where there is more rusty stuff! (I'm in heaven here!)
A little further uphill is the old mine, which operated in the first half of the last century.
Because of the rain we had in early December, the ocotillo were bright green all over the desert.
On the way home, we passed under the "Eye in the Sky," a remote-controlled tethered balloon that soars up to 15,000 feet above the desert floor. It is the first of 11 Aerostat Radar Systems spaced evenly along the southern border all the way to Puerto Rico.
