Almost Broke

© Nicole Werner / RumBum.com

It’s hard to believe that just a few weeks ago we were stranded in Virginia. But now, we’re in Sunny California, and what a difference it is. We weren’t sure if we’d even make it this far, but we did.

That isn’t to say it’s been all smooth sailing. We’ve found it to be almost impossible to stick to a budget of just $100 a day. Most days, we’ve spent $200 or more, and our funds have been rapidly depleted, and that was before we got to California.

I’m starting to realize why it is called the Golden State; the prices for everything are outrageous. $3.49 for a gallon of gas when the national average is still under three bucks. $9.00 for a sandwich, $37 for a single pass to get into the San Diego zoo, $80 for a low-quality motel room. It has all started to add up, and even though we’ve been in California for less than a week, our account has taken a huge hit. That’s not even including our busted transmission and new laptop.

© Nicole Werner / RumBum.comOur total expenses in less than a month on the road have cost us over $7,000. And that doesn’t even include the cost of the car.

$7,000 in less than 30 days? How is that even possible? Well, we’ve had to fill our gas tank up almost every day, and even camping out has proven to be not-that cheap. The cost of keeping our bellies full as well as our gas tank often amounts to $50 a day alone. And we’ve found that while there are lots of free things to do, many of the best things still cost quite a bit of money.

There are a lot of things I would do differently if I had to do this trip again. Better planning for camp sites for one, and bringing an air mattress would be a big boon. We eat out a lot too, but we’ve managed to make the most of free breakfast. On the same token though, we’ve managed to maintain a 30 mpg average, and our AAA card has paid for itself many times over.

And yet, I find there is no way I could put a dollar amount on our experiences. I got to have a picnic lunch on the rim of the Grand Canyon (despite being afraid of heights). I got to dip my feet in the Pacific Ocean. I’ve driven 90% of Route 66 which itself was like travelling through time. I’ve met amazing people and heard significant stories. I’ve experienced history on Mesa Verde.

We might be almost broke, but we’re much wealthier in terms of the places we’ve been and the experiences we’ve had, and the trip isn’t even half over. We’re not going to be able to stay on the road for the entire summer as planned, and we have, at most, another month’s worth of funding left available to us. And yet, even if we had to go home today (and we certainly aren’t), it would all be worth it. But for now, we had north, to Seattle.