One-Month Budget Breakdown

Today marks exactly four weeks since I started traveling from Wichita. I’ll be honest. I haven’t kept to my budget, and San Diego was among some of the worst of my budget overloading. So, how does everything stack up?

Arizona (Two weeks) – Prescott, Grand Canyon, Phoenix

Flight: $110.90

Local Transportation: $79.64 (Gas, Shuttle from Prescott to Phoenix, Bus/Metro)

Food: $77.40

Nightlife: $18

Miscellaneous: $36.06 (Coffee, Bought quick-dry towel)

Total: $322 ($47 over budget – I spent too much on food, but I wanted to be nice to my Couchsurfing host. I took him out to Thai on our second night.)

Los Angeles Area (9 days) – Los Angeles, Orange County, Ojai

Flight: $74.80

Local Transportation: $41 (Train to Ventura, Gas)

Food: $50.72

Nightlife: $21.50

Miscellaneous: $16.36

Total: $204.38 ($23.12 under budget)

San Diego County (5 days) – San Diego, La Jolla

Train: $39

Bus: $12

Food: $89.26

Nightlife: $25.46

Miscellaneous: $44.15 (Hostel, Coffee)

Total: $209.87 ($83.87 over budget – Again, I spent too much on food. I went to mid-priced places for lunch every day in San Diego.)

Grand Total: $736.25

So, how does this compare to me living on my own in Louisville? I spent $525 a month in rent while living in Clarksville (across the river from downtown Louisville). I spent about $120 a month on groceries, maybe $60 going out and an average of $60 on electricity. That totals to $765, nearly $30 more than a month traveling.

Utilizing family and Couchsurfing hosts 99% of the time has helped keep this budget extremely low. If you’re planning to travel the United States, I would definitely utilize your contacts or Couchsurfing to avoid the hotel, hostel costs.