Making Money Dance

Everything we spent in 2022

January 3, 2023 No Comments

We wrapped up 2022 with more travel as a family of four and a dog. We visited Disneyland in the beginning of the year. We went camping last summer and visited the midwest last fall. We visited friends in the city with the boys. I was also able to see my friends in person this year.

There were also some not so fun days like spending our spring break dealing with a car accident and spending the next month finding a car when car supply were basically zero. I spent 3-4 months dealing with the car accident aftermath with some PT sessions and chiropractor visits. We also had COVID last summer. MBP and AHP went to school this fall and spend the first 3 months, coughing. Viruses came back full forced, but luckily the boys were able to handle it.

Travel and car accidents require spending and this year we spent $77,048.33

We spent $24,987.12 more this year compared to last year – a 48% increase. Looks like we lived it up, right? Let’s see where our money went this year.

Taxes – $27,224.42

We sold our rental property in 2021 and took a tax hit of $20,686.00. The other $6,538.42 was our property tax from owning our home. We no longer own any rental property and expect our tax to be immaterial for 2022.

CATEGORY	Spending
Federal Tax	$20,686.00
Property Tax	$6,538.42
Total	$27,224.42

Food and Dining – $10,483.75

Surprisingly enough, our food and dining only increased by $293.96 from $10.189.79 in 2021 to $10,483.75 in 2022. Despite of inflation, spending 5 days in Disneyland, 2 days in Chicago and various camping trip, we manage to keep our food cost mostly consistent. I am impressed myself! We are still eating mostly plant food base diet with loads of fruits for snacks. The boys can’t get enough of cosmic crisp apple.

It looks like we ate out on restaurants more and drink more. I want to say we ate less junk food, but that is probably not true. I just neglected to categorized it as junk.

CATEGORY	Spending 2022	Spending 2021	Comments
Groceries	8,126.20	8,528.07	Groceries went down?
Restaurants	1,696.62	993.70	But we ate out more
Fast Food	394.46	428.27
Alcohol & Bars	252.97	121.92	And drink more
Junk Food	11.00	101.40
Coffee Shops	4.00	16.43
Food Delivery	(1.50)	-	This was a credit from Instacart
Total	10,483.75	10,189.79

Kids – $7,517.24

This category increased by $2,219.93 from $5,297.31 in 2021 to $7,517.24 in 2022. I expected this. MBP and AHP have a 529 plan. We contribute $200 per month in the plan in total of $400 per month. This is an automatic deduction from our checking account, total $4,800 annually. The boys tuition also increased since AHP started attending his 2’s class and MBP started attending preschool 5 days a week. Next year, MBP will be in kindergarten. If it works out in our local public school, the tuition should decrease. Kids gadgets, supplies, activities and toys are all combination of items specific for the kids. This can really be more in line with shopping and entertainment for adults.

CATEGORY	Spending 2022	Spending 2021	Comments
529 College Fund	4,800.00	3,200.76	Normal and will continue on the upcoming year
Preschool Tuition	2,028.86	1,228.04	This should decrease next year
Kids Gadgets	236.88	149.43
Baby Supplies	182.53	158.25	You think that this should go down since it's mainly diaper
preschool expenses	175.60	57.07
Kids Activities	64.76	371.68
Toys	28.61	14.30
Hair		61.90
Entertainment		55.88
Total	7,517.24	5,297.31

Gifts and Donations – $6,114.8

We spent $213.47 more on gifts this year, increasing from $5,901.33 last year. The charity portion was the fundraising for the boy’s preschool. The holiday card included a photo session from JC Penney with 3 digital images and one print for $27. A shipping fee for the said print and 3 more complementary prints because the photographer was late was $10.45. I printed 50 copies of the Holiday card at Canva for $38.50 and I bought stamps for $12. I enjoyed sending and receiving holiday cards. I make my own design using Canva and find that the prints from them was the cheapest and I’m happy with the quality of the prints.

CATEGORY	Spending 2022	Spending 2021	Comments
Christmas Gifts	5,675.98	5,404.27
Gift	250.87	497.06
Charity	100.00	-	Donation for the boys preschool
Christmas Cards	87.95	55.97
Total	6,114.80	5,957.30

Health and Fitness – $4,743.79

This category decreased by $1,162.1 from $5,905.89 in 2021 to $4,743.79. I thought that this will decrease more, since we received significant health care insurance subsidy in 2022 vs 2021, but our family also visited doctors more in 2022. We switched our health plan from bronze to gold this year based on this data. In 2022, we spent $1,526.86 for copayment of doctor visits.

We also pay for a gym membership at our local YMCA. MBP and AHP were enrolled in swim classes, gym and soccer and those were included as part of the membership. I also visited the Y significantly in the beginning of the year, before the car accident.

Our dental visit total $460. These were for 3 visits in total, 2 for Mr. MMD and 1 for me. This year, we signed up for dental insurance, which will pay for itself with our bi-annual dental visits and a little coverage for other care.

Others were new bench for our home gym, some meds, and my new eye glasses that I ordered online from eyebuydirect.com that cost me $44.88.

CATEGORY	Spending 2022	Comments
Gym	1,633.00	Gym Membership for our family at our local YMCA
Doctor	1,526.86	Various doctor visit
Health Insurance	723.45	This should include the first month of our 2023 health insurance
Dentist	460.00
Home Gym	273.49
Pharmacy	82.11
Eyecare	44.88
Total	4,743.79

Bills and Utilities – $4,333.6

This category increased by $419.3 from $3,914.3 in 2021 to $4,333.6. Electric and gas increased the most. I’m pretty sure that the reason for the increase were timing of the payment. I paid December 2021 bill in January 2022 and I just paid the December 2022 bill once I got the bill in December. So in theory, this was probably consistent from last year. Sewer decreased? It’s on autopay so I don’t even look at it. Water increase not necessarily because of the usage but the rate increased as well. Our internet rate increase this year. Garbage decreased, again probably because of the billing cycle. We are still using Xfinity mobile for our cell phone. It increased a bit this year because we used more data when we travel. It is still very affordable at $24.75 per month for 2 lines.

CATEGORY	Spending 2022	Spending 2022
Electric and Gas	1,681.14	1,248.37
Sewer	772.24	746.67
Water	581.27	620.50
Internet	579.51	556.34
Garbage	422.09	495.86
Mobile Phone	297.35	246.56
Total	4,333.60	3,914.30

Auto and Transport – $3,527.41

This category increased by $810.5 from $2,716.91 in 2021 to $3,527.41. Gas increased. We travelled more this year and gas prices were also at the highest last summer. Auto insurance increased because we added another car. My old sister gave us her car, which she got from me because she bought a new (new to her) car. Service and parts also increased because we added another car. The public transportation included our bus tickets when we were in Chicago. It also included the car service that I booked in 2022 for our upcoming Disney trip in January of 2023. The car service was the big portion of it. Rideshare was for our Chicago trip. Parking increased because we visited the city more frequently this year.

I talked about our car accident that occurred in March 2022. Our 2015 Toyota Prius 4 was totaled. We attempted to get another 2015 Prius with less mileage or a totally brand new car, but there was no inventory in the entire country!! At that time, we only had one car, so we definitely needed to buy a car. We ended up buying a 2011 Toyota Prius 2 with about 103k miles that I found on Craigslist. I didn’t add that purchased here because we used the insurance proceed to buy the car. We think that our Prius 2 will last at least another 5 years and at that time, we should be ready to buy an electric car (or an electric van?).

CATEGORY	Spending 2022	Spending 2021
Gas & Fuel	1,386.04	1,015.23
Auto Insurance	759.55	539.00
Service & Parts	539.81	389.70
Auto & Transport	428.67	440.23
Public Transportation	214.25
Auto Registration	126.00	326.25
Parking	45.44	6.50
Ride Share	27.65
Total	3,527.41	2,716.91

Shopping – $3,102.42

This category increased by $55.62 from $3,046.8 in 2021 to $3,102.42 in 2022. This category is a catch all from our household supplies like toilet paper to electronics to clothing and appliances. Mr. MMD bought a new computer and we bought a new modem. AHP “accidentally” spilled his water to our modem and we were not able to resurrect it. We figured that it was time to say goodbye to this modem, after 7 long hard years of service. In tech world, I’m pretty sure she was considered ancient. We are also now an owner of a pressure washer, which we will probably used once a year.

We also bought some shoes. Actually, I bought 3 pair of shoes while Mr. MMD bought one pair. I have a hard time finding comfortable shoes for my wide flat feet with bunions. I stumbled on this brand, Altra while searching for some camping gear at steepandcheap.com. I won a $200 gift card from steepandcheap and I decided to use it to try out a pair of shoes. These shoes aren’t cheap, but I tend to buy a shoe every 2 years or once the soles were worn out. I like the shoes so much that when it went on sale at REI, I bought 2 more pairs. I went to Rakuten and bought $191 e-gift card from REI and used it to purchased the shoes. Mr. MMD went to Fleet Feet and purchased his shoes. Fleet Feet analyze your feet and take a picture of it before recommending the type of shoes. It was pretty cool. I didn’t buy my shoes there but Mr. MMD did. I did buy toe socks. Alright, enough about shoes. The rest were stuff.

And you will not see the 2021 expenses below. There are tons of category changes and I don’t want to manually add it up.

CATEGORY	Spending 2022	Comments
Electronics & Software	$1,252.58	Computer and Modem
Household Supplies	$847.24
Shopping	$395.20
Shoes	$389.21
Subscription	$89.42	Amazon subscripiton
Sporting Goods	$38.85
Clothing	$38.67
Camping Gear	$25.34
Hobbies	$22.86
Christmas Shopping	$3.05
Total	$3,102.42

Home – $3,046.01

This year, I separated the property taxes and include that as part of taxes. Overall it is consistent from last year. Home insurance and HOA Dues increased. We had our HVAC cleaned. We also have to hire a plumber because our pipe freeze. Our built ins can get some repair, but I’m really waiting until the kids no longer have the need to draw on our walls before making some changes in the house. Hopefully in a couple of years. We didn’t buy any furniture this year but at some point we will most likely buy a new couch and a dining table.

CATEGORY	Spending 2022	Spending 2021
Home Insurance	941.50	707.22
HOA Dues	919.80	876.00
Home Improvement	687.61	286.66
Home Services	489.45	834.83
Home Supplies	7.65	-
Furnishings		1,183.57
Total	3,046.01	3,888.28

Travel – $2,405.73

This is low, considering we spent 8 days in Anaheim, with 5 days in Disneyland, 2 days in Chicago and about 11 nights camping this summer. The biggest expense was our 5 day tickets to Disneyland for January 2023. Our camping site was for 11 nights of camping last summer. Our rental car was for the “extra insurance” that we purchased for the rental car when we had a car accident. The insurance company didn’t reimburse us for it.

Hotels were for 2 nights in Fairfield Inn in Chicago, 1 night in Sheraton in Seattle to celebrate Mr. MMD’s 40th and a $20 tip at Howard Johnson for our 2022 Disney trip. We get an employee rate through Marriott and the rate was really low. We paid $52/night in Chicago including breakfast for 4. The Sheraton hotel was about $81.

Our air travel were all book with points and these were for taxes and fees for 4 round trip tickets to Santa Ana for our Disney trip. Our tickets to Chicago were reimbursed by family so we didn’t include it here. The rest of travel were train tickets and probably other little things.

CATEGORY	Spending 2022	Comments
Vacation	1323.33	Most are 3 5-day tickets to Disneyland
Camping Site	519.26	Includes 4 nights at YMCA camp which includes food
Rental Car & Taxi	228.7	The insurance that was not covered after the accident
Hotel	216.31	3 hotels and tips
Air Travel	74.8	taxes and fees
Travel	43.33	Amtrak tickets
Total	2405.73

Pets $1,620.28

Our corgi visited the vet twice this year in addition to her annual exam. We also needed to pay for some antibiotics for her. We paid for boarding when we went to Chicago. My parents typically take care of her, but they were out of town as those weeks.

Entertainment – $1,464.66

A thousand was for our ticket to CampMustache this year. Mr. MMD and I went for memorial day weekend. The rest were for tickets to museums and subscriptions to music and videos.

Fees and Charges – $954.74

These are bank fees. We opened credit cards and used it to pay our taxes (with credit card fees) to meet the sign up bonus. This will continue and I’m ok with that because we get more for free airline tickets and free hotels. Our 8 day hotel stay in Disneyland in 2022 and our upcoming trip in January 2023 were all paid by points. Our tickets were also all paid by points. It already saved us at least $4k, just for our Disney trip. It’s a great hobby that pays for itself.

Personal Care – $468.92

Stuff like toiletries and hair cut.

Business Services – $40.56

Some supplies like markers, stamps and the registration of the domain name.

After documenting all our expenditures, the main contributor of the 48% increase was the federal tax paid for the sale of our rental income. Without the $20,686 federal tax liability our spending goes down to $56,362. This represents an 8% increase from our 2021 spending of $52,061.21

Overall, 2022 was a mixed year. I wished it could be better, health wise, but I am thankful that we were finally traveling again. I’m excited for 2023. We are off to Disneyland this month. I’m looking forward to seeing some sun again and escaping the gloomy PNW weather.

How was your 2022?

Retirement

A Day in Bellevue, WA

December 16, 2022 No Comments

Last year, we went to Bellevue to watch the Snowflake Lane Parade. It became a tradition and we went again this year. Bellevue is about an hour north from of us and like last year, we made a trip out of it.

Our first stop was KidQuest Museum. The museum was not crowded when we went on a Thursday afternoon. My 5 year old enjoys the “packing” room. It’s a room with tons of boxes, where kids can put it on a conveyer belt, or scan the items or deliver the packages. He stayed there majority of the time and made some friends around his age. My 2.5 yr old played all over the museum – in the toddler room, the market, the train and the treehouse. We were there for almost 3 hours until around dinner time.

For dinner, we arrived just before 5 at Cheesecake Factory. We chose this because it is the closest restaurant by the parade. We were lucky and got seated right away. We had dinner at normal time, around 5:30. We went to Bellevue Square Mall to kill time before the parade. The mall has a kids playground for kids under 6 on the third floor. It was very crowded. We masked up and luckily both kids didn’t complain.

We started our way out around 6:45 and that is where everyone seems to be going to. We got a good spot and both kids were able to seat on the sidewalk so they can see the show. The parade was 20 minutes long, with floats, characters and marching band. There’s also snow before and on the grand finale of the show. My kids got some high fives from Rudolph and Polar Panda. They also got some candy canes from a nutcracker character. Overall, it was a great 20 minute Christmas show.

Vacation

A Day in Chicago with Kids

November 2, 2022 No Comments

We visited family this October in the midwest. They live 3 hours from Chicago. Instead of flying to the regional airport, we decided to stay a couple of nights in Chicago and spent a full day in the city before taking the train to Bloomington.

Flying to O’Hare

The flight to Chicago was the longest flight that AHP has taken so far. We took our 2 very heavy car seats and gate checked a stroller for this flight. The boys were very cooperative most of the flight with no heavy tantrums. We even got some compliments from the passengers saying that they were so good. The initial flight was to take the Blue line to the city, but for some reason we got lost in the airport and ended up in a wrong terminal. It was getting late, so we decided to take a cab (that is a minivan) to get to the hotel. I can tell that our cab driver wasn’t very pleased that it was taking us so long to put in the car seats. After 20 minutes and $68.15 later, we were in our hotel.

We checked in at Fairfield Marriott in Magnificent Mile and stayed there for 2 nights. Checked in was a breeze and they brought up a pack and play as I requested. It was already late and at this point, we were all hungry for dinner. I was surprised that most of the fast food restaurants were closed, so my husband have to research door dash for open restaurants that can deliver / can be picked up. We were somewhat on a desperation mode that I suggested getting some food from the convenience store. I was about to microwave a mac and cheese when my husband called me and told me that he got some food from TGIF. The restaurant is only a couple of blocks from our hotel and he was able to pick it up. The adults were hungry but the kids were basically snacking the whole day and only ate their fries.

I met up with my high school friend and his boyfriend in the lobby once we are all settled. The initial plan was to meet up with him the next day but he and his mom had an urgent flight that needs to happen the next day back to the Philippines. He saw the kids for a bit and we chatted until midnight. Once I got back to the room, MBP was asleep but AHP was awake, overtired. I took him in our bed and he finally slept.

Field Museum

I let AHP slept in while MBP and my husband had breakfast. They joined us again for a second breakfast before we took off to take a bus to the field museum. We were happily surprised that the city bus takes a regular credit card that can be tapped to use as payment. Kids are also free. The kids were hauled in our Uppababy to the bus stop and off we go. The city bus was an experience for the kids, though it was probably less time efficient.

The stop is across the Field Museum. I got our tickets from Groupon and purchase an Explorer City pass for 2 adults and 1 kid. Kids under 3 are free and AHP was still free. The museum is huge and one can easily spend a full day in the museum. They have a space that are more hands on and catered to toddler and preschoolers. Our kids love it, but their favorite is probably the underground tour. It is one of the two exhibits in the museum and our tickets allowed us to go to one. The place mimics the underground where all the insects and plants that grew underground becomes giant — or they shrink us to say that the living creatures were giants. I thought AHP will be scared but it was his favorite part.

My favorite part was Sue the T-rex. The museum presented her so well, not just on display. The room darkens every 20 minutes or so and will lit up every part of her bone, while a voice over talks about. I really thought it was cool and captured the attention of both the kids and adults.

We had lunch in the cafe and explore the first floor later on. There were a ton of taxidermy animals. They feature a story about a lion who ate the people and MBP found it interesting. Our last stop is at the gift shop and we let the kids pick a toy as long as it fits our luggage.

Chicago Architecture River Cruise

We got back to our hotel and rested for an hour before walking to the river, where we would take the 5PM Chicago River Cruise. We took the elevator down from the Apple Store. I didn’t even realize that it was an Apple store because it looks like a lecture hall in a glass building. The tour lasted for 90 minutes and gave us a great history and architectural details of the building. I enjoyed it, but the kids were probably too young for it. They just thought of it as a boat ride. As for me, this is probably the reason I love Chicago. The city just give a very feminine/artistic vibe without being snobby — I don’t even really know how to explain it. I would love to do this tour again at night – perhaps when the kids are older.

We wrap up our day with a dinner at good old Chick’ Fil’ A. We just want something quick since we know that the kids were tired from the day. They definitely had a good sleep this night.

The next day we took a LyftXl from our hotel tot he Union Station to board our train to Bloomington. The driver was very nice to us. I basically double the fare since because he was so patient with us when we have to load our car seats in.

Cost

Our day trip to Chicago is not the most frugal way to see the city. It is probably more typical of a normal tourist for a family of 4. We saved quite a bit on our hotel because of an employee discount from a family member. Our hotel was $51 per night including breakfast. Regular price for this hotel was over $200 when I checked it. I also purchased our tickets through Groupon and basically got our ticket to the Field Museum for free. Transportation was pretty expensive with a cab and Lyft XL but still cheaper than renting a car and paying for parking in the city.

Description	Amount	Comments
Tickets	166.25	Tickets for the Field Museum and Architecture Cruise
Food	132.25	Includes Lunch and Dinner for the day
Hotel	114.48
Transportation	104.8	Cab from the aiport, bus fare and Lyft from the hotel to the train station
Souvenir	29.73	Souvenir from the Field Museum
Total	547.51

This is not going to be our last trip in Chicago. I really like this city even from my previous visits back in the days sans kids. I’m glad that I was able to go back there with them this time.

Camping, Money Saving Tips

Cost of Our Camping Gear

September 28, 2022 No Comments

Our family started tent camping, Summer of 2021. At that time, MBP was 4 and AHP was 17 months. Just like the rest of the world, I was eager to start traveling, but still cautious. Adults in the household were vaccinated at the time, but our kids were not. Camping was a great option, being outdoors 100% of the time.

Camping with kids is very different from camping without kids. Actually camping with a toddler and a preschooler is entirely different itself. After two years of camping we are still learning and accumulating gears that works best for us. This year was better than last year, mainly because we started with nothing.

Our First Year Camping

I’m not really sure what I was thinking when I booked our first camping trip. I’m pretty sure I saw a lot of pictures of the beach or the mountains, with kids as young as mine and thought, hey we could do it too. I read some articles about camping with kids and decided that a State Park with flushed toilet and running water is the best way to start. Plus points if there is a playground. I then remember that I really enjoyed Lake Chelan the last time I went. It didn’t matter that I went there sans kids and stayed in a 2 bedroom air-conditioned airbnb condo. I found an availability for two nights at Lake Chelan State Park and felt that I won a lottery. Apparently, this state park is booked way in advance and it is hard to get a reservation during the summer. I told my husband my plan after booking the site. There were some questions about the location, but ultimately he tagged along.

Once we have our reservation, I decided to rent our gear. I’m not entirely sure if we will like camping, so I went to Arrive Outdoor and reserved everything I thought I would need. It included a top of the line tent that sleeps 6, 3 sleeping pads, 1 men’s sleeping bag, 4 headlamps, a lantern, a power bank, a grill kit, Jetboil basecamp stove and pan and an MSR Alpine 4 pot set. The total cost for 2 nights was $178, but I have a great discount code and I only have to pay $87. Score!! The problem is that the gear never arrived on time. Instead of arriving the day before we leave, it arrived on the day we were leaving. Arrive Outdoor was nice enough to refund me the money.

Since I was tracking the rental order, I knew that the gear will not arrive on time. So how did we do this? Well, we purchased the “necessary” gear from Costco and Walmart. I bought a 6 person Core Block Out tent from Costco and purchased Campstove, Twin Air Mattress and Propane from Walmart. We brought our pack and play. I have a sleeping bag and my husband’s old Air Mattress and some really thin sheets which we used as blankets. For cooking, we borrowed a cooler from my parents and used our pots and pans at home. Our sleeping set up had some issues. First, the old air mattress didn’t inflate, so my husband and I were basically on the ground. The sheets didn’t work as a blanket, and it got cold at night, so we are sharing one sleeping bag. Our cooking set up was fine and we didn’t starve.

Despite some initial problems, we enjoyed the trip and followed it with 4 more camping trips for 6 nights in total.

Our Second Year Camping

After the camping season in 2021, I kept an eye on some camping gears on facebook marketplace and sales at REI. So far our total cost is $583.98. There are some items that are not necessary. There are some items that are optional and very specific to our family.

Sleep System

Tent

We purchased a Core 6 Person Block Out Tent from Costco. It was originally priced for $99.99. After we got back camping, it was on sale for $69.99. Costco refunded me the difference. I was actually really glad that I purchased this tent. It works for us because we are a good weather camper. This is not a 3 season tent, it is basically just a summer tent. The only good thing about it is that it is block out – and for us that is enough benefit that we are still using it. AHP still naps and it is easier for him to nap in this tent. He napped more last year and once this year. At night, we can go to bed at 8PM even when the sun is out and the kids can sleep until 7AM without the sun waking them up at 5 or 6AM.

Now, that is the only benefit of this tent. As I said, this is not a 3 season tent. We had a rainy day this year, and there were puddles inside the tent. I was diligent and made sure there were towels in the corner. This tent also doesn’t have a good ventilation. If the rainfly is on, expect to have condensation in your tent. If the rainfly is not on and you have a dog, there will still be condensation even if you open all the “windows”. I figure out that I can open the roof window and door window once the kids are in bed and it’s already dark to get more airflow. I will usually wake up when the sun is out and at that time, I’ll close it again to keep the tent “dark”. Once, AHP woke up at 6AM before I was able to close the windows and he insisted that it is day time. Also, one of the pole broke this year and I have to purchase a replacement. The pole is only $10, but there is a flat shipping rate of $7 so bought 2, for a total of $27.

Anyway, if you like dark, do not have a dog and will only camp during the summer, then buy this tent.

Sleeping Pad and Sleeping Bags

I know that we will need a sleep system that will work for me. I already have a hard time sleeping in a hotel, so I know that I will have a hard time sleeping in a tent without a bed. I’m also a side sleeper so I need a sleeping pad that will feel like an actual bed. It took trying out some sleeping pads. First we bought 3 Klymit Static V Luxe Sleeping Pads. Costco was selling it for $69.99 and the sales guy was able to convince us to buy it. Well, it’s better than sleeping on the ground, but it was loud. I was not comfortable. Then I found 2 Large Therm-a-rest Luxury Sleeping Pad in Facebook Market Place. The seller was selling it for $30 each. I bought 2 for $50. It was advertised as used and have some stains, but was always stored correctly. I purchased it the day before our camping trip. Once I got home, I tested it and made sure it inflated. I wiped it and did some sniff test and we were good to go. The cost of this pad, if I buy new is $189.95 each. Yup I got it for a bargain. We were now using 2 Klymits and 2 Therm-a-Rest and I was more comfortable. Fast forward to June 2022 and one of my neighbor posted 2 Therm-a-Rest XXL MondoKing mattress. It was not the latest edition, but she was only selling it for $75 each. I offered to pay $100 for both and she accepted. The new version of this mattress sells for $259.95 each. It will cost just as much as a real mattress if I buy this new. So , I got another bargain. I tested it at home and realize that one of the mattress have a tear. I searched the internet and was able to repair it using the Permanent Home Repair Kit from Therm-a-Rest. I ordered it on Amazon for $16.36. I used an existing gift card, received from my sister, so my cost is $0. My husband and MBP now uses the MondoKing. AHP uses the LuxuryMat and I sleep between MBP and AHP so I used both the MondoKing and Luxury Mat. What happened to our Klymit’s mattress? Well, I kept the receipt and returned it to Costco just under a year after we purchased it. Thank you, Costco!

Sleeping bags are also necessary for us. We live and camp here in the Pacific Northwest and it gets cold at night. I have a Northface Cat Meows Sleeping Bag. I got this back in 2010 when I went backpacking and can’t recall the price. I also bought MBP a Teton toddler sleeping bag from my neighborhood page for $5. MBP used it last year and outgrown it. AHP is now using the Teton and we bought MBP a REI Co-op Kindercone 25 Sleeping Bag. It was on sale for $48.49 and currently listed at $69.95. I bought it with a gift card I got from my birthday 3 years ago and paid $26.38 for the remaining balance. For my husband, we got him a CORE Sleeping Bag from Costco for $27.99.

Cooking

For cooking, we kept it very basic. The Coleman Classic Propane Gas Camping Stove is still working for us. We got it from Walmart for $43.88. It is still being sold from Walmart at $48. We still uses our pots and pans and silverware from our kitchen. I try to minimize the time washing the dishes. We uses disposable as much as we can. Sometimes, we book a campsite that has an outdoor kitchen. My husband uses this and most of our food are grilled.

Other Gears

For lights, we bought 3 headlamps for $14.99 and 3 lanterns for $12.99 from Costco. I also purchased camping chairs for $20.58, tarp for $14.99 and an air mattress for $16.97 from Walmart. We uses the tarp as a footprint for our tent. We rarely use our camping chairs because with kids, we are really rarely in our campsite. The air mattress was used once for our first camping trip. Sadly, Walmart do not have a good return policy and the air mattress is just in our garage. I also got a solar charger for our phones from Amazon during Prime Day for $39.99.

Other Other Gears

Our “new to us” car came with a hitch and a bike carrier. We haven’t had a chance to use the bike carrier, but we decided to purchase a Cargo Rack. We drive a 2010 Toyota Prius. Storage is ok when our dog doesn’t come with us, but there were several camping trips where she joined us and we needed a way to store our gear. Since our car already have a hitch, it is cheaper to buy a cargo rack than a rooftop box. It is also better for fuel efficiency and we didn’t notice any difference on our gas consumption when using the cargo carrier. We purchased a Curt Tray Hitch Cargo Carrier for $117.99. We used partial points and paid $103.19. We also bought a cargo bag for the carrier for $43.41

Tips on Getting Your Gear on a Budget

Try Rental or Borrow Things

Even though renting didn’t worked for us, I still recommend going this route if you are a beginner, or starting from scratch. This will give you an idea of items that are a must have for you vs items that are just good to have. For us, we don’t use the camp chairs much, so there’s no point of buying a good one. I used (or at least tried) to used Arrive Outdoor, but I also used REI in the past when I was just starting backpacking many many years ago. When renting, look for discount codes. My first rental only cost $87. On our second camping trip, my parents and my sister came with us. We lent my sister our 2 person tent (that we got as a wedding present) and my parents borrowed my brother’s 3 person tent.

There are also some non-profit organization that lends gear. In Washington State, the Washington Trail Association (WTA) have a lending library. The Mountaineers also lends gear for a fee.

Don’t forget your local buy nothing group or local neighborhood page. You can ask your neighbor to borrow some of the gear, and folks usually lend it. Just make sure to take care of the items you borrowed and return it on time.

Get Used Gear

Things will inevitably get dirty when you are camping, so there’s really no need to buy items that are new. Also, a lot of people try camping and will either realize that they don’t like it or they like it so much that they are upgrading their gears. This is how I found our sleeping pads. I highly doubt that the MondoKing Pad got a lot of used. It was so clean when I got it. The previous owner of the LuxuryMat is upgrading their gear.

Speaking of used gear, don’t be afraid to buy a gear that has some flaw. Most items can be repaired and reputable brands will even repair it for you for a small fee. I opted to repair my MondoKing by myself, but I could have also send it to Therm-a-Rest and they will repair the pad for a fee. I know that Nemo will also repair your gear for a fee.

I used my neighborhood FB page quite a bit, but I still see items on Craigslist.

Don’t but more than what you need

If you will only camp during the summer, there is no need to buy a 4 season tent. Really, there is no need to buy a tent that will cost over $500. REI is my go to store for outdoor things, but buying a $500 tent will not make sense if you will only camp once or twice during the summer. Same with sleeping bags or really any gear. Costco usually sells tents and camping gear during the camping season and most of their items are good enough. This is where we got our lantern and headlamps. Bonus point is that Costco have a really good return policy!

Shop on Sale or Outlet Store and don’t forget to use coupons/ coupon code

If you can’t find used gear and really need to get something new, wait to shop on sales. REI has a big memorial day sale or usually have member only sale. This is where I got MBP’s sleeping bag. I bought some items on steepandcheap.com. I subscribed to the site and won $200 gift card. I didn’t buy any camping gear, but I bought an Altra running shoes.

We have already camped 18 nights for 2 years and have put the gears to test. We may add more items like a Thermacell for mosquito repellant or a Camping Grill, but so far we are pretty happy with our gear. The more you packed in, the more you will need to pack out, so I try to minimize our gears as much as I can.

Per my calculation the total cost of our gear if I bought everything new is $1,464.4. We paid $583.93 and saved $880.47, by buying items pre-loved, buying from Costco and waiting for discounts.

Year Bought	Camping Item/s	Original Cost	Our Cost
2021	Tent	69.99	69.99
2021	Headlamp	14.99	14.99
2021	Lantern	12.99	12.99
2021	Off	12.99	12.99
2021	Nick's Sleeping Bag	27.99	27.99
2021	Adam Sleeping Bag	20	5
2021	Camping Chair	20.58	20.58
2021	Camp Stove	43.88	43.88
2021	Air Mattress	16.97	16.97
2021	Camp Propane	15.99	15.99
2021	Tarp	14.99	14.99
2021	Thermarest LuxuryMap Sleeping Bag	379.9	50
2022	Max Sleeping Bag	48.49	26.38
2022	Hitch Cargo Rack	117.99	103.19
2022	Cargo Bag	43.41	0
2022	Thermarest MondoKing Sleeping Bag (x2)	519.9	100
2022	Thermarest Camping Mattress Repair Kit	16.36	0
2022	Solar Charger	39.99	21
2022	Tent Pole Replacement	27	27
TOTAL		1464.4	583.93

Thanks for reading! What’s your must have’s camping gear?

Camping, Vacation

YMCA Camp Lake Wenatchee – Family Camp

September 26, 2022 No Comments

Our last camping trip for 2022 was spent at YMCA Lake Wenatchee Campgrounds for the Labor Day Family Camp. We spent 3 nights and 4 days in the campground. We booked a tent site for the long weekend which cost $175. We also added an all inclusive meal, which includes 8 meals for 2 adults for $170. Kids under 5 gets free meals with paying adults and our boys, age 5 and 2 got the free meals.

Getting There

It takes just under 3 hours for us to get to the Campground. We always break our drive halfway to have lunch in a playground and let the boys get their wiggles out. This time, we spent about an hour in Osperay Park, in Sultan WA, just off highway 2. The playground seems fairly new and have a zip line. We had our packed lunch and let the kids burn off their energy before another hour on the road.

Checking In

We got to the campground fairly early. The folks were still preparing for our arrival and don’t have our names on the site yet. We met Erin, the camp director and she checked us in. She was also super nice to the boys. After checking in, one of the camp counselor lead us to our camp site. I really liked our campsite. It was huge and have a long driveway, so the kids can run around. We set up our tent on the flattest spot that we could find. Once all settled, we checked out the campgrounds. I always like to visit the nearest bathroom and was nicely surprised to see that it was spotless, has a couple of showers and have A/C on.

The campground map – tons of cabins but we chose to tent camp

First Day

We checked out the lodge, the basketball courts and the tennis court. There wasn’t any plan activities for the day and I was hoping that we could swim. Unfortunately, we can’t swim on the lake unless it is designated swim time because it requires a lifeguard. We could go and walk to the state park if we really want to. It’s a bummer because our first day was the hottest part of the day.

Dinner was served at 5 PM with an ice cream social at 7PM. It was spaghetti with a choice between red or white sauce and a garlic bread. There weren’t a lot of campers at this time yet. After dinner we spent some time in first floor of the lodge and found some toy building straws that the kids played with. We went back for the ice cream social, which wasn’t really social and then signed up for some activities for the weekend.

I woke up a few times at night because I heard some howling/barking. Thoughts came to mind and let’s just say that I wasn’t able to sleep.

Second Day

Activities in the morning included boating and archery. Boating was cancelled due to wind. It was ok since we didn’t signed up for it. MBP was signed up for archery and we spent the morning there. I also found out that I wasn’t the only one who heard howling. Apparently it was wolves. Or at least some campers thought it was wolves. AHP got bored and just want to walk back and forth on the trails.

After archery, I found a bite on my right hand that got super swollen. At lunch I started to get dizzy and I took some children’s Benadryl. After lunch, we drove to the closest emergency room in Leavenworth. At this point the swelling seems to stop. The nurse saw me in the reception and look at my hand. She told me that she had the same reaction and that it should go away in a week. I signed a note to not be treated (thank goodness) and off we went to Safeway to got a Benadryl Ointment. We also got some sneakers for the boys.

We went back onsite and at this point the kids made some arts and crafts and made some friends with other kids. Dinner was pizza. I was hungry since I missed lunch, so I ate a ton. Good thing is there were enough pizza for everyone.

There was a campfire for the night (though there wasn’t any “fire” because of the burn ban). We can hear it from our tent and MBP and AHP just won’t sleep. I let MBP go in the last 10 minutes just so he can see it.

Third Day

After pancake breakfast, we went boating. I wasn’t really sure what we signed up for. I thought it was electric boat, but it was a good old fashion canoe. I didn’t seat properly and my husband ended up paddling a lot. It got windy and one of the campers boat tipped over. We heard “help” and my husband tried to paddle there as fast as he can. Good thing another camper were already there and the kids in the tipped boat were “rescued” and were in another boat. At this point, the wind really started to picked up and I was even scared that our boat might tip as well. MBP though was having a lot of fun singing row row row your boat. AHP was sitting on my lap and I tried to position him so that I can also paddle. It took a while but we finally ended back on the shore. Whew – not sure what we’re thinking there. Next time we will definitely stay close.

We had lunch of mac and cheese and chicken nuggets. The kids played with their friends after lunch and then it was swim time. At swimming, AHP was just so so tired. He already missed 2 days of naps and wasn’t really sleeping well at night. He went back with my husband in the tent and finally napped! MBP and I stayed in the lake. It was rocky and I was glad that we have our crocs on. We really just played on the water since it was cold. MBP made some friend and I was very entertained watching the wind surfer. The lifeguards (Erin) told us that swim time is over. Back in the tent, AHP and my husband were napping. MBP and I took a shower and I gave him 15 minutes of iPad at the lodge. After that, he made some crafts – turtle from a paper plate. He then met his friends again who gave him ice cream. Apparently I wasn’t the only one who visited the ER. A 4 year old kid got bitten by a bee under her eyes and it got swollen. It looks bad, but it doesn’t seem to bother her. MBP didn’t really finish the ice cream. The kids went to the lodge and they all played. I was actually able to sit for a bit. AHP arrived, refreshed from his nap. The happy boy played until dinner time. For dinner they had some beef roast and mashed potatoes. They ran out of beef roast that they started bringing left over food. Yikes. The kids played after dinner and then we got ready for bed before the camp fire. The campfire was a big hit for the kids. MBP sang “Luna” while AHP sang the “chocolate” man. Before this, their friends visit our site and they were singing the song. The kids were loud and I can hear them from the bathroom.

Fourth Day

We had our usual routine to pack up before breakfast. I took care of all the sleeping pads and sleeping bags while my husband took care of the things outside and ready the car. Once things are packed up, we headed for breakfast. We had bacon and potatoes for breakfast which was a hit. After breakfast, our kids said goodbyes to their friends and we head back home.

What I like and don’t like about the camp

The campground is nice, specifically our campsite is huge. I also liked the activities. Archery, boating and the arts and crafts were hit for the kids. The camp is definitely built with kids in mind and most (if not all) families have kids. Our boys had a lot of fun making friends.

The camp can do better on meals, though. To do this, they probably need to charge more. I do feel bad because there were times that they ran out of food. I think they should charge for kids. I mean, even my 2 years old is eating just as much as me and I’m more than happy to pay. That said, if we do this again, we will definitely bring more snack or might even opt out to have our meals included and just eat in our campsite.

Overall, it was a great weekend to wrap our Summer!

Camping, Vacation

Washington Kite Festival – Camping with Kids in Long Beach, WA

August 24, 2022 No Comments

We visited Long Beach, WA to see the Annual Kite Festival. We didn’t have any plans in August and when I saw that the Annual Kite Festival is going to happen this year, I figure that it is a good camping trip for the family.

We stayed 3 nights at The Lamp Camp, about 4 miles from the main town. It is a private camp site and has some amenities, including an outdoor kitchen, sink, shower and a clubhouse. The trail leading to the beach is wonderful. We also spent quite a bit of time inside the clubhouse. The kids love the board games and we were able to complete a 300 puzzle pieces. The hosts were wonderful. My kid broke one of the jar inside the clubhouse. I called the host and she was there right away. I offered to pay or replace it but they refuse.

For our first day, we just stayed in the campsite and went to the beach. There were very few people at the beach and we let Leela off leash. She was very popular and made some friends. We saw a lot of birds diving for food and some dead crabs on the shore. MBP also flew a kite. It was windy and I was afraid that it will break, but it made it. When we got back, we stayed in the clubhouse while my husband grilled some brats for dinner. We then just stayed in the clubhouse and played some board games. MBP learned to play Uno.

The next day, we went to town for the actual festival. The festival has some programs for kids but it was definitely weather dependent. They gave away 200 handmade kites for the kids, but they were not able to fly it. It was so windy. The sand was getting into AHP’s eye and he doesn’t like. The kids still got kites. I asked for a direction to the kite museum and one of the guys giving away the kites suggested to walk the boardwalk all the way to the kite museum. MBP walked all the way and I only have to carry AHP on a small section of the walk.

The kite museum cost $6 per adult and $4 for kids 3 and up. It was only one level. It was ok. I mean there were good kites, but there were very few of them. The kids did well on not touching anything, or perhaps we just told them not to touch anything 1000 times. Well, we took some pictures and my husband walked back to get our car. We just went back to the campsite for lunch and had a little bit of quiet time, before dinner. My husband grilled some burgers for dinner. We went to town after and the kids played some arcades. The boys had a lot of fun. It was basically bed time once we got back to our campsite. The kids had an “easier” time sleeping.

The next day, the kids were able to fly their kites. It was actually really cool to see all different kites up in the air. There were some big ones too. We had our picnic lunch in town and got some ice cream for the kids. The ice cream was delicious and I’m a big fan. We went back to the campsite for some down time and went back to town for dinner.

It drizzled a bit at night, so we put up the rainfly for our tent. Once the kids settled in, I put all our camp chairs, shoes and everything outside inside the car so it won’t get wet.

It was wet on our last day, so we decided to pack up and have breakfast at McDonalds.

Another successful camping trip and I was glad to see the Kite Festival!

Camping, Vacation

KOA Astoria/Warrenton/Seaside Camping with Kids

August 23, 2022 No Comments

We spent 3 nights, camping at KOA in Astoria/Warrenton/Seaside, OR. KOA stands for Kamp of America (KOA) Campgrounds and have numerous locations in the US and Canada. This is our second year camping here. Last year we stayed at the tent site. This year, we booked a rustic “camping cabin”. The cabin has 2 bunk beds. The cabin has no kitchen and no bathroom and we brought our own linens. There’s a cute rocking chair in the porch and a table and a fire pit outside. The campsites have two camping kitchens with grills and stove available to use. It also has a full size sink so it was easy to wash the dishes.

The campsites is across Fort Stevens State Park and about 20 minute drive to Seaside, OR and a 15 minute drive to Astoria.

Of all the campsites we visited last year, this one stand out to MBP and he was excited to go back. This is definitely glamping for us, having electric and a “kitchen” available. MBP remembers the area and know the “fun zone” in general. We got there in the afternoon and spent the rest of the day exploring the campsites. The fun zone has a mini golf, a jump pillow, basketball and volleyball courts and the lifesize chess and checker sets.

MBP’s favorite, however are the video games, which in all honesty is falling apart. Regardless, he likes playing his pac man. There were also movie nights every night and the kids even get to watch an entire movie, AHP included.

On our second day, the kids enjoyed the campgrounds until it got too hot for me. I was able to convince the kids to leave the campsite and go to the beach, at Fort Stevens. We’ve been here before. The breeze was a nice reprieve. Once we were beached out, we went back to the campsites. My husband grill some brats for dinner and we head out to watch the movie – “How to train a dragon”.

This year, we also drove a bit south to visit Seaside. It has a great small beach town vibe. We spent some time in the arcade, and had lunch at Mo’s. We hang out at the beach a bit, but it was so windy. We went ahead and walk around the town. The kids rode the carousel and had ice cream before we head back to the campsites. AHP was tired and slept on the ride back. For dinner, we ordered Pizza from Fultano’s and they delivered. Yes, we are definitely glamping. We had dinner inside the game room since it was drizzling outside. After dinner, the kids tried to watch Jumanji. AHP wasn’t able to seat still so we left and just hanged out in the fun zone.

Overall, it was a good trip. The kids definitely enjoyed the amenities. I prefer camping that has more nature activities like hiking or swimming. It is something that we could have done as well, but it’s hard to convince the kids to leave the campsite.

Vacation

Kalaloch at Olympic National Park Camping with Kids

July 10, 2022 No Comments

We spent 2 nights camping at Kalaloch Campground at Olympic National Park. I’ve read and watch great things about the Olympic National Park but I haven’t made a visit. When I found a campground opening for 2 days at recreation.gov, I snag it.

The campground is 3 hours from us. We took a short lunch break in Montesano by the playground and let the kids and dog run around before getting back in the car. We stayed at campsite A16, overlooking the ocean. The campsite is small and barely fit our 6 person Core Block Out Tent, but the view is pretty amazing. We made sure to put the rainfly on the tent since we know that it will rain through out the day.

After setting up the tent, we walked towards the ocean. It was very sandy. The Kalaloch tree of life is within a short walk. It was interesting to see all the roots hanging between the rocks, but the kids were not that impressed. We went back to our campsite when we felt the drizzle coming in. We are hoping to be able to have dinner before it pour down.

We had the same dinner of red pasta with bread. This time we made sure that we have marshmallows, chocolate and crackers for our “s’mores”. MBP asked for it from our last camping trip in Deception Pass. AHP just ate chocolates. We then “hike” around the campsite, and play by the amphitheater.

It started raining, so we just hang out inside the tent and play MBP’s story time chess, until we start our bed time routine. MBP slept well, but AHP still struggled. This time he didn’t want his sleeping bag. It was actually easier since I just put it on top of him instead of zipping him up. It rained through the night. When it stopped raining, I opened the tent door window for a bit, to get more insulation inside.

The next morning, we had cereal for breakfast, as requested by MBP, and then we headed back to the beach. We then head back to the campsite for lunch which was mac and cheese. The boys and I walk around the campsites until lunch was ready.

After lunch we drove 1.5 hour to Hoh Rainforest. The park was busy even during the weekday. We missed the Ranger led walk, but we ended up hiking 3/4 of a mile on the Hall of Mosses. It was awesome. MBP did it all by himself and AHP goes back and forth from walking to his carrier. We were lucky because it only drizzle during the hike, but pour down rain on the end of our hike.

Little hikers. MBP walked the entire 3/4 of a mile

The boys napped on our drive back to the campsite. I can tell that they were exhausted from the hike. It was cloudy the rest of the day so we were able to hang around the campgrounds. The kids love playing in the amphitheater until we start our bed time routine.

The next morning, we packed up and was able to get out by 9:30AM.

Overall, it was a good trip. It could be better if it didn’t rain on us, but it was our first time camping in the rain and we survived. I would say, if we ever go back, I would stay longer. There’s just so much to see. I would have love to see the Ruby beach (which was close), do more hikes and go to the hot springs.

Maybe next year?

Vacation

Deception Pass State Park Camping with Kids

July 2, 2022 No Comments

We spent 3 days camping at Deception Pass State Park to start the summer of 2022. This camping trip was booked 9 months ahead because camp sites tend to fill out. The campsite cost us $32/night + $8 of reservation fee, which totals to $72. My parents and my sisters were supposed to come, but my parents got COVID. So it was my husband and I and our 5 and 2.5 boys along with our corgi.

We totally lucked out of the weather while camping. We arrived on Sunday around 2PM. We booked two side by side campsites, but since my parents and my sisters can’t come, we have the entire campsites ourselves. Mr. MMD and I set up tent and the kids “helped”. They took turns staking down the tents. Our sites are very close to the bathroom and water, which I definitely appreciate.

We spent the rest of the afternoon at Cranberry Lake. Deception Pass State Park is a huge state park, with about 4 main campsites. We chose the one closest to Cranberry Lake since the lake gets warm enough to swim in.

We head back to the campsite to prepare dinner. Mr. MMD prepared our meal ahead of time at home. This way, he just need to heat up our food and we only need to bring one pot. We had pasta with red sauce and mushroom. The kids surprisingly ate more, especially MBP. We tried to keep the bed time routine the same, but AHP and MBP still didn’t sleep until 9PM. AHP had a difficult first night since he also missed his nap. Surprisingly, he was his normal self in the morning. Once the kids were in bed, I did some camping chore and cleaned up the dishes. I also went to the West Beach and captured the gorgeous sunset.

We explored the North Beach the next day, and found the Amphitheater, which was overlooking North beach and has a view of the bridge. It was a great sight. The boys and Leela, our furbaby, spent the morning in the tides, throwing rocks. We saw a washed up crab as well. MBP tried to throw the bigger rocks. I stacked some rocks, which the boys dubbed as stone man.

After lunch, we spent the afternoon cooling off by the lake. It wasn’t as crowded as the Sunday crowd. By this time, I can tell that AHP is tired and yawning a lot. He pushed through though. We left to attend the first ranger program and learned about elephant seals. It was actually pretty interesting. The boys made some elephant seals craft after the presentation. The boys had a lot of fun.

I took the boys for a quick shower while my husband prepared dinner. It was beef stew that was prepared at home and was frozen. We put it in the cooler frozen, just in time to thaw for the next day dinner. It taste just as good. The boys were eating more than normal, which was great but we definitely to need to pack more food next time. We had some down time inside the tent after dinner while my husband showered. MBP was busy looking through his junior ranger activity book and AHP just roll around inside the tent from one sleeping pad to the next. We attended another junior ranger program / activity craft. The kids made a Vulture Turkey followed by a ranger talk. AHP won’t seat through it, but MBP was into it. He was raising his hand, asking some questions. I learned something new, like the length of their wings spanned 6ft. So they are long around 12 ft in total. But what’s really interesting is that they are scavengers. They feed through dead animals. They don’t get infected by rabies or any diseases from the dead animals.

The Amphitheater, overlooking North Beach

It was basically bed time when we got back. We tried to put the kids a little early but they still didn’t sleep until 9. The good news – they both slept through the night. It was a little cold though and my husband and I were both worried that the kids were cold. MBP was good at sleeping inside his sleeping bag but AHP was not. We have to reposition him to make sure he was inside. I was also worried that their sleeping mat wasn’t insulated from the ground. It didn’t seem to affect them though and was still upbeat the next day.

For our final day, I put 4 sleeping pads and 4 sleeping bags back to its sacks, while my husband prepared breakfast. The boys were “helping” me on the chore. I find it is easier to pack up and keep the kids contain inside the tent while packing up everything inside the tent. We had breakfast and gave MBP some screen time so we can pack up. Thankfully, 2 adults, 2 kids and one corgi fits and we got out at 10:30 right before the 11AM check out.

We definitely enjoyed our stay here. It’s a great mix of water activities, like swimming in the lake and playing with the tide pools. It was also the kids first ranger program and they definitely enjoyed it. We’ll plan to go back next year and perhaps mix in a little hike.

Monthly Expenses, Retirement

Everything We Spent In 2021

January 31, 2022 No Comments

We finally reviewed our annual spending for our second year of retirement. In total, we spent $52,061.21. This is 23% more than our spending in 2020, up from $39,955.36. The increase was primary driven by our health insurance. We sold our rental condo in 2020 and we paid the full amount of health insurance through marketplace.

We started to seriously consider early retirement back in 2018. We thought about it, shortly after MBP was born in 2017. In early 2018, we assessed our assets and current spending. My husband came up with a monthly spending budget of $4,618 or $55,416 annualized. We never reviewed our spending on this initial budget once we retired in 2019, but successfully spent below that in the last two years.

So where did our money went?

Food – $10.189.79

I wasn’t surprised that this was our biggest expense. The biggest chunk of this spending were for groceries. We followed a plant based diet, for majority of our meals and we think that there can be some room to decrease it. We will not limit ourselves, but will be more cognizant of the prices.

We also ate out this year or ordered a to go meal. We can easily spend $100+ on one restaurant meal for a family of 4. So this was probably acceptable. I do want to limit our fast food visit. It’s just not healthy. Alcohols and bars, were just alcohol from groceries that I categorized separately, similar with junk food. And I apparently went to Starbucks last year.

Description	Amount
Groceries	8,528.07
Restaurants	993.70
Fast Food	428.27
Alcohol & Bars	121.92
Junk Food	101.40
Coffee Shops	16.43
Total	10,189.79

Housing – $10,133.08

We do not have a mortgage, but housing is still expensive. We spent over $6k on property taxes last year and I expect this to go up once the county completed there assessment. We’ve been thinking about moving somewhere closer to MBP’s school to an area that do not have an HOA, but the housing market is so nuts! The house prices there are comparable to where we live so we’re not necessarily saving. We’ll see if we can do it this year.

We also added a new mattress and a new to us couch for the kids playroom. We hired someone to clean our roof and gutters, our home insurance went up and we bought some things from Home Depot or Lowes that were accounted as Home Improvement.

Description	Amount
Property Tax	6,244.80
Furnishings	1,183.57
HOA Dues	876.00
Home Services	834.83
Home Insurance	707.22
Home Improvement	286.66
Total	10,133.08

Kids – $5,297.31

In theory this could be lower because we included our 529 Plan contribution as an expense. We are adding this contribution because we are hoping that there will be no significant increases in our spending 12-13 years from now (or at least nothing more than the adjusted inflation) Both kids have their own plan and we only contribute $200 each account. This should be $4800/year going forward since we just automated AHP’s contribution.

I’m also expecting an increase in preschool tuition next year. AHP will start his toddler class in our Coop and MBP will go to a different preschool in preparation to kindergarten. MBP’s tuition will more than double for the year because he will no longer be in a coop.

The rest were small items that may or may not be needed. We just didn’t pay enough attention to this. But hey, maybe next year, we will no longer Baby Supplies, because those were all disposable diapers that the boys still uses at night. One can dream, right?

Description	Amount
529 College Fund	3,200.76
Preschool Tuition	1,228.04
Kids Activities	371.68
Baby Supplies	158.25
Kids Gadgets	149.43
Hair	61.9
preschool expenses	57.07
Entertainment	55.88
Toys	14.30
Total	5,297.31

Health and Fitness – $5,905.89

Major factor of our increase spending was our Health Insurance Premium. We didn’t get a subsidy in the beginning of 2021 and then CARES act provided some subsidy. I will need to check our tax bill this year to ensure that we didn’t overpay or underpay.

We also went back to the YMCA this summer. I enrolled MBP in a swim class last summer and the cost was similar to the monthly membership at the Y at $145/month. The monthly membership is for the entire family and includes swim classes for the boys, if we actually enroll them. So far, we’re just going as a family and I go by myself at least 2x a week.

My husband and I also pay for our dental cleaning out of pocket since we opt out of insurance. The cost was $140 per visit for cleaning and exam. I went once last year and my husband went twice. I also had my eye exam and purchased an annual supply of contact lenses. I also needed new glasses since my eye prescription changed.

Gifts – $5,901.33

Similar to last year, we gifted my parents some cash for Christmas. This was the big chunk of the gifts. The rest were for my immediate family and my godkids. There were also some gifts for birthdays.

Description	Amount
Christmas Gifts	5,404.27
Gift	497.06
Total	5,901.33

Utilities – $3,914.3

This price was consistent to last year. This year, I also started paying extra to offset my electric and gas or to purchase clean energy. Puget Sound Energy has an option for their consumer to pay more to use clean energy. For a month, it was only an extra $3-6 depending on our consumption. I reviewed some comparison of our home to other energy efficient, and we were pretty efficient.

Sewer was billed at a flat rate per single family home regardless of water consumption. Our water cost was also lower in comparison to other city. Our unincorporated county gets water from Tacoma and the cost are lower than the closest city we’re at. Internet was pretty normal, although I already received a letter suggesting that rates will increase next year. I also expect some increase in garbage next year. Cell phone was super low for $246.56 annually for 2 lines. We still uses Xfinity Mobile and uses about 1GB per month. There were only 4 months that we used 2 GBs.

Description	Amount
Electric and Gas	1,248.37
Sewer	746.67
Water	620.50
Internet	556.34
Garbage	495.86
Mobile Phone	246.56
Total	3,914.3

Shopping – $3,046.8

This cost was a catch all of every item we bought. Some stuff, we itemized, like my husband’s new desk. My husband also bought a new computer monitor and I bought a 1TB hard drive for my MacBook Air. I’m hoping that my laptop last another 5 years. The rest were just stuff. I think I have one purchase at Amazon that we didn’t use, which I think was a waste.

Description	Amount
Shopping	1,084.95
Electronics & Software	849.38
Household Supplies	311.73
Nick's Desk	319.66
Clothing	297.29
Toiletries	60.30
Home Supplies	52.8
Subscription	32.75
Shoes	28
Books & Supplies	5
Office Supplies	4.94
Total	3,046.80

Transportation – $2,716.91

Unlike 2019, we ventured out in 2020 and went camping for 8 nights. We visited 5 campsites last year – 4 in WA and 1 OR. This means that we drove quite a bit during the summer. My husband also went back volunteering to teach Computer Science at our “local” high school and I swim at least twice a week. We live far from these places so we drove often. Part of the reason we were thinking of moving was to lessen our commute. If we’re successful, maybe this will decrease. If not, this cost will probably be consistent, until our area is somewhat develop — maybe in 10 years.

Our auto registration and insurance increased. Our state based this on the value of the car and apparently our Prius was valued more in 2020 than in 2019. The rest were for new tires, a violation ticket, license renewal, car wash and oil change. We also paid for parking when we were in Seattle.

Description	Amount
Gas & Fuel	1,015.23
Auto Insurance	539.00
Auto & Transport	440.23
Service & Parts	389.70
Auto Registration	326.25
Parking	6.50
Total	2,716.91

Disney – $1,369.45

Our trip to Disney was technically this year, but I purchase majority of the expense last year, including our tickets, car service and rental gear.

Entertainment – $1,354.04

My husband plays hockey and the education was for my annual subscription of CPE education for my CPA credentials. I might be able to get some free CPE credits this year, so this should decrease or perhaps be semi-annually. I also paid to rent the new 007 film and purchased 2 months worth of Apple TV subscription to watch Ted Lasso. The only thing that was valuable to add was the Music that MBP purchased from Alexa. We’re lucky he only purchased one.

Description	Amount
Hockey	935.73
Education	149.00
Entertainment	76.53
Sporting Goods	81.59
Hobbies	36.86
Travel	35.00
Movies & DVDs	21.87
Books	13.09
Subscription	10.92
Music	4.37
Total	1,364.96

Pets – $852.35

Pet supplies and the cost of the annual exam for our Corgi. She’s almost 7 and is officially an adult dog. We’re lucky there were no emergency exam needed this year.

Camping – $814.7

This year was our first year tent camping. We purchased all our equipment including tents, sleeping pads, sleeping bags and cooking gear. I tried to get some of it used and I might return some of our sleeping pads purchased from Costco. We spent 6 nights at state parks and 2 nights at Kamp of America Campground in Oregon. We went to KOA during their member appreciation day and we received the 2nd night for free. The rest are some foods / groceries / games that we consumed while at the campsite.

Description	Amount
Camping Site	250.01
Camping Gear	409.52
Food & Dining	100.00
Entertainment	43.73
Groceries	9.24
Total	812.50

Vacation – $218.62

We spent one night in Great Wolf Lodge before MBP’s school started last September. This was the cost of the night stay including the arcade games.

Misc – $335.72

Some miscellaneous items like bank fee. We opened 4 new credit cards this year in preparation for our trip to Disney. Christmas cards includes the Groupon photography session and cards ordered from Canva and my annual hair cut.

Description	Amount
Bank Fee	199.25
Christmas Cards	55.97
Hair	40.50
Personal Care	40.00
Total	335.72

Overall, 2021 was a great year. We enjoyed the outdoors and surprisingly enjoyed tent camping. Spending wise, we could probably be more efficient in terms of tracking our “shopping”. It’s so easy to just buy things online.

2022 started with great with our vacation. I’m already looking forward to more vacation and more things that we can do before MBP goes to kindergarten.

How was your 2021?

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