AUGUST COST OF LIVING

I can’t believe our Alaska adventure is over! August will be the final month of extra “vacation” spending for us. I think, anyway. At the very least, almost everything is cheaper in the lower 48 states, so our totals going forward should go down.

GAS – $810

We drove a lot more in August than we did in July. Which makes sense because we reached our most northern point of Fairbanks and had to come back down through Yukon and British Columbia. Once the temperature started dropping and the leaves were changing color, we knew that we better head south. I told Darin there would be no Ice Road Truckers for us!

CAMPGROUNDS – $1125

This is one area that we can’t really control. If you want a decent place to stay, you have to pay for it. Really, the only way to get a deal on camping is to stay for a week or a month. They usually give a price break for at least a week at a time. We didn’t have a week to stay put anywhere except Anchorage. We also added a few days to our Palmer stay because we left on a three day trip to Barrow and needed to leave the RVs somewhere.

DINING – $803

Like I said before, restaurants are definitely more expensive and we did not eat at a fast food place even once.  I would have to say that overall the dishes we ate in Alaska were mediocre at best. One of the delicious meals was in Wasilla at Settlers Bay Lodge with my parents and Sally. We sat on the patio with a great view and the food was fantastic. I know what you are thinking, and no, we did not experience a Sarah Palin sighting.

ENTERTAINMENT – $1467

We had a few expensive items this month. Some of those include a side trip to Barrow, glacier hiking, river rafting, jet boat tour, and the 12 hour bus ride in Denali National Park. All of the excursions listed above were definitely worth the money and greatly added to our Alaskan experience. I wouldn’t change a thing about what we accomplished in August.

MISCELLANEOUS – $223

This category covers food and necessities we bought at grocery stores and Walmart. Thankfully we had no unexpected repairs. Dad’s water pump had to be replaced, but overall it was smooth sailing for the month. We will be cooking at home a lot more now since I need to control my calories and lose the weight that I gained while eating out so much.

AUGUST TOTAL – $4428

Over a period of three months, driving from Texas to Alaska, driving all over Alaska, flying to Barrow and Kodiak, driving back down to lower British Columbia, and experiencing all types of activities, lowered our bank account by $14,985. Not bad, especially when it costs a couple at least $3000 for a one week Alaskan cruise, including flights and everything.

Being able to help my parents take their trip of a lifetime…….PRICELESS!