So I'm planning my NOBO 2010 thru, and have been going over and over numbers for what I would expect to spend here and there, and I am wondering what little things I might be overlooking, as I'm well aware how the little "nickle-and-dime" things you dont think about can really eat into a budget over time.
I'm figuring for about a 5 month long hike, i've made all my gear purchases (and have trail tested them very well, so i'm comfortable in saying i wont be replacing much, if anything at all at this point -- outside of the normal wear & tear items), i'm budgeting myself a pretty good diet, figuring as much as 1 hostel stay a week, and around $30 a week to spend when in town for AYCE's, entertainment, or whatever. I plan on doing 90+% of my shopping myself, rather than a multitude of mail drops. Also i Live in north GA so as far as travel goes, I'm only concerned about getting back from the trail, not to it initially.
My projected number is floating around $3000 at the moment. From experienced past thru-hikers, what little overlooked things really took a chunk out of your budget? Oh and also because I know it will be asked -- I dont smoke, I'm not much a partier, and when I drink, which is not frequently, I enjoy just a couple of beers, and I'm not a big fan of going to bars...
Thanks in advance for your help, suggestions, and advice!