I would like to see some posts from people who have REALLY done a low budget thru hike in "recent" years (2008 -2012). I would be interested to hear what you REALLY spent (and, if possible, how you managed to hike so inexpensively). The more detail that you can give us--the better. (A super short answer, such as "$2,500 in 2008", doesn't help other people to learn from your experience).
It is my guess, that many folks who claim to have done an extremely low-budget thru hike possibly aren't counting all of the same expenses as some other people --or their hike occurred many years ago.
In order that we can make sure that we are comparing "apples to apples", here are a few suggested guidelines for the discussion:
1) DO NOT include the transportation costs from your home to/from the trailhead. (These costs are very important--but they vary too much from person to person to make a valid comparison). DO INCLUDE all other transportation costs that you had DURING your hike.
2) DO NOT include the cost of your initial gear that you purchased prior to your hike. Include ONLY THE COST FOR REPLACEMENT GEAR AND REPLACEMENT CLOTHING THAT OCCURRED DURING YOUR HIKE. (DO count it--even if you purchased it prior to the hike and just had it shipped to you on the trail).
3) DO include the purchase cost of all food (and other items) that were mailed to you (or otherwise delivered to you) while on the trail. (Include it, even if family members or friends paid for it).
4) DO include the approximate cost of postage for mail drops and/or "bounce-boxes"
5) DO include the costs of showers, laundry, hostels, hotels, and ALL food costs.
6)DO let us know if you relied heavily upon items in "hiker boxes" and/or relied upon the generosity of others in any significant ways.
7) LET US KNOW THE FOLLOWING (if possible):
A) The year of your hike
B) NOBO, SOBO, flip-flop of other similar information.
C) Approximately how many days your through hike lasted.