cost of full time RVing

[love2cruiz]

As you can tell we are going to be newbies I have read allot information but have not really found any answers on what it actually costs to live on the road per month.   We don't have allot of money left in our stocks and don't want to count on that, we expect to typically camp 3-14 days or longer at a camp site. We will be traveling west may stay in Arizona for a few months.  Thanks for your help.

[Steven]

Too much depends on your 'style' of travel.  If you prefer RV resorts then you can expect to spend $30 to $50 a day for space rent.  If you are content with less than resort trappings then you will spend $20 to $40 per day.  Of course most RV parks will have weekly and monthly rates that can be significantly less than the daily rate.  For example we've found RV parks that charged $25 per day and $100 per week.

A few years ago we found and RV park that was having an off-season special of $99 per month. This was a resort park that normally charged more that that for a week.

Fuel costs will be your biggest expense... especially these days... so staying put for a few days can cut your overall expenses a lot.

RVers generally tend to get more frugal as on the road experience grows.  You just learn how to get along on less money.

[LindaH]

You can also learn to boondock to save money.

We first started fulltiming in 1998...during the ensuing 11 years, our average per-night camping cost has been $10.76.  This figure INCLUDES the money we paid to buy into our home C2C park, and the annual membership fees to C2C, RPI, Elks, and P.A.

We learned early on that if we continued to pay $20 and up (mostly up) per night at RV parks, we weren't going to be fulltiming for very long.

[fourdiamonds]

Please explain your acronyms....C2C, RPI,  etc......

[Steven]

C2C = Coast 2 Coast  RPI = Resort Parks International  you can Google them.

Both require a campground membership and by being a member you get fee or discounted camping at other campgrounds in the networks.

PA = Passport America  This is a discount plan... you pay $50 per year and get half price camping at participating campgrounds.

[Stonewall]

My wife and I are new too.   LindaH is right as we go we find more way to save money.   One has been to buy fuel at Wal-Mart we have found it to be the cheapest by just getting the gift card you save three more cents a gallon.   From coast to coast they have been the lowest price.   We also plan are fuel stop by using thier Atlas that you can buy from them we also try to plan are nightly stop at them too.   We are back road travelers so this may not work for you. 

Boondocking is the way we like to camp so we try to stay in NF when ever we can.   They have some nice campgrounds or you can just find a nice spot you like and if doesn't say no camping your ok to camp there.   I know this not everyones good time but it is chaep.   

We wanted to see America on the back road and so far it has been great.   

[LindaH]

I agree that buying fuel at grocery store gas stations, whether it be Wal Mart, Safeway, Fred Meyer, Costco, and others, is a good way to save money on fuel.  Unfortunately, the majority of them do not carry diesel, but we do buy fuel from them whenever we run into one that does have diesel.

[Stonewall]

That is what is great about Wal-mart atlas it tell you which one have it.   As for the other you mention I wonder if thier web site would tell you.  I will have to check and get back too you.

[Youner2345]

Boondocking is the frugal person’s nirvana. In it’s most extreme form, boondocking is parking your RV for free with no amenities of any kind. No water, electrical or sewer hookups.
 
There are ways of coping with the lack of traditional services, and if you are willing, you can take a small income and stretch it so thin you can see through it. This is the ultimate in low-cost living, and if you have the desire and means, is an achievable full or part-time lifestyle.

If you have a small supplemental income and don’t want to work, your ship has arrived. Of course, this section is not meant to be an exhaustive explanation of all the nuances of boondocking, but it will give you a good overview.
all i can say its very interesting...

Football Helmet

[luckyd]

Boondocking.....research every aspect of it.
Some people stretch their water so thin that they incur
heavy expenses on getting tanks unplugged.
Is it better to boondock out in the desert or go
to a park (also in the desert) with water and sewer
hookup for $200/mo?  Boondocking can still mean
paying for tank dumping, water, driving to these
facilities, etc.
Great site:   www.boondockingguide.com

[LindaH]

In it’s most extreme form, boondocking is parking your RV for free with no amenities of any kind. No water, electrical or sewer hookups.

In it's most extreme form?  Boondocking IS camping without water, electrical or sewer hookups!  If you have any of those, you're not boondocking!

If you have a small supplemental income and don’t want to work, your ship has arrived. Of course, this section is not meant to be an exhaustive explanation of all the nuances of boondocking, but it will give you a good overview.
all i can say its very interesting...

What does a website about kids football helmets have to do with boondocking?

[Philbg]

Hello fellow full-timers!

Greetings from freezing New Mexico. I started out this fall looking for a warm climate to winter. 1300 miles later here I am freezing my bippy off in the desert. Must have taken a wrong turn some where. LOL!

This has been my first year of living in my RV full-time, and boondocking 99% of the time. Now folks I am retired and living my dream. This summer I traveled some 12000 miles and lived on just $728 a month, that's for food, maintenance, and gas. I have a bet going that I could do it, so far I am winning. However, it should be noted that I have a 20' Trans-Van, so while gas mileage ain't the best, 10 miles/gal, it's a matter of calculating how far I can go on my allotted gas budget each month. There are three key elements to my success: 1. Wal-Marts - I really got to send them an e-mail thanking them for their generous policy of allowing RVers stay in their parking lot. 2. A good GPS to help calculate distances and to find services along the way. 3. Sure helps to have some good basic mechanical skills to make minor repairs. For major repairs play the "old-man" card.

Man are those bus RV's purdy and nice, WOW! But my smaller RV allows me an infinite number of options, ease of handling in tight spots, park anywhere there's a conventional parking place, and if you love getting in the back country and cozy up to a river or stream, I tell ya folks smaller is better.

I love rolling into a town and park on main street and go to the libraries, museums, or just stroll along 'til I find something interesting. Then return to my home and have lunch while watching all the people go  by.

So, for those who are just getting the hang of full-time RVing consider these things I have said, find a nice comfortable rig that's easy to handle and cheap to run, and the money you save you can enjoy the places you visit much better. Put your money in the things that are going to help you the most, wireless technology (phones, internet) and a good GPS.

Now while I was up in Oregon I stopped in a RV center there just to see what might be new and helpful. I spent a $100 on a fantastic gizzmo to dump the holding tank. What was the most unpleasant job about RVing just became a whole lot more pleasant.  "SewerSoulution Model V" you can Google it. This is amazing! Now I am not selling these, so webmaster don't get your shirt in a knot <G>, but you connect the gizzmo to the end of your sewer pipe, then connect the water hose from  the tap to the device (it has a neat quick-connect) then turn on the water. Now the hose that goes to the ground sewer is just one and a quarter inch in diameter. On the end of that  is an  adjustable fitting to accommodate any dump-station sewer pipe, no more weighting down with rocks.  So when you got it all hooked up, turn the water on and open yer sewer valve and relax. Inside the gizzmo is a powerful water jet that breaks up all the crap and TP and flushes it through the small hose into the sewer. This creates a siphon effect that suctions out your holding tank. Wait! The best part, when the tank has emptied turn the lever and it directs the powerful jet up the sewer pipe on your holding tank and flushes it. In the end your holding tank is clean, no spills, no leaks, no messes, no smells, very simple to operate. One last thing that is so cool about this. The discharge hose you can add to it's length up to 50 feet! That's right, and it will go uphill, no need for you RV to be above the dump station. When I stay at my friends houses, I just open their sewer clean-out and drop my little hose in there.

Now here's my idea of a perfect RV station. Imagine, you pull in to a station and there is the gas pump, water, propane, and dump-station all on one island. You hand the attendant your card and drive away. (well of coarse don't forget your card, duh) I just don't understand why they make it so difficult for RVers. Don't we spend enough money? Hello! And my complaint against the RV parks for today, you are over priced and discriminate against older RV's, that's very poor business.

Happy trails everyone!

Phil

[LindaH]

Now here's my idea of a perfect RV station. Imagine, you pull in to a station and there is the gas pump, water, propane, and dump-station all on one island.

Sounds nice...until you stop and think about it.

Say we find such a place and pull in behind a behemoth Class A that has 100 gallons of fresh water, propane, grey water and black water...each!...and 150 gallon fuel tank.  This guy is doing the works...filling up his fuel tank, fresh water tank, and propane tank plus emptying his black and grey water tanks.

All I want to do is get fuel, but I have to wait 30 to 45 minutes while this guy takes care of everything.  Can you imagine the LINES???  No thank you!

[Truckboy]

Most Rv owners are taking $1500 a month for 2 people and its depend on the condition and facilities in RV too. even you can spend less than this. There should be a budget according to your plans which depends on fuel prices, park rent, electric etc.

[technosyncratic]

We've been living in an RV for the past year and have kept track of all our RV-related expenses.  We thought others might find the information useful, so we published our monthly budgets & expenses, as well as money-saving tips for each category.  Hope this helps!

Costs of Fulltiming in an RV: 
http://technosyncratic.com/2011/01/21/true-costs-of-fulltiming/