Cost of living on the road...

[BarbaraRose]

I am wondering if you all can give me some idea about how much money I could expect to spend each month on the road if I went full-timing (especially those of you who travel alone)? Aside from unexpected problems, what are the typical daily, weekly, monthly expenses if I were to keep things as cheap as possible. Probably would do some workamping and/or boondocking, I don't eat much, already have cheap cell phone service, wouldn't necessarily need a TV, but would need internet service. Could I get by on $1000 per month? What does RV insurance run aproximately for a small C? Does it pay to join an RV club for discounts?

Barbie

[rvgrammy1953]

Barbie.....I don't have a detailed break down of monthly expensences, but after paying cell, internet air card, DirecTV, truck & camper payments,and a small personal loan...we get along on about $950/month.....now, we're camp hosting this winter so don't have site rent, but even then, if we were paying site rent, we still do okay...(last year we did KY, Arkansas, TX, Fl, and GA).....the trick there is to stay in 1 place for a month, then move on if that is your plan....cheaper by the month in most places....In the summer we have a seasonal camp site in PA and pay $800 for 6 months.....(Guess where our Income Tax refund goes... ) and Ernie mows lawns for extra cash....so we save some then.....We've been full-timing for 5 years now and this works for us....It's just one of many ways to make the " Life on the Road" work....I'm sure others will have more ideas and suggestions.....

[BirdbyBird]

There are as many personal variables to the budget equation as there are individuals but looking at other's expected expenses can get you thinking about your choices. RV Dreamers post their monthly and yearly expenses on their blog as does Tioga George and Miss B Haven. I am sure that others on here can direct you to other blog writers that share their costs. Again other's budgets and expenses are only starting points for your own internal discussion of what your own wants and needs are and how you plan to travel and live. Some of those decisions you may not truly understandd until you have traveled on the road for a while. One thing I learned working and creating budgets for the program I was in charge of for years.....budget are live things they start out as our best guess based on past experiences and our best look at the future...which of course usually changed as we went along as life gave us actual expereinces... a which point adjustments had to be made to "line item" budgets and totals...... Good luck.....a good start is a realistic look at your current budget....the you can consider how it will change.

[retiredhappy]

Insurance depends on how old your rig is, where you live and how much coverage you get and the size of your deductible. My rig is a 2001 and I carry full insurance because its financed. My insurance here in Texas runs me $416 a year. I get a discount for having my tow car also insured by the same company. I pay $590 a year for my tow car.

Just as an example, my expenses in Dec were:

Site rental $395
Electric 60
Verizon (cell and internet) 117
Dish (includes 2 receivers 73
at my daughter's house)
Food 200
Gas (for car only) 50

Having memberships will depend on where you travel. I don't belong to any other than Good Sam (and will probably drop that) because they mostly don't have parks where I go. I am thinking of joining RVW (RVingWomen) again since they now have a Texas chapter that has lots of get togethers. In addition to the above expenses I also have a monthly payment for medical insurance to supplement my medicare and a prescription drug plan. I don't carry an extended warranty on my rig so I put money in savings every month to cover any big expenses. If you're traveling your site expenses will be more than a monthly unless you boondock a lot and you will gas for the rig. When I'm on the road I like (if possible) to boondock two nights and then stay in a park to dump and have a looooong shower.

I workamp for five or six months a year for a free site/electric/laundry and discount on propane. I put what I would have been paying for a site into savings. I'm happy just working for my site cause I really don't want to work many hours (last job was 2 hrs a day, 5 days wkly). If you're willing to work more hours you can find jobs that pay as well as provide a free site.

[BarbaraRose]

Thanks for the info so far. I am making a list of types of expenses. So far I have: site fee, vehicle insurance, medical insurance, gas, propane, electric, cell phone, internet, food. What am I missing? How much does it cost to fill an average sized propane tank?

Barbie

[Sparkle]

I would get a roadside service too. With that and a cell phone it gives you access to help on lonely roads if you get a breakdown. My propane tanks hold 30 pounds, each one lasts me at least 6 weeks and costs anywhere from 22.00 to 30.00 to fill each one. I don't owe on my vehicles, don't eat in restaurants much, and boondock a lot. I'm saving on a Social Security benefit. As Lori says, monthly rates can be vastly different in price from daily. Even a weekly rate can be better than daily rates. I rarely have been able to take advantage of Membership rates. The only one I have is Good Sam and rarely stay in a campground that has it. I'm going to drop my Good Sam, like Karen, and just keep the Roadside Service.

[BarbaraRose]

Tina, where do I find those blogs? I googled "Miss B Haven" and came up with all sorts of "interesting" sites that had nothing to do with rv's. Ha!!

Barbie

[VickieP]

http://www.rv-adventure.blogspot.com/ Margie is one of our forum sisters MsBHaven
http://blog.vagabonders-supreme.net/
http://rv-dreams.typepad.com/rvdreams_journal/

[BirdbyBird]

Thank you Vickie ...you are much quicker than I am.....

[VickieP]

I'm just up late.

[avalen]

How much does it cost to fill an average sized propane tank?

Barbie

Propane can vary, its like gas in the car. My tanks are 8 gal tanks, don't know what
that is considered in pounds but they are little taller than bbq size tanks, which are
considered the 5 gal tanks. Lately the price of propane here has been 2.70 a gal
and when I fill one of my 8 gal tanks, it eats up a $20 bill. Then you have to work
into the equation what you use it for. If I was only using it for cooking it would
probably last me a very long time like Sparkle, but I'm using mine for heat, so
I burn up alot when the furnace kicks on. On average, my tank will last me a
week and a half. I try to always have a full tank handy. The little bbq tank empties
in the other half of the week, that one cost me less than $10 to fill it. I've paid
as low as 2.40 this winter. Then of course the price of propane is going to vary
from state to state, just like gas. The last two years I had propane delivered. They
brought out a very tall cylinder tank, called it a 100 gal size and hooked it up to one
side of my regulater. They charged me $18 a year for the tank rental, and they would
only fill it when it was empty. The total fill was usually about $88, and they also
charged me for a deliver fee, $5 a trip. Not such a bargain, so I did not renew the
tank lease this year and choose to spend smaller amounts more often than one big
amount once a month or so. Works better on my budget and the funny thing is if I
go directly to the propane place I spent 2 cents more per gal than getting it from the
gas station that gets serviced by that same propane place. Go figure, its just one
of those oddities of life.

[Echo]

Charging you for your convenience of them doing the work. Gotta love it!!!

I'm all for someone having a business and making a profit but not when it threatens to send me to the poor house. I can send myself that with no outside help, thank you very much!!!!!

[Echo]

Tina, where do I find those blogs? I googled "Miss B Haven" and came up with all sorts of "interesting" sites that had nothing to do with rv's. Ha!!

Barbie

Barbie this just cracked me up big time when I read it! Long ago when we got our first computer I made the mistake of doing a search on the word 'love'. Holy smokes! Some of what I got back on that simple word search was NOT what I would call "love". Gods there are some sick people out there!!

[retiredhappy]

If you get a Class C, A or I think, most B's the propane tanks are attached and you have to take your rig to fill the tanks. Fifth wheels and trailers usually have portable tanks that you can take just the tank to be filled. When I workamp I have always been provided at no charge, the big 100 lb tank and get to filled it at cost. Didn't use the entire tank in six months BUT it was also in the summer - no heat to speak of, just cooking and heating water for showers. If you don't have the removable tanks you will need an "Extend-a-Stay" so you can hook up to one of the big tanks if you workamp. It costs about $70. I also have a small 20 lb (5 gallon) tank that I can take boondocking so I don't have to move my rig to refill my propane. I carry it (empty) in the back seat of my tow car. Five gallons should last you about two weeks unless you run the heat a lot. A lot of us also carry a small electric heater to use when we're plugged into electricity. I use mine when my site rent INCLUDES electricity. If I'm paying monthly where I pay for my electric I stick to propane as I think its cheaper altho I do kick it on in the mornings to take the chill off if its really cold out. My particular rig has two heat vents in the bedroom area (where I really don't want heat) and only one in the front (who the hell designs these things?).

OK, ask a simple question and get a book from me.

[Getupngo]

I haven't been up to date with Margie, so I had to laugh when I saw her rig, the Phaez2.
For those new to the forum, Margie's first rig was a Class B -- hence the clever name
MsBHaven. I had a vague recollection that she got a bigger rig. WOW. Looks like she &
Roger are having a great time.