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Anyone full timing on 25000 a year?


Max Death

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:huh:;);) Popeye! You have me beat on living on wheels; I started in 1994 full timing and still doing it at age 62. We learn how to be frugal if we want the RV life over the S&B's.

Class.......? I'm not even in that universe .

But I've been living on wheels since 1980 so lots of practice.

:) Living Life One Day At A Time!

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  • 6 months later...

You also gain a lot by simply volunteering somewhere for an agency that you enjoy helping out and thus save the cost of an RV site and sometimes other expenses as well. For us that method of travel not only make our budget go much farther, but it also supplied a great deal of meaning and satisfaction to our lifestyle. You may want to consider that way of life.

Good travelin !...............Kirk

Full-time 11+ years...... Now seasonal travelers.
Kirk & Pam's Great RV Adventure

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I think we're gonna come in at about $24K from October 2014 through September 2015. Planning to be in 1 place for 6 months of that time and on family property a few months of the rest. Having no debt helps too. Includes routine and minor unexpected maintenance, but any major maintenance issues will be on top of that.

 

This is far less than my original budget. We just aren't spending as much as I expected.

Safe travels,
roadhousecharley
Class of 13
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  • 8 months later...

We make roughly $2,000/month. Like others said, if you workamp with low site fees all you have to worry about is paying for food and other bills like cell phone, vehicle insurance. We do just fine, but we are new to this so we have spent some money on little tweaks for the RV, and admittedly we should probably eat out a little less and we would be able to squirrel away money. We are kinda doing what we always have done and living paycheck to paycheck. But we do have credit in case any unforseen circumstances come up like repairs. I find having a Pilot J gas card helps give you peace of mind while traveling that you will always have some gas money no matter what. We also use Ting for cell service which is usually only $45/ month for 2 smartphones, even with a lot of 3G roaming (and use as GPS!) as we are in a bad Wifi service area. You can estimate your bill by checking out thier website. They even give you $75 credit on ETF if you need to get out of a current contract. If you use this code, you get $25 referral discount: https://zrqgo52htb5.ting.com/%C2'> We have been very happy with them, and you get english speaking real customer service when you call.

 

If you are getting retirement income and you workamp I personally think you will prosper nicely and love the lifestyle! We are considering making less money so we can not work full time and I think it is totally possible to make less than 25k/year and do this!

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We make roughly $2,000/month. Like others said, if you workamp with low site fees all you have to worry about is paying for food and other bills like cell phone, vehicle insurance. We do just fine, but we are new to this so we have spent some money on little tweaks for the RV, and admittedly we should probably eat out a little less and we would be able to squirrel away money. We are kinda doing what we always have done and living paycheck to paycheck. But we do have credit in case any unforseen circumstances come up like repairs. I find having a Pilot J gas card helps give you peace of mind while traveling that you will always have some gas money no matter what.

Welcome to the Escapee forums~! We are very happy to have you join us and do hope that you become a regular contributor. We need new members and especially so the younger folks.

 

One comment, this is a pretty old thread so if you are particularly interested in this one, you may want to start a new one just to get people to come back and take part again. Thank you for joining!

Good travelin !...............Kirk

Full-time 11+ years...... Now seasonal travelers.
Kirk & Pam's Great RV Adventure

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We are almost to the end of a 3-week expedition in our RV; the longest since we had kids back in the 1990s (in a 5er then) and I am shocked, seriously, at how much money we've gone through.

 

One mechanical/electrical issue set us back almost $500 (it would have been more if not for Coachnet);

A decision to stay here at an SKP park (Coarsegold) instead of going 500 miles further for similar weather in AZ (and boondocking);

Nearby shopping (I'd blame the DW but I'm just as bad);

Casino buffets;

Gas for the Jeep exploring old mine sites and 20 miles r/t for shopping (did I mention shopping yet?);

"How about we just go out for breakfast this morning?"

 

I think we need to work on discipline.

 

WDR

1993 Foretravel U225 with Pacbrake and 5.9 Cummins with Banks

1999 Jeep Wrangler, 4" lift and 33" tires

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We are almost to the end of a 3-week expedition in our RV; the longest since we had kids back in the 1990s (in a 5er then) and I am shocked, seriously, at how much money we've gone through.

 

Sounds like a vacation, fulltimeing is a lifestyle.

John

2017 F350 King Ranch DRW 6.7 4.10 B&W hitch

2017 DRV MS 36RSSB3

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Wow! Perhaps you may want to consider some changes? Work camping may be a solution. Did you find the same problems before you went on the road?

 

Safe Travels!

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We also use Ting for cell service which is usually only $45/ month for 2 smartphones, even with a lot of 3G roaming (and use as GPS!) as we are in a bad Wifi service area. You can estimate your bill by checking out thier website. They even give you $75 credit on ETF if you need to get out of a current contract. If you use this code, you get $25 referral discount: We have been very happy with them, and you get english speaking real customer service when you call.

 

 

 

Have not heard of Ting before, sounds pretty good. We are on Ptel cellular now and they are a pretty good deal as well. You mentioned a referral discount code, but didn't include the code. Can you respond with that please?

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Have not heard of Ting before, sounds pretty good. We are on Ptel cellular now and they are a pretty good deal as well. You mentioned a referral discount code, but didn't include the code. Can you respond with that please?

 

Ting is a Sprint MVNO. If Sprint's coverage includes the areas where you will be, it could be a good deal.

Dutch
2001 GBM Landau 34' Class A
F-53 Chassis, Triton V10, TST TPMS
2011 Toyota RAV4 4WD/Remco pump
ReadyBrute Elite tow bar/brake system

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  • 2 weeks later...

talked to a couple that's doing it on 17k a year !! so it can be done it just depends on your life style.

Just remember that we can claim pretty much any budget figures we wish, as long as others never see our actual expenses. We have lived pretty frugally, but we often see claims of budgets far below what we have experienced and by people doing all or even more than we do. We seem to get into competitive situations of "my budget is smaller than yours" at times. The other factor to always look at is, if they do manage on that small an amount, could we do that and still enjoy our lifestyle? Some years ago we spent some time with a fellow who was managing on less than half our budget and who would freely show you his records. There was no question that his plan was working and his budget accurate, but even though he enjoyed doing what he did, we would not. His fuel consumption for travel as less than 1/2 of ours so he traveled very little. When he did travel, he always chose the cheapest place to stay, with no consideration of how ugly or unpleasant it might be. He also spent far less on food than we.....

 

These things can be done, but will you enjoy living that way?

Good travelin !...............Kirk

Full-time 11+ years...... Now seasonal travelers.
Kirk & Pam's Great RV Adventure

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Very well said kirk I couldn't agree more!! could I live on 17K a year. I would tend to say there a lot of variables involved in that as well!! such as insurances and registration fees for the vehicle not cheap in califorina fuel. everything out here is more expensive than lets say if I did goto SD and get a domicile I would tend to say in my situation it would be more like 50K a year to be comfortable and enjoy rving!! I would say about 20k a year for me to be comfortable providing I moved out of califorina everything out here costs more!!

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  • 2 weeks later...

Just remember that we can claim pretty much any budget figures we wish, as long as others never see our actual expenses. We have lived pretty frugally, but we often see claims of budgets far below what we have experienced and by people doing all or even more than we do. We seem to get into competitive situations of "my budget is smaller than yours" at times. The other factor to always look at is, if they do manage on that small an amount, could we do that and still enjoy our lifestyle? Some years ago we spent some time with a fellow who was managing on less than half our budget and who would freely show you his records. There was no question that his plan was working and his budget accurate, but even though he enjoyed doing what he did, we would not. His fuel consumption for travel as less than 1/2 of ours so he traveled very little. When he did travel, he always chose the cheapest place to stay, with no consideration of how ugly or unpleasant it might be. He also spent far less on food than we.....

 

These things can be done, but will you enjoy living that way?

 

Good points as always Kirk,

We have an appointment for a 2nd opinion with a CFP/planner tomorrow and as I read through this thread (admittedly for at least the 3rd or 4th time tonight) I have to think that to really get a realistic picture, someone ought to post a template where everyone copies the base and fills in their own monthly cost for each category (with specific details as to what each category includes). As I see people claiming to get by on $15-17K/year, they either must have free health insurance or none because at age 56/57 and hoping to retire at 58/59 it's looking like it'll cost us between $12-15K/year just for insurance and prescriptions when we no longer have employer plans. Going without insurance is not an option for us... Then there's registration and insurance for the rig and toad (and MC in my case), along with some kind of coachnet or other extended repair/tow plan for the RV. We'll have no loans of any kind but there's food, tv, cell & internet, fuel, park fees, RV & toad repair, entertainment, clothing, dining out here and there. We tried to make up a realistic budget for the first planner we met with and came up with $52,500/year (heavily padded to appease the wife), but I tacked another $7,500 discretionary on there for good measure and unplanned items. My wife is major paranoid of under-budgeting our retirement and running out of money down the road and becoming a burden on our only child. But even with medocre returns on our investments and other fixed retirement income, the models show more left when we're gone than when we start including 2.5% inflation along the way. We're getting the 2nd opinion as the wife was still skeptical after the first planner said "you're good to go... retire now." I'm convinced... she's not. I'm hoping we can be FT on the road by late 2016.

 

I know even Jack said he had gotten by on about $31K/year (excluding capital expenditures). If I thought we could do it for that... I'd probably feel better about spending more for a rig! Not doubting you guys claims. Every single person out there will have a different idea of what living comfortably means. Judging by Jack's rig and HDT, he and Danielle certainly know what living comfortably means! Health and vehicle insurance costs will vary widely not only by state, but by individual, age and past health history and driving records for vehicle insurance. We certainly won't live extravegantly in retirement, but we're not going to pinch every penny so hard it screams either. And probably not likely to do too much work after we pull the plug. Maybe a little volunteering. I just want to get out there and enjoy a few years after working fulltime nearly 40 years and saving dilligently. To many friends and relatives have died off before they got to enjoy any of the fruits of their labor.

 

So I wonder if it would be worth throwing out a template with all the full time monthly expense categories and specifics listed and literally having people put their money where their mouth is... on each line item I think it would really help those of us still in the planning stages feel better about what we'd need to spend to really go full time. Anyone want to take a stab at a category list and see what others want to add to it before it's finalized and people can start filling in their own costs?

Cheers,

 

Don

 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 

 

 

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...We certainly won't live extravegantly in retirement, but we're not going to pinch every penny so hard it screams either. And probably not likely to do too much work after we pull the plug. Maybe a little volunteering. I just want to get out there and enjoy a few years after working fulltime nearly 40 years and saving dilligently...

I think one needs to define for themselves, what they consider retirement/work. Does your definition of retirement include workamping/volunteering X number of hours/week for X weeks, month(s) or a season in return for an RV site to keep costs down or working at Amazon, gate guarding or the sugar beet harvest part of the year to earn enough to travel the rest of the year?

One also needs to consider if, how much and where they want to travel. Do you want to just move from a warm winter location to a cooler summer location taking advantage of long term rates and places like the BLM LTVAs? Do you want to travel mostly from one membership park to another? Do you want to mostly boondock?

Two of the more controllable costs are fuel and camping fees. Fuel cost is pretty simply to manage. Don’t drive and you won’t need fuel. I’ve been told a number of times on this forum that fulltimers don’t travel many miles so fuel cost is not an issue. Which brings me back to the question of what do you want/plan to do in retirement, sit in a few places or travel and see the country?

 

...So I wonder if it would be worth throwing out a template with all the full time monthly expense categories and specifics listed and literally having people put their money where their mouth is... on each line item I think it would really help those of us still in the planning stages feel better about what we'd need to spend to really go full time. Anyone want to take a stab at a category list and see what others want to add to it before it's finalized and people can start filling in their own costs?...

I am not sure that just a number for some categories will mean all that much without knowing things like does the health insurance cost include a subsidy, is it for Medicare and a supplemental plan, is it the retiree/employee portion of an employer provided plan, what state, what amount of coverage, age of those covered, etc.

 

Discussions of yearly camping costs usually result in widely varying costs ranging from a few dollars/night to $20-30/night. You need to understand just how those costs were achieved and the extra costs that might be incurred but not counted in the calculation of nightly costs. The extremely low costs often result from workamping that includes a free site; volunteering that includes a free site; staying primarily in membership parks such as Thousand Trails; extensive dry camping in Forest Service, BLM or other public campgrounds and boondocking. If one moves once a month and can get a rate of $250/month that is $3,000/year. If one were to stay less than a month and get a weekly rate of $100 that is $5,200/year. In my experience those are fairly low rates for commercial and public campgrounds. We have found that BLM, Forest Service and Corps of Engineers campgrounds often offer sites with electric service at nightly costs between $3.00-13.00 with the Senior Pass. However, they rarely offer weekly or monthly rates and often have stay limits of 14-21 days. Travelling the U.S. highways, we have found city parks (even some with hookups) that allow overnights for free or a very reasonable cost. However, they also often have stay limits, sometimes as short as a day or two. So you save on nightly fees, but use fuel to get to the next location. When travelling from destination to destination, Walmarts, truck stops and other areas that allow overnight stays can save a considerable amount on camping fees. However; if you follow the recommendations of many to travel 200-250 miles per day, you need to consider whether you want to spend 15-18 hours in a parking lot.

 

What you will spend will depend a lot on you and what you want to do.

 

Edited to correct typos.

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...I wonder if it would be worth throwing out a template with all the full time monthly expense categories and specifics listed and literally having people put their money where their mouth is... on each line item I think it would really help those of us still in the planning stages feel better about what we'd need to spend to really go full time.

If you visit our website, you will find that there is a grid which shows the last five years of our total expenses for living on the road. It is now 5 years old as it shows the last five years of our 10 complete years of fulltime. I never put up the last year because it was broken up with a stop to locate our present home-base, then several months that we were parked in our present RV port and getting the house ready, then followed by another 5 months of travels on the road before we moved in. Those extra expenses so distorted our living costs for that last year that I do not believe they would be of much help and could mislead.

 

The numbers are somewhat out of date as they are now 5 years old, but it should still give you an idea of what to consider and perhaps some feel for the real costs. I added footnotes to explain many of the expenses as well. The totals at the bottom are those from our total spending, leaving out only the amounts that we set aside into savings. All other money spent is there but it is important to also read the footnotes. If you would like to look our budgets over, you can find them under five years of expenses on our website. It should give you some feel for what to consider.

Good travelin !...............Kirk

Full-time 11+ years...... Now seasonal travelers.
Kirk & Pam's Great RV Adventure

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If you visit our website, you will find that there is a grid which shows the last five years of our total expenses for living on the road. It is now 5 years old as it shows the last five years of our 10 complete years of fulltime. I never put up the last year because it was broken up with a stop to locate our present home-base, then several months that we were parked in our present RV port and getting the house ready, then followed by another 5 months of travels on the road before we moved in. Those extra expenses so distorted our living costs for that last year that I do not believe they would be of much help and could mislead.

 

The numbers are somewhat out of date as they are now 5 years old, but it should still give you an idea of what to consider and perhaps some feel for the real costs. I added footnotes to explain many of the expenses as well. The totals at the bottom are those from our total spending, leaving out only the amounts that we set aside into savings. All other money spent is there but it is important to also read the footnotes. If you would like to look our budgets over, you can find them under five years of expenses on our website. It should give you some feel for what to consider.

 

Hi Kirk,

 

Kirk, thanks, I've have in fact looked at your expense page several times (prior to today) - and have forwarded that link to my wife to peruse as well. It is an excellent reference and I applaud your efforts to post it! I have looked at the Wynn's budget pages and many others I can find online. My point was, getting some of the others on here who are claiming $17, 22, 24K/yr to list them as line items in similar fashion would be interesting as I'm sure there will be a few revelations or perhaps some things forgotten to come up with such low numbers. There's no question that everyone's will be different. I just think for those in the planning stage, seeing the possibilities and numbers is helpful and will also cause questions to be asked that will be beneficial to many to hear the answers.

 

Like you said in post 141: "Just remember that we can claim pretty much any budget figures we wish, as long as others never see our actual expenses. We have lived pretty frugally, but we often see claims of budgets far below what we have experienced and by people doing all or even more than we do. We seem to get into competitive situations of "my budget is smaller than yours" at times."

 

The "my budget is smaller than yours" is great if you can back it up with numbers, but otherwise it's mis-leading and not helpful at all to folks like us who are months away from breaking all familiar ties and heading out to FT. While there is no question that everyone's experience will be different, seeing a broader cross section of budget details would be more helpful than a bunch of one or two line replies saying "look at my tiny budget".

Cheers,

 

Don

 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 

 

 

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Don, the key to my numbers is that I DO NOT count our RVs. I only count my living expenses. We have fixed costs, variable costs, and discretionary items. Now that we get more income from Pensions/SS it gives us some relief from our savings "drainage". We lived totally on our savings for almost 13 years. It is nice to "put in" rather than "take out".

 

We can easily live on 30K a year without counting RV capital acquisition costs. We simply do not spend a lot of money "right now". That includes all insurance, fuel, etc. But that WILL go up over time. Actually, my medical insurance will drop considerably in 18 months when I go on Medicare (Danielle is on it). In that respect I'm looking forward to getting "old". We also work in the summer so that mitigates our campground/fuel/etc costs for those 5 months. Actually our expenses during those months are VERY low. And we actually bank money (net). So for 5 months we live totally free....no net expenditures. I count that income in the 30K figure above.

 

We have lived on as little as 24K a year....one year. That was years ago, now, and before insurance was so high. We also only drove 5100 miles that year. I could not do that "comfortably" now. We would have to modify our lifestyle some to get that low.

Jack & Danielle Mayer #60376 Lifetime Member
Living on the road since 2000

PLEASE no PM's. Email me. jackdanmayer AT gmail
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There is another thing which is also important and that is how you define living comfortably and enjoying life. We have actually known a few people who took great pride and satisfaction from living cheaply and spent a great deal of their time doing so. That is fine for those who enjoy doing that, but to me it would be drudgery and little better than going to a job each day that you don't enjoy doing. There are also those who do great amounts of dry camping, spending travel nights in parking lots and truck stops and their extended stay locations are true boondocking with no connections. That is not our idea of fun and we bought an RV that has a shower, water heater and lots of electric appliances because we enjoy using them. You can save money by being constantly on the alert for ways to work around things that cost and by staying in remote areas, especially if you disregard the cost of things like solar systems. I am happy for those who like that, but we prefer to use all of the amenities and our budget probably reflects that.

Good travelin !...............Kirk

Full-time 11+ years...... Now seasonal travelers.
Kirk & Pam's Great RV Adventure

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