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Can We afford to full time RV?


Mike

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Hi,

We would love to pack up and sell it all. We can buy a 5th wheel and truck to tow it outright. I am receiving a pension for $3500 a month which includes our medical coverage taken out. I have no idea if this would be enough to RV full time. Any advice or thoughts would be greatly appreciated!

 

Thanks Mike

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If you buy a big 5th wheel, you are going to need to find a place to keep it and you will almost certainly need to pay for hook ups.  That can get very expensive. 

There are choices besides expensive RV campgrounds.  You might want to consider being a campground host.  Lots of places like national forest campgrounds are covered by private contractors. 

My wife and I decided on a different approach.  We full timed in a truck camper.  We had solar panels and did not need hookups.  With a senior pass, our stays in national parks and national forests were half price.  We also stayed free on BLM lands and stopped at Walmart  or truck stop parking lots when traveling.  We averaged $7/night for camping, about $10/month for propane and about $5/month for generator gas.  We travelled quite a bit so we also spend about $500-1000/month on fuel.  Food costs were less than we spent at home.

You can definitely live full time for little money, but you will not be able to do that if you need to stay in RV parks and the equivalent.  Of course,  you can also rent space cheaply for more extended stays.  I enjoy traveling in an RV; others are content to sit at one place.

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everyone lives differently but if we average out the last 2 years full-timing (we are working on our 5th year) we would easily made it on your income. I didn't take the time but I'm pretty certain if I looked back at all the years it would be the same minus the new motorhome and pickup we bought.

 We have done 5 posts on our blog talking about expenses we have had while on the road in case you are interested.

Dave & Diane

2020 New Horizon Majestic  5th wheel

2018 Ram 5500

2014 Tiffin Phaeton 42LH (SOLD)
2012 Jeep Rubicon Unlimited (SOLD)

http://daveanddiane.wordpress.com/

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCWqRmO1rO4cu3rFANF1iG6Q

 

http://tickers.TickerFactory.com/ezt/d/4;10752;80/st/20120701/e/Went+fulltime/dt/-2/k/271f/event.png
 

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Each person is totally different. Do some Googling on full time living expenses to get a fewel as to what things cost and what expenses there are that you don't know about. You will need an emergency fund and also save money for normal maintenance(tires are pricey, every 6 years or so).

Come back to us after you do some reading. As to daily expenses, they are very variable as to what level of rving you want to do. Campgrounds cost from 0 to $100 a night. Gas is cheap right now. Food is dependent if you eat out a lot or eat in, chicken or steak.

Go to thee library and get some books on Rving.

There are part time jobs out there if you want them, volunteer positions etc.

There are several recent threads that are along a similar line. Peruse all the threads and read what interests you.

We will answer as best we can any questions you have.

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Welcome!

That's a healthy budget and shouldn't be too difficult to make ends meet. While RV'ing can be done quite inexpensively, I find as a general rule of thumb that, if you are able to support your lifestyle on your current income, RV'ing really won't be all that different. You are simply trading the types of expenses you have now with others, but it generally seems to even out in the end. Not that you couldn't do it for much less. I know many.. MANY folks that full-time quite contently on about half of what you stated.

Your own sense of how much you're willig to pay for what, the types of entertainment you enjoy, the types of foods and how often you eat out really won't change without a conscious decision to do so.

You will have to decide what makes the most sense for you with regard to buying. I prefer to be free and clear, but as your "home", interest payments are tax deductible. Some folks prefer to take the deductions and keep the bulk of their money working for them.

As SWharton stated, It's a very good idea to have a decent liquid asset fund available, or at least be contributing to a "repair & replace" fund monthly. Breakdowns can be costly and require immediate attention.

A lot of great folks around on this forum that are very generous with their time and knowledge. Don't hesitate to ask questions as you prepare. Starting out can be a bit of information overload for some, but it's entirely doable and not as intimidating as it might first appear.

As a suggestion, when considering an RV and/or tow vehicle, you might post what you are considering for feedback before buying. Having a poorly matched tow package seems to be a very common, and often costly, mistake for those new to the lifestyle. There are some good eggs out there, but generally speaking... RV and auto dealers can not be relied on to provide accurate tow information. 

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As others have said there is no one "RV Lifestyle." There are many who full time in a 17ft fiberglass "egg" trailer. Others wouldn't be caught dead in anything less than a 45ft diesel pusher.

Depends on what you want to do/stay. Many government (National Park, State Park, Forest Service, etc.) campgrounds are limited in site size and often don't have hookups. But they are less expensive (anywhere from $7 to $12 a night with senior pass [National]). While traveling we have often stayed overnight in highway rest stops free (just stop - sleep - go). Full hook-up "resort" campgrounds can be anything from $40 up, way up.

Personally, we could do very nicely on $3500 a month. Others would think that is living in poverty.

Only you can decide what you want to get out of RVing and what it will cost..

 

Wil and Joanna

Park Model

17' Casita

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As a general rule what you spend now is what you will spend then. You just pay it differently in terms of housing costs. Your standards of living are not likely to change much unless you make a conscious decision to do so. But, if you do make that decision you can live on a lot less than your budgeted amount.

Linda Sand

Blog: http://sandcastle.sandsys.org/

Former Rigs: Liesure Travel van, Winnebago View 24H, Winnebago Journey 34Y, Sportsmobile Sprinter conversion van

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Actually, I do not think I could equate living in a residence with being a full timer.  Most of the expenses are different. 

I got rid of the house, retired and took off full time in an RV.  My expenses dropped to a fraction of what they had been.  You would think food would be about the same.  Even those costs dropped.  We ate much simpler when traveling than we had when living in a house.  We expected higher costs for entertainment and eating out.  Those dropped to next to nothing.  There were lots of restaurants and places to spend money on in our old neighborhood.  Not so much in the national parks and forests.  When we did eat out it was often at inexpensive places like Cracker Barrel.  Our free pass for the national parks covered the bulk of entertainment.

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If you stay for a month RV park rates are quite reasonable. There are some that are expensive. You can live well on $3500 a month if you watch expenses. We have more available but we have saved extra. We think you will enjoy the life it is different than stick and bricks. It should bring you closer to each other as you are in a confined space so you will talk more. We were forced into the life as a wild fire took 1700 homes and our was one. Don't feel sorry for us as we have a wonderful new life that we would not have otherwise different than imagined but great any way. Flow with the punches and adapt. It is living! I wouldn't trade what happen to us for anything. Live is an ADVENTURE ENJOY THE RIDE!

2011 Berkshire 390-rb-40, upgraded tires and front axle airbags, 2012 Jeep Wrangler 2 door, Blue Ox baseplate and BlueOx aladdin tow bar, Blue Ox Patriot brake system, wiring run through right frame rail and homemade led taillight bar.

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10 hours ago, Mike said:

We would love to pack up and sell it all. We can buy a 5th wheel and truck to tow it outright. I am receiving a pension for $3500 a month which includes our medical coverage taken out. I have no idea if this would be enough to RV full time. Any advice or thoughts would be greatly appreciated!

The Elephant in the room -- what are you doing for health care? Medicare? Military? Buying your own?

SKP #79313 / Full-Timing / 2001 National RV Sea View / 2008 Jeep Wrangler Rubicon
www.rvSeniorMoments.com
DISH TV for RVs

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2 hours ago, Zulu said:

The Elephant in the room -- what are you doing for health care? Medicare? Military? Buying your own?

His post says that medical coverage will be deducted from his pension.?

 

I think Linda has a valid "rule of thumb". Although the expenses are "different" for fulltiming, they tend to be similar to living in a house- exchanging mortgage/rent for RV parks, food is similar, cell phones, satellite tv or cell data instead of cable, etc.  

If you WANT to lower your expenses, its pretty easy to do as a fulltimer. There are more costs that you can control, such as volunteering to save on an RV spot, or getting a monthly rate to save on RV park rates- and both of those reduce your fuel expense because you wouldn't be traveling as far.

We lived on about the same amount of money pretty comfortably.  Paid close attention for the first year, being aware, so we didn't go too far over.

Sue and Paul- fulltimed 2009 -2015 with Dozer, our Gray Tuxedo cat

 2012 DRV Mobile Suites 36TKSB4 pulled by a 2020 F350 Platinum

Our "vacation home" : 2018 Arctic Fox 1150 truck camper

RIP Dozey

http://soos-ontheroad.blogspot.com/

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I personally think that the big secret to full timing on a budget is to set out DEBT FREE. If you can attain that then the rest is fine tuning your budget as you go.

Camping costs can be controlled using various strategies http://banbrv.blogspot.com/2016/06/camping-for-25-night.html

We manage quite nicely on a budget similar to yours and in 2 years full time we haven't touched a dime of our retirement savings. Why not give it a go and see if you like it, sitting on the fence isn't half as much fun as jumping off it and running around the country.

We keep a spreadsheet with out outgoings and incomings just so that once a month we get a reality check on our finances, we haven't had to worry ourselves over money and we don't starve ourselves either! Of course your wants and needs are likely to much different than ours but give it a try I'm sure you'll enjoy it.

BnB

2009 Monaco Cayman DP 38'

bnbrv.blogspot.com/

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Welcome to the Escapee forums, Mike! We are here to help so please do join in often and ask anything that you wish.

On the budget side of things, if you visit this thread from another of the forums here, you will see that your budget falls pretty much in the center of what is typical of people on these forums. I suggest that you also read this column from a past RV magazine as it explains a lot of the issue quite well. How Much Does It Take 

It is important to understand that the amount of income you have is only a part of the issue and we really need to know a bit more about you in order to answer your needs as you prepare for the RV lifestyle. How much RV experience you have and a small amount about you will help us to give you far better answers. If you have not done so, I suggest also that you read a book or two on the subject of full-time RV living since that will help you to know more about the issues that must be dealt with and some of the possible answers. 

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

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

            images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQqFswi_bvvojaMvanTWAI

 

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The thread Kirk referenced is a good resource on the topic: 

http://www.rvnetwork.com/index.php?showtopic=120595

I think most people can fulltime on 3500 a month, however, you need to be ready to fix things that break, upgrade, etc.  That includes stuff like expired fire extinguishers to a worn out air conditioner.  That kind of stuff is the wild card for budgeting. 

Our "Here and There" Blog

 

2005 Safari Cheetah Motorhome

 

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Or even less than 1,600 per month.  Have been doing it on less for 6 years.  We do workamp part of the time, so at least get site and utilities for a portion of the year at no charge.  But, your budget is what we would consider "healthy".

 

Check out Passport America for cutting costs on sites, especially when traveling.  You can view campground information on their website without being a member if you want to see what type of facilities are offered.  

Pat DeJong

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Believe it or not, we intend to full time it in my class C starting in September. I will be initially subsisting entirely on social security checks so I will be getting rid of lots to make sure I have little to have to pay for.  I'll do some work on the road to supplement but we expect to cover ALL expenses including groceries and gas at $1400 a month tops. I'm told by many, this will actually be easy.

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Hello Mike

Welcome to the forum.  I have been a full-timer for four years now.  In the last 12 months I averaged $2012 per month in expenses.  I keep a spreadsheet and track every dime of my expenses.  To bring that figure into a bit better perspective. . . I'm a single RVer, I have no payments on anything, I'm retired military so my medical insurance is paid for, and I work camp for 5 months out of the year so for those months there is no lot rent or electric cost.

Some people retire, sell the house, buy a big fancy RV, jump into the lifestyle and find in six months that they hate it.  They are then stuck with an RV that they have lost a fortune on.  When I started RVing eight years ago I rented a Class C and went out for two weeks.  In that two weeks I had a ball.  I found that I was hooked on RVing and I gained some idea of the type of RV I wanted.  It was well worth a few thousand dollars to gain that information.

I think some people will spend most, if not all, of their savings to buy an RV and vehicle so they can start debt free.  But the problem is that no allowance is made in their budget for a vehicle replacement fund.  RV's are not an investment.  They are a depreciating asset that has a limited lifespan before they need replacement.  If you are spending all of your income each month on living expenses, with no allowance for a vehicle replacement fund, or resources set aside that you can draw on, you are not living a sustainable lifestyle.  

Becoming a full time RVer was one of the best decisions I've ever made in life.

Best of luck with your decision.

Jim    

   

Jim
SKP: 99693
If you think you can, or you think you can't. . . you are probably right (Henry Ford)
2014 Dodge 4WD Dually
1998 Carriage LS-341

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Budgets and rigs vary greatly. Can you live in your S&B on $3500/month? If so, you can probably do very nicely as full-timers. Some budget categories will be higher when full-timing (fuel comes to mind immediately), while others may well be less (property taxes). How you travel and where you stay are the two that can vary the most. If you are going to tow your coach 500 miles every day, staying in resort-type campgrounds, you will spend a fortune in fuel and campground fees. On the other hand, if you tow it 200 miles and stay for two weeks in a COE campground, using a senior pass, then move on down the road and repeat, your fuel and camping costs will be much less. In addition, you will be less stressed.

If you are used to buying your food in bulk at Sam's you will find that your food costs will rise slightly, as you won't be able to buy case lots of things. On the other hand, you can go to the local farmers' markets and get fresh produce for the same or lower price than in the grocery store. Tip: ask locals about local/regional brands. Also try a local restaurant once in a while. While down in Cypress, TX we were put on to a local place that looked a lot like a junkyard on the outside. Inside, they had wonderful burgers that were large enough to let you eat half then and take the other half home for the next day. Same thing when we were in Wisconsin.

David Lininger, kb0zke
1993 Foretravel U300 40' (sold)
2022 Grand Design Reflection 315RLTS

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  • 2 weeks later...

Here is a recent forum topic about the variables associated with full time RV'ing.   While some of the discussion is about what individuals spend, a lot more is devoted to what people do to either add extra income or reduce their expenses by volunteering in exchange for free campsites. 

Al & Sharon
2006 Winnebago Journey 36G 
2020 Chevy Colorado Toad
San Antonio, TX

http://downtheroadaroundthebend.blogspot.com/

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