Can I really full time on $2,000 a month

[packnrat]

from what some here are saying. i for one might  ot have much of a pronlem when i take my show on the rd.

but most anything is possable. only $2K a month. here in ca that figure is well below poverty level. and many are doing it with little problems. sure no net flicks. no satellite, maybe a chep phone. the human creature can and does adapt as needed.

if my math is right. and things do not tank. i should be two - three times that ( gross).

as at this time i do not want to work after i retire. got 50 years hard labor under my belt now. 7 more to go.

but just maybe. if for nothing more than a free place to park, power, other?  nothing beats free beer and propane.😜

[whj469]

I can't do it with over $7,300 per month! to many needy grandchildren!

[Larry]

2 hours ago, whj469 said:

I can't do it with over $7,300 per month! to many needy grandchildren!

I would say your grandchildren need to fend for themselves......lol.

[bigjim]

7 hours ago, whj469 said:

I can't do it with over $7,300 per month! to many needy grandchildren!

You are seriously doing something wrong.🙂

[Kirk W]

On 5/26/2018 at 2:34 PM, packnrat said:

but just maybe. if for nothing more than a free place to park, power, other?  nothing beats free beer and propane.

There are many places that we can volunteer for 2 or 3 days per week in return for a free full hookup RV site and sometimes including propane. Often there are other amenities like laundry rooms, and often entry into areas that most of the public never see. We have done many of these positions and we always looked for places that we would enjoy the assigned tasks, and where we could learn new things and have new experiences. With no site rental, the cost of RV living drops dramatically. We enjoyed that lifestyle so much that we continue to do the volunteer activity today, even though health as caused us to return to part-time.

[packnrat]

i can do most all handyman stuff. till my body gives out. ( back, neck, joints).  but as a single, not sure if i would even be allowed to be a "camp host". but then i am not much of a peoples person.

[2gypsies]

There are many gigs where you can do it being a single.  Also, many things to do 'in the background' around from the public.

[mptjelgin]

There are places that will take a single volunteer. But I really hope that if you decide to volunteer it will be because you WANT to volunteer and are eager to offer your services. Volunteering primarily  "for nothing more than a free place to park, power, other? "  will likely not be satisfying  to either yourself or the agency that you are volunteering for. 

[Kirk W]

On 5/29/2018 at 3:27 PM, mptjelgin said:

Volunteering primarily  "for nothing more than a free place to park, power, other? "  will likely not be satisfying  to either yourself or the agency that you are volunteering for. 

Very true. If all that you want is the campsite, you would be much wiser to look to RV parks that have positions available to work for a site only since the hours will be much less. 

[rollindowntheroad]

Thank you all for your responses.  They are truly appreciated.  I am feeling much more comfortable about doing this.  I am planning on being debt free when I retire.  Am going to pay cash for the MH and have some savings in the bank.  The MH will definitely be a used one, gas and currently thinking in the 35' range.  I have been to many RV dealers and walked through MH's.  The ones in the 35' range seem comfortable for me.  It's just me, no significant other and no pets.  Just bought a Jeep Wrangler for a toad a couple months ago, that will be paid off by the time I retire.  

[Optimistic Paranoid]

Between now and when you retire, spend some time thinking about, and pricing, everything ELSE you will need.

You're used motor home may, or may not, come with any of the following:

Electrical power cord(s), cord adapters, surge protector, sewer hose, sewer hose support, drinking water hose, water filter, various adapters for the hose, non-potable water hose, leveling pads, wheel chocks, patio ground cloth . . .

Perhaps you'll want to upgrade a simple black tank system with a macerator pump?

A new GPS?  A back-up camera system? External cell phone antenna and/or signal booster?

Do you want to boondock off the power grid?  Will you want to install a solar panel system?  How big?  Will you want to replace the motor home's house battery with a bigger battery bank?  Add a large inverter to a motor home that didn't come with one?

Going to be out in cold weather?  Want some catalytic heaters to supplement or replace the motor home's furnace?

Pulling a jeep to serve as a dinghy.  Priced the tow bar package yet?  A supplemental braking system for the Jeep?

You can find plenty of YouTube videos on these subjects that will give you a lot of ideas as to what you will need or want.

Edited June 6, 2018 by Optimistic Paranoid

[rollindowntheroad]

To:  Optimistic Paranoid

Haven't yet thought of all those details yet.  I suppose I should start making a list....lol.  I have a few years before I retire.  I will not be boondocking, at least not for an extended period of time.  Maybe a night at a Walmart parking lot while traveling but no extended periods.  Definitely will not be in cold weather.  I have a daughter in northern Illinois will probably spend the summers there then go south for the winters. 

As for the Jeep, definitely will get that all outfitted with every thing the last year I am working so it will be ready to go when the MH is purchased.

[SWharton]

If you buy used plan on tires. I would also look into a smaller MH as a single. We are a couple and have a 36' with empty cabinets and plenty of room for us........................A 30' would give you better access to Fed/State Parks. Also if you are over 62 make sure you gt your Federal Pass, $80. Gives you free access to Fed parks etc and 1/2 price camping in Fed cgs. Do this sooner than later as you never know what will be changed. Recently the price went from $10 to $80. Better to lock it in now.

[Larry]

I already am planning on new tires.  I have looked at 30' range MH's but don't feel comfortable in them, maybe I just haven't seen a floor plan that I like in this range.  Will keep looking.

[Zulu]

On 6/6/2018 at 11:10 AM, rollindowntheroad said:

I have a few years before I retire. 

Will you be under 65 when you retire?

[offroad]

On 12/24/2017 at 9:19 PM, ToddF said:

As a footnote to this thread, I recently toured the South researching potential snowbird locations. 3 options discovered that are very economical that could potentially fit into your plans in the short term or long term...

 

Thousand Trails zone pass ( with or without trails collection .) Many using it in Florida even during high season.

Escapee Coop parks with great rates and ERPU option too in Rainbow system.

The Rio Grande Valley has a glut of RV parks and deals abound.Could live there FT for $209 month if money runs out.

Give it a shot.... Lots of mostly favorable responses here.

 

have been looking at this overall situation.  Have to agree that THOUSAND TRAILS (TT) membership with the ELITE option (buy used for $3000) can get you there.  Sure its $600 yearly after you buy into this RV TIMESHARE service from TT, but then you do not pay anything more.  Think on the math of $600/365 days so $1.65 per day cost.  If you have to go to Florida you can get the TRAILS CONNECT add on ($200 more per year) as they do not have many Florida parks in TT original system.  So $2.20 per day with Florida.

Only GOT YA so far is that, you do need a modern RV that is not more than ten years old (typical); and some "rare" parks are requiring you to be 55 years old, and the RV to be 27 feet long at least, and to be a fifth wheel or class A. 

[Larry]

12 hours ago, Zulu said:

Will you be under 65 when you retire?

I will be 66.  I wanted to retire at 65 but decided to wait until 66 to increase my monthly amount.

[Off Our Rocker RV]

Yes you can full-time travel in a RV on less than $2000 a month. We average around $1500 a month for expenses including campground fees, insurance, licensing, groceries, gasoline, entertainment, upgrades, maintenance and repairs, etc. This is for two adults, no pets in a small Class A motorhome and tow car. We track and post our expenses monthly on our website. 

[Rayne]

Okay, I too am looking into full timing now that I am retired.  But, when I see your 2K per month budget all I can think of is where do you get your RV and vehicle insurance from people?  I'm also guessing maybe you aren't paying to store at least a portion of your former household in a temperature controlled location?  Since I am only 62, I don't qualify for Medicare either just yet, although I would definitely have to have supplemental ins. once I do.  

So, my home base at this point is still New York State, and I am not sure for how long as that will be another aspect of what I am researching as part of all of this.  I am also finding all of the information to research to be a bit overwhelming to figure out on my own.

I want to stay a week, travel a day or so, and settle again.  I have a Truck Camper and truck.  I am figuring a $5,000 minimum for repairs to just the truck since it is a diesel and EVERYTHING costs more on those.  Heck, my oil changes cost a small fortune since they hold so much oil too.  

 

[Zulu]

34 minutes ago, Rayne said:

Okay, I too am looking into full timing now that I am retired.  But, when I see your 2K per month budget all I can think of is where do you get your RV and vehicle insurance from people?  I'm also guessing maybe you aren't paying to store at least a portion of your former household in a temperature controlled location?  Since I am only 62, I don't qualify for Medicare either just yet, although I would definitely have to have supplemental ins. once I do.

Just offhand I'd guess that most full timers don't store stuff from their former house. I'll also guess that the cost of long-term, temperature-controlled storage would equal the replacement cost of the stuff stored.

If you start full timing now at 62 and have to buy your own health insurance, that could be your single major expense.

 

34 minutes ago, Rayne said:

So, my home base at this point is still New York State, and I am not sure for how long as that will be another aspect of what I am researching as part of all of this.  I am also finding all of the information to research to be a bit overwhelming to figure out on my own.

Create an Excel spreadsheet of your current expenses/income. Start from there.

 

34 minutes ago, Rayne said:

I want to stay a week, travel a day or so, and settle again.  I have a Truck Camper and truck.  I am figuring a $5,000 minimum for repairs to just the truck since it is a diesel and EVERYTHING costs more on those.  Heck, my oil changes cost a small fortune since they hold so much oil too.  

Your budget sounds realistic. As you've already read, there are a number of folks who think you can full time for much, much cheaper. Bully for them. Best to determine the budget that's right for YOU, not someone else.

[Dutch_12078]

Someone mentioned the high cost of RV'ing in Florida earlier, so I thought I'd mention that for the 64 nights we stayed there last winter in 7 different state and national parks, and 1 private park, we averaged just about $20/night. Florida can be expensive, but it doesn't have to be expensive.

[Barbaraok]

On 7/26/2018 at 2:19 PM, Off Our Rocker RV said:

Yes you can full-time travel in a RV on less than $2000 a month. We average around $1500 a month for expenses including campground fees, insurance, licensing, groceries, gasoline, entertainment, upgrades, maintenance and repairs, etc. This is for two adults, no pets in a small Class A motorhome and tow car. We track and post our expenses monthly on our website. 

I looked at your 6 month review and didn't notice any health care costs?   Also Long Term Care insurance?   

 

 

[Kirk W]

11 hours ago, Zulu said:

I'll also guess that the cost of long-term, temperature-controlled storage would equal the replacement cost of the stuff stored.

If you start full timing now at 62 and have to buy your own health insurance, that could be your single major expense.

I agree with both comments. Had we stored furniture when leaving to go fulltime we would have paid that monthly fee for 12 years! That would buy a lot of furniture and it would be new. 

Health insurance has become a major problem for those who retire early and you need to make sure that you know where you will get yours and what it will cost you. In our case, my retirement included health insurance that I only paid a small portion of, but make sure that you know the cost early in planning. 

12 hours ago, Rayne said:

I want to stay a week, travel a day or so, and settle again. 

A major part of this expense will be the choice of where you wish to stay and what you will do to stay busy while you are there. Remember that this is your life and not just a vacation so you will need your hobbies and things that you do to keep occupied just as you do today. If you enjoy living in parking lots and truck stops, you can live as cheap as some suggest, but we do not find that an enjoyable lifestyle. I do suggest that you get yourself one of the lifetime senior park pass cards as it will cost a total of $90 but is a real bargain! With one of them, you can stay for half price in any of the Army Corps of Engineers parks and many of those are beautiful and often have full hookups or at least water, sewer, electricity, and a dump station. If you are willing to stay a bit longer you can save a great deal by getting full hookup RV sites as a campground host or other type of RV volunteer. You can read about what we did as volunteers at this link. 

When you look at the expenses of others, remember that it is pretty easy to manipulate numbers when you have an outcome in mind and very often what one posts doesn't tell the entire story. You need to have some sort of reserves for the bad things that can happen like a complete engine failure or replacement of a major appliance. Without a reserve, your RV life may end in financial disaster! If you do not have any reserve, then consider the purchase of an extended warranty. I suggest that your best way to estimate your living cost is to keep very detailed records of what you are spending now and realize that living in an RV is not going to change that a great deal. You will still wish to eat the same foods, take part in the same hobbies, and enjoy the same sort of activities.  The best description of how to know what it will cost you can be learned from this old magazine article. Full-time RV Living, What Does It Cost?

[Rayne]

I guess i should clarify that I only plan to do this for a year or two while I figure out where I want to settle and live the rest of my life. I even eventually hope to find someone to share my life again as being alone forever is not my thing and I figure I’ll do this in between selling the house I lived in with my late husband and figuring out where and what I can and want to do. I am considering getting rid of more and more of the “stuff” from our house but I think it is still a process for me that is bittersweet since he is not here to go on this new adventure with me. Sorry, not intending to sound sappy or anything. But it’s taken me 2 years to come to the point of even selling off the house. Lol. 

Oh, and I can’t fit half the stuff into a truck camper that I could have in our old motorhome either. I’m a quilter and a horse person. The two do not quite mix on the road so to speak. Lol. 

Thanks for all the wonderful suggestions too. This is about the best forum I’ve found so far. 

Edited August 5, 2018 by Rayne

[rollindowntheroad]

Sorry to hear about your husband.  I have been single for a very long time and at this point don't plan on changing it.  

Look at this as a new adventure and a fresh start for you.  Out with the old and in with the new...lol.  You might just find that you really can do it and enjoy it and won't need to "settle" down in any one location.

Even though I have several more years until I retire I have already started to purge my household.  It is difficult at first to get rid of stuff, but once you start it will get easier and easier.  It is kind of freeing to find you can do with a lot less than you think.

Make a plan and move forward even if slowly at first.  People can do whatever they set their mind to do.