Community Forums

micki49 · 06-20-2011, 06:12 PM

DW and I hope to be fulltimers next year and was wondering what is the cost per month or year to be on the road full time. I know is different for each person but would like to get some feed back on what kind of $ I can look to be spending each month and or year.

Thank You

Route 66 · 06-20-2011, 07:15 PM

The good thing about fulltiming is that you have so much control over expenses.

Eating out or low cost meals in the rig.

RV resorts or bargain campgrounds, etc.

We've heard from folks fulltiming on a few thousand $$ a year to tens and tens of thousands $$$$ a year.

The bottom line is you can spend as much or as little as you wish.

mick · 06-20-2011, 07:37 PM

I spend 18K a year.

RickO · 06-20-2011, 07:48 PM

Dirk hit it on the head. You have a great deal of control. In VERY general terms, when we are traveling and staying less than a week at each stop we spend about $900/mo on CGs and about $600/mo on fuel. Those are pretty easy to predict and control to a great extent.

Good luck...

Rick

micki49 · 06-20-2011, 08:49 PM

Thank's for the info. this will be a big help.

WheelingIt · 06-20-2011, 09:06 PM

It's very individual like the others said. Variable costs like campgrounds and fuel can be controlled by how far you travel and where you stay. Lots of room to move there. I wrote a post about our own costs on the blog so you're welcome to check that out:
http://wheelingit.wordpress.com/2011...ll-time-rving/

Mr_D · 06-20-2011, 09:18 PM

Guess we'll be on the high end then or we'll have a lot saved to give to the kids (NOT!!) Maybe we CAN afford a Newel or Prevost with the left over cash.

micki49 · 06-21-2011, 05:50 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by WheelingIt

It's very individual like the others said. Variable costs like campgrounds and fuel can be controlled by how far you travel and where you stay. Lots of room to move there. I wrote a post about our own costs on the blog so you're welcome to check that out:
The Costs of Full-Time RVing | Wheeling It

You have a great page and we hope we see you on the road.

WheelingIt · 06-21-2011, 10:30 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by micki49

You have a great page and we hope we see you on the road.

Do let is know if we're ever close. We're always up for a glass and a chat!

RogueRVer · 06-22-2011, 08:08 PM

If all goes well, I'll be on the road FT'ing by this time (If not sooner) next year.
Been trying to determine what all my costs will be based on how long/short of a stay I have at each location I plan on visiting; knowing full well that there's a 99% chance that the bulk of my monthly income will be devoted to fuel!

This thread has been a great inspiration for me in that I'm able to get unbiased inputs/views from those who actually FT and just how much $$$ you are all spending. Gives me a good feeling inside that I may not spend as much each month as I had originally anticipated! :-)

@ Wheelingit – Thanks for the link to your WP site…bookmarked it for now and will read it in depth later tonight!

Cheers,

Jack

preston56 · 06-22-2011, 08:46 PM

boondocking is another way to save money,water,groceries,propane and any subscriptions like tv wifi,etc.you might want to look at it from a different perspective.if you think it will cost 1000 dollars a month,then plug in 1000 into a budget and stay strictly to that.fulltiming is not necessarily a vacation,its a lifestyle.if you find somewhere you love for some reason or another,look for part time work which will keep you active and buys you more independence,just a thought,good luck,

Barbaraok · 06-28-2011, 07:36 AM

You'll spend whatever you have. Some make do with $1500 a month or so, others have a hard time at $5000 a month. Lots of different strategies, but it is so individualized that no one can even begin to predict what it will cost without knowing what your lifestyle will be, the type of rig you have, your likes, dislikes, etc.

Barb

RVRoadTrip · 06-29-2011, 01:51 PM

Here is what we spent last year and so far this year:

http://rvroadtrip.us/Budget/2010.asp
RV Road Trip Expense Summary - 2011

Barbaraok · 07-02-2011, 07:56 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by RVRoadTrip

Here is what we spent last year and so far this year:

You know the budget you list isn't really that help to others because of thise factor:

Quote:

*We both have health care coverage. For privacy reasons, we don't disclose the details. We also do not list big ticket purchases we make for the same reason.

Health insurance can be a MAJOR expense for a lot of people, especially if they aren't eligible for Medicare.

And big ticket items, those are things that come along and have to be planned for - and budgeted for each month. We set aside money each month (into a separate account) for annual maintenance, including new tires at ~ 7 years. We just put new tires on our coach at ~$450 each. Did 2 steer tires two years ago and did the four drive tires a couple of months ago.

We don't boondock, work camp, etc., we are retired and have a decent retirement, not elaborate, but certainly comfortable. Somewhere between $2K - $3K a month seems to be typical for a comfortable RVing lifestyle. Can it be done for less, of course. Can it be done for more, of course. It is just to variable for anyone to think that they can use someone else's budget as a model, especially when all things aren't included on that budget.

Barb