Would love feedback from those with younger children

[dinkergiggle]

Our family is under a season of change and we have been seriously talking about and researching full-timing with our family (Mom, Dad, 4 Boys under age 10, and 2 dogs).

I'm finding it difficult to find information from those that have younger children. Yes I have checked out the fulltime families website and bought her book but there is SO much that it hasn't answered.

On average what are your monthly expenses - insurance, uh-oh savings, gas, CG rental, propane, electric, dumping, water, etc.

I understand that it will be different for everyone but would love to get a feeling. Having crunched what numbers I could find it looks as though our family would be saving about $2k a month by selling our home and going full-time.

We do not plan on hurrying to see the country. We plan on taking our time staying in locations for 3-6 weeks before moving on. We also plan on installing (if the rv doesn't already have it) solar panels. We already live a frugal lifestyle and keep our carbon footprint as small as possible.

We have been looking at used 5th wheels and 6 passenger trucks. Looking into the different savings plans with Passport America and Good Sam. We also plan on workamping to offset costs.

We already homeschool so the only change will being able to see the places we are studying

Any advice - tips - slow down warnings - speed up advice - etc is more than welcomed.

[bdickson]

Welcome to iRV2! There is an ongoing discussion about budgets for full timing here.

Last year we were volunteering at a National Wildlife Refuge. There was a couple there with a preteen son who they were homeschooling. Volunteering typically requires 20 to 24 hours per week from each adult, so they had plenty of time left for the school activities. The other benefit of volunteering is a free campsite with utilities paid. You can find more information at Volunteer.gov Home Page.

[dinkergiggle]

Thank you. I did read that thread but seems that most are without children. I am wondering are there any extra costs. I know when we vacationed a few months ago we had to get 2 hotel rooms as there was 6 of us. Is there extra costs as we would have a larger use on the electric and water.

I haven't started calling around but curious if you have solar panels and aren't using the electric do they reduce your price?

What are things that I haven't mentioned that I should be taking into account?

We understand the smaller space, freedom to move, the need for a savings for when things break.

My husbands family is on board and supportive of us - should be interesting with my family if they are going to be nay sayers! LOL But then it's not about them is it

[dinkergiggle]

OHHH another question. I was watching a video on YouTube from a full-timer and she mentioned about some parks not allowing you to bring in your own wifi.

Is this true and why?

I will need it for my business (our source of income) so if that is an issue at CGs then I for sure need to ask that question when selecting places to stay.

Thanks so much!!!

[bdickson]

I've never heard of campgrounds not allowing you to use your own wifi. Most campground wifi systems are fairly low bandwidth so they would probably be happy for people to use their own. If you are depending on an internet connection for your business then you definitely need to be independent.

Regarding electricity consumption, since you are researching Good Sam, Passport America etc it sounds like you are planning on staying in campgrounds. In most cases the utilities are included in the site rental. Other than maybe hot water, I don't think 6 people would use much more power than 2. Solar panels only come in to the equation when you are dry camping aka boondocking and do not have an electric hookup. Even then, solar panels would be unlikely to provide all your energy needs. If not on a hookup you would need to run the generator periodically.

[dinkergiggle]

Yes, we are planning on doing a bit of both - campgrounds and dry camping. If things are tight one month we'll cut where we can. Right now I'm around $3,200 in income monthly. I plan on being at or above $4k by the time we hit the road. Our truck and RV will be paid for in full so we will only have our monthly expenses.

Our kids are excited and already selecting what toys they want to sell