Pop goes the weasel!
I decided to track my expenses this year, just to see where the money gets spent. One of the questions that people have when considering whether or not to go full time in their RV is how much things cost, so I have decided to share this information.
So, now that I’ve closed the book on January, I’m ready to review how things have gone.
Campsites $950.43
RV Maintenance $737.06
Gas $321.25
Grocery store purchases $291.46
Eating Out $156.62
Other purchases $85.72
Tourism and Entertainment $41.00
Tolls and Parking $48.25
Laundry $23.50
Food and Drinks on-the-go $12.83
Clothing $0.00
Truck expenses $0.00
GRAND TOTAL $2,668.12
I am not including health insurance and medications in my records. Those items are not particularly negotiable and they would be the same if I were living in S&B. (S&B is RVer talk for “sticks and bricks” – a house.)
This month, I drove 2,168 miles and visited three states. I stayed in eight state parks, one national park and one RV Resort.
My average price per night was $30.66. I hope to get that down in February. I have no plans to book any nights in RV Resorts. I much more of a state park, BLM, boondock sort of person.
I also hope that I don’t have any more RV maintenance for a while. I have to start squirreling money away for new tires. But, I think I have enough rubber on them to keep rolling for a while.
This is a good analogy of RV expenses. Even without a S&B, however, there are other expenses per month to consider for a more realistic RV travel budget, such as health insurance, life insurance, cell phone, internet service, RV insurance, auto insurance if you are towing your RV, clothes and shoes some months, haircuts some months, gifts and cards for loved ones for birthdays/Christmas/etc., donations to church or other organizations of choosing. We have tracked our budget monthly for almost two full years now, and it still comes out to closer to $4,000 a month, even when we work camp. We are not big spenders, and we rarely dine out or stay at expensive RV parks. Just thought I’d share.
Thanks, Pat! Yes, those things are all true. I will include those expenses as they arise. At the end of the year, I’ll be able to amortize the expenses. It’s kind of like deciding when you can say you have been to a state.Some people count driving through, others count it when they spend a week there. My cell phone bill will be included in February’s expenses, as I prepaid January and didn’t get around to the next bill until February. I suspect that my total expenses will be closer to yours when all is said and done. Since I am traveling solo, I think it might be a bit less, but we will see. Thanks for your comments!