Budgets and Boondocking
If you’re wondering how you can afford to RV on a tight budget, this blog is for you. But first, a little disclaimer.
*All information in these blog entries is intended to be just that, information. Our intention is not to tell you what you should or should not do. Our intention is to share our experience with you in hopes you can add it to your collective and make a sound decision that works for your particular situation.
Ok, let’s talk about it.
`Gina and I maintain a home (utilities, upkeep, etc. Much more on keeping your home later), and travel extensively in our 37’ Class A Diesel Pusher with a Jeep TJ toad. We do this on a $4200 per month budget which includes a modest pension and social security. How? You gotta focus.
When we first looked in to traveling in our motorhome, we were told it was too expensive and it would be cheaper to drive our HRV and stay in motels. So, we put it to the test. That premise simply isn’t true, IF you stick to some basic rules of RVing on the cheap.
1. You don’t travel every day. Sure, our Class A has a 90 gallon tank for fuel and filling it can hurt. So, we usually don’t let it get much below half a tank. It’s much less painful that way. But on average, it costs roughly $150 or so each time we fill it up. Your situation may vary based on several circumstances. If we traveled 400 miles a day, our budget would be gone before you know it. We limit our travel to 200-300 miles when we DO move and we stay multiple days. It stretches the fuel. We also utilize apps from places like Loves and Sinclair which can save us 10-25 cents per gallon or more. Explore your options. The apps are free. But how do you afford the camping costs?
2. We boondock/dry camp whenever it’s practical and possible. We have a fully self-contained unit with an on-board generator, 100 gallons of fresh water and 40 gallons each of holding tanks for gray and black water, as well as, 30 gallons of propane for heat and the generator. We can easily stay a week or more in one spot if we manage our water usage and heat. We run the generator only when we need electricity for coffee, etc, and to charge our house batteries if needed. Use public showers and bathrooms if they have them. Our favorite places to boondock are at Corp of Engineer Parks, National Parks with dispersed camping options and in a pinch, Crack Barrel, Walmart, rest areas, etc. Invest in a senior national park pass. Camping anywhere in a national park is half price, and many corp of engineer places are free in the off-season. Also, entrance to exhibits is free. Our $80 pass pays for itself over and over and over again. Amenities obviously vary by location, but if you plan ahead and you’re self-contained, these are all great, inexpensive options. Download ALL the RV travel apps. They’re life-savers.
3. Eat what’s in the camper. This is huge. If you eat out even half the time, your budget is out the window. Stock up on groceries and take the time to prepare meals in the rig. It’s fun!
4. Avoid all the high-priced attractions. If you’re gonna travel on a budget, you can’t do it and spend time at expensive roadside attractions. They’ll eat you up.
These are the basic premises we follow for life on the road in a big RV while keeping our home base. It can be challenging and we aren’t always 100% effective, but it’s fun to see what you can do on a dime. As a recommendation only, get a credit card that earns points and use it for everything, then pay it off every month. We actually pay ours off every Monday. Our airline points are huge and we just cashed in 800 dollars to use for a card payment. That’ll buy a lot of diesel fuel.
If you like what you’re reading, please help us continue down the road by following the blog and sharig it with your friends. Be sure to follow the spiritual and adventure side of things with Gina on Horsefeathers: Energy and Life on TikTok. Follow Matt on TikTok at RV with Matt and Gina.
In the next blog, I’ll review a couple Corp of Engineer properties we’ve used on this trip.
Thanks for watching!
See ya on the road!
How do KoA stack up? They used to be fairly reasonable in price with electrical hookups, water hookups, and of course showers! Also, have you tried the farm stays yet? Again how does that compare, I totally understand they aren't free, but as options, I know farmers who have done it, just not a lot about it as I didn't ask a lot of questions about it at the time.
ReplyDeleteIn our experience, KOA's, while a great break from boondocking, are expensive, but generally worth it once in a while. We don't have many problems finding great facilities with hookups and showers. For example, where we're staying now has showers, concrete pads, water and electric (no sewer) and with our Senior National Park Pass is only 60 dollars for 4 nights. By comparison, something like a KOA would probably start at 75 per night.
DeleteWe have not yet tried Harvest Host. We just haven't seen a need, A. There's a membership fee, and B. While boondocking on a farm or golf course is "free," the expectation is that you buy, play, etc an amount fair to the host. No hookups, and limited to one night on average.