Exspected cost of full timing


jommer

New Member
Hello.

I'm thinking of trying out semi-retirement, and going full time RV'ing. i figure between deductions out of my full time pay check and souring property taxes, working part time and living in an RV could leave me with the same amount of spendable income. not to mention a lot more fun!!

i know this is a question that has too many variables to answer, buy maybe i can get a general idea of what i can expect my cost for RV would be and make sure i'm not missing any expenses.

so, what do you think your average yearly cost are for?:

RV insurance, registration, plates ect:
basic maintenance:
maintenance slush fund (for tires, new batteries ect):
propane:
satellite tv and cell phone:
mailing service:
wireless internet connection (what type and cost):

what expenses i'm i missing?

Health insurance, food, travel fuel, and other cost of living exspences i can estimate on my own.


what is the recommend amount to have in saving for unexpected major repairs? (assume i buy a 3-4 year old class A diesel)


is there one campground discount group better than the rest? is NACO, with coat to coast and RPI any good?


thanks for any help, Joe

ps- nice forums, glad i fond them
 

Gruffy

New Member
Exspected cost of full timing

Someone else asked this question on another forum. About $1000 to $1500 a month on fuel, camp fees and food. Entertainment and repairs would be extra... depending on your expectations.

With modest expectations and a smaller camper about $2000 a month for just about everything.

Now this wan't a class A diesel ... this was more of a class C truck and 5er type estimate.
 

C Nash

Senior Member
Exspected cost of full timing

Hi Joe,
If you will put fulltiming rv in internet search you can find where different fulltimers have kept expense logs.
 

John Harrelson

New Member
Exspected cost of full timing

An average RV park is about $300 per month with some being as cheap as $50 and some as high as $600 per month and higher.

If you stay in a park that has no bells and whistles, that is, no nearby tourist attraction, no fishing lake, or is located more than twenty miles to a town,,, they will be cheaper..

My friend stays down in Arizona each winter and pays $56 per month for a full hook-up and cable tv.. The TV and utilities are extra of course..


Here is a rough breakdown of my expenses.

Total monthly income = Social Sec. $1148.00 + Veterans disability $52.00 = $ 1200.00

Monthly expenses =

Rent .............$275 in winter / $355 in summer (just went up again this year)

My park is right in town, walking distance to everything from grocery stores to movies, to restaurants ...to .. to ..well, everything !! And Carson City is a medium size city..

Electricity ......$40.00 (+/-)

Propane ..........
Summertime ..$3.00 Wintertime ..$75 to $100

Truck fuel .......$25 to $40 depends on how
active I am that month

Trucks (2 of them) insurance ..
$485.30 for 6 months "Full coverage with CSI ins. company ($485.30 divided by 6 months = $82 per month)

Trailer insurance ...
$295.00 for full year complete "Home Owner's" policy with Foremost Ins.($295 divided by 12 months = $24.58 per month)

Food ............
$150.00 includes lots of steak and seafood items ... the trick ?? Make a list for the entire month and stick to it

Do not buy anything that is not on your grocery list

Medical .... FREE ... VA Hospital, full coverage, including medicines
This save me over $500 per month for health insurance

Phone .........$5.00 (senior rate) for unlimited local calls.

Laundromat ...... including soap, bleach and dryer cloths ...$9.00

Personal things .... toilet paper, razor, shaving cream, toothpaste, deodorant, soap, shampoo, etc………………….. $2.00

Haircut ..... $8.00 ( no thats not a misprint, it only cost $8 )

Cleaning supplies .... Dish soap, room deodorant, scouring powder, etc: .. $1.00

Internet access... $9.95 JUNO.COM for full unrestricted access 24 hours per day.

As you can see I get by very comfortable with money left over for foolish things like eating out once in a while.

I don't “boon dock“, I winter-out in a very nice RV park in Carson City. As per my signature, you can see that my trucks and 5th wheel are ten years old.. But they both are in excellent shape.. and paid for.

I don't travel around a lot, 6 months here ... 6 months there .. But I always winter in Carson City, Where the winters are about medium ... some cold days and a lot of nice days..

The trick is not to try and keep up with the Joneses.. live your own life on your own terms. Do what you want to do... Just because the rich folks jump into their $200,000.00 motor homes and drive all over America at $5.00 a mile doesn't mean you have to..
You are just as much a "full-timer" as they are.. just do what "YOU" want to do... and don't try to fly with the flock when summer comes around ..

Hope this helps

John
 

Kirk

Senior Member
Exspected cost of full timing

As has been mentioned previously, there are several of us who have our expenses posted on websites. To see three years of actual expenses from our fulltime RV lifestyle, visit this link.
http://www.1tree.net/adventure/full-time/whatdoes.htm
While you are there it would be helpful if you also look over the site just to see what our lifestyle is.
Then you may also want to vist the site of Norm & Linda Payne to see what they show as expenses. You will find that the two of us, although friends, have very different budgets and expenses. To see their expense summary visit this site.:
http://www.seeya-downtheroad.com/InformationPage/Budget.htm
If you do some comparisons between our two very different budgets and lifestyles, it should give you some information about where you will fall. One thing to be very aware of, both Norm and I have health insurance coverage from our previous employers. That can be a very major expense if you must purchase your own health coverage.
 

ARCHER

Senior Member
Exspected cost of full timing

I would like to know from John, where can you find a monthly rate of $50.00 including cable tv?????? :dead:
 

John Harrelson

New Member
Exspected cost of full timing

Hi ARCHER,
I don't know the name of the park, but its located very near Quartzite..

The man I'm talking about is named "Frenchy".. He and his wife ( both in their 80's ) spend the summer here in Carson City and each September they pack up and head for his permanently reserved space in that RV park. He says it is an RV PARK, not a campground.

Frenchy says that he and Arlene (wife) pay for the space on a yearly basis to make sure that it is always available when they want to use it.. He leaves his carpenter tools there all year in a storage shed thats part of his space..

If you go back and read my original post, you will see that I said the cable television and utilities were extra.. as in not included in the $56 ..

When Frenchy comes back next spring I will try to remember and get the name of the park and post it for everyone to read..

I do remember that Frenchy said the park was very small with only about a dozen or so spaces... and that all the spaces were rented on a yearly basis..

I know that Arlene works as a waitress in a small roadside restaurant just down the road from the park and I believe he said it was in the direction of Quartzite as you left the park.. but I'm not sure of that direction..

Enjoy the winter,

John
 

ARCHER

Senior Member
Exspected cost of full timing

John,
tks for the info. Boy, if I ever get to be in my 80's I hope I can do stuff like Arlene (waitressing). She must really be something of a sweetheart.
I pay over $600.00 per month for a site here in Cocoa Beach, Fl for 5 months (Nov thru Mar). I pay extra for cable tv and telephone line, but do not pay for electric/water/sewer/etc. WE are looking for new site/location for next winter, as they have sold this RV park (Condo's, ugh) so won't be able to come back here next winter. Several parks here on the beach have sold out to condo building so it is getting harder to find the right location. Wife (Liinda) said she has to be by or within walking distance of either the ocean or gulf (prefers ocean). She just wants to be near fishing so she can out fish me (the normal).
tks again for the info and enjoy the rest of winter, where-ever ya may be. :) :laugh: :cool: ;)
 

jommer

New Member
Exspected cost of full timing


Thank's for the replies. i did find what i need searching the net.

Heya John, i think the wife goes thru $1/day in paper towels. wish i could find a coin operated paper towel dispencer, she sure does seem to waste them.

Kirk, i think you hit the nail on the head!! "it costs what every you have" . i've always noticed no matter how much money you make you always seem to be broke. i make almost twice as much as i did just 4 years ago and i'm still as broke, just just have neater toys. (i have been putting alot more into savings)

i did hit a major snag in my fulltiming idea. health insurance will cost me $400/month when i'm not working (i was hoping to go semi-retirement and work 4 months a year)
 

Poppa

Member
Exspected cost of full timing

Boy you guys shore got me in trouble :evil: . Ever since I mentioned the cost of full timimg :laugh: , the Precious Lady has been adding subtracting and working out a schedule to get all the nit picking things paid off so :) we can full time about 8 months out of the year. The other 4 months will be spent at our home :approve: so I guess that would make us semi-fultomers Huh? :shy:
 

sepisllib

New Member
Exspected cost of full timing

Poppa - keep seeing you post and hope things are going well for you. Getting anxious to make that move aren't you?

So are we - anxious is not a strong enough word but just have to wait until the time is right.

We are doing the very same thing - have some ongoing billing, expenses, and etc that we are now shutting down, removing, turning off, and in general eliminating them in anticipation. For the short term we are going to keep our home up here in northern Iowa - the summers are just great up here - plus we are close to Rochester Medical - Gunderson Medical - many malls and shops and etc and on top of that we have a great home.

May change our mind after we get out and about for a couple years though - we are sort of eyeing a place in Virginia - but time will tell.

Here's to success on the Arkansas acquisition and God Bless you both.

Bill & Judy
 

bazzer

New Member
Re: Exspected cost of full timing

Hi I'd like to know how John Harrelson manages with $2 worth of toilet paper do you wash it and reuse it.
:laugh: :laugh: :laugh: Bazzer UK.
 

DL Rupper

Senior Member
RE: Exspected cost of full timing

Hey bazzer, some of us eat alot of cheese and are corked pretty tight. Then again some people are full of you know what and some are not. I guess john is a "are not". :clown:
 
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