Budget – Full Time RV Living

First, lets start with an explanation of why I keep a budget:

I want to be able to plan for my expenses in advance, instead of being caught off guard while spending more and faster than I intended.

I control my spending by ensuring I only do a number of miles that will cost me $300 per month, so if I’m in a place where gas is almost $4 per gallon, I need to stay longer or travel slower so that I don’t overspend. Same goes for camping, if I can find a spot for $16 per night, I can stay for 15 days, however, if the site is $28 per night, I can only stay 9 days. The rest of the month I need to find free camping / boondocking.

Evaluate and re-evaluate your budget often to see how your actuals compare to projected spending. If you are constantly going over in one category, maybe it’s time to increase spending for that category or find a way to stay within budget by possibly cutting another category.

Major Considerations

My recommendation is to allocate your after-tax income as follows:

NOTE: I am in a situation where I have no debt. So there is no student loan payment, or credit card debt or car note/RV note. I purchased my RV a few years back for cash, and worked very hard to pay every penny of student loans and credit cards before transitioning into this lifestyle. Please don’t forget to add your debt obligations into your budget.

BUDGET

I split my budget into two separate spreadsheets. One is an annual fund that I use for expenses that don’t occur monthly.

Emergency Fund  $ 4,000

This money will be used towards any RV repairs and medical or dental work. I plan on going over the border, if needed, for non-emergency dental or medical procedures not covered by my insurance.

Escapees Mail Service $ 120

Escapees provides me with a permanent domicile address and sends my mail to me while I’m on the road. The membership fee is paid annually, the postage fees I budget monthly.

Amazon Prime  $ 120

Now that I’m on the road I don’t use Prime as much. I am considering cancelling it next year since I don’t think I will spend $120 on shipping… But until I decide it remains in my annual budget. I would like to know if others living on the road RV-ers find having prime beneficial.

RV Insurance  $ 1,000

I pay this as an annual bill to save, it’s pretty self explanatory – a full-timers RV insurance policy.

Thousand Trails $ 850

I am also on the fence about Thousand Trails. But for now it remains a line item in my annual budget. $850 includes the Camping Pass + 2nd zone + Trails Collection. For those not familiar it allows me to camp within my zone without a charge, for up to 14 days, and then 7 days out and I can come back in for 14 more days, and 7 days out again and so on…

I think the $850 is well worth is, however, I am not a huge fan of RV resorts. I prefer more space between campsites, less neighbors, less kids, more peace, darker skies, etc. State/National parks, National Forests and BLM are my preferred camping style.

Breaks  $  220

RV Care  $  160

This should cover a few car-washes per year.

Annual Tire Fund $  500

Saving for new tires. Right now I have 4 brand new ones, and 2 older ones. I dont want to treat tires as an emergency since I KNOW I will need to replace them in the next 30K miles.

Oil Change  $  180

3 oil changes

Generator   $ 100

Generator maintenance – oil change

Coachnet $ 170

RV Roadside assistance. Coach-net is the best in the industry!

Credit Card $ 150

Annual Fee for my Southwest Airlines Visa Card. Not sure I will be keeping it since I don’t use the card much, and I don’t fly much at this time.

NPS Annual Pass $   80

Annual National Parks Pass allows for free entrance into National Parks and Forests. Well worth it!

AllStays Pro  $   30

Annual fee for an app that I use to plan my trips, find free camping spots, reviews, etc. Well worth it!!!

2020 Annual Budget
Emergency Fund	$    4,000
Escapees Mail Service	$        120
Amazon Prime	$        120
RV Insurance	$    1,000
Thousand Trails	$        850
Breaks	$        220
RV Care	$        160
Annual Tire Fund	$        500
Oil Change	$        180
Generator	$        100
Coachnet	$        170
Credit Card	$        150
NPS Annual Pass	$          80
All Stays	$          30
Annual Total	$    7,680

Okay, now moving on to monthly… starting with the big 3

Fuel $ 300

I have to consider cost of fuel before I can plan my month and decide how far I can go. $300 in a month will get me a 1200 miles in Texas and just under 700 miles in California, around 800 miles in Washington.

Parking / Camping Fees $ 250

This will vary as well, some campgrounds charge $12 per night, some charge $40. I cannot afford $40 under any circumstances.
I will only camp in State, National Parks, Forest, Army Corps of Engineers, boondock and stay at Thousand Trails resorts if needed. I can stay in parks 1/2 month and the other half boondock for free. You can reference my camping styles posts for more info on camping options.

Groceries/ Food $ 300

This has been tough as I cook and bake a lot, and Aesop eats what I eat mixed with his dog food… I usually spend $100 per week, but I’m going to try to cut down on waste and try to buy what I really need, when I needed it.
We’ll see i I can go without adjusting this number mid year.

Propane $ 20

I don’t have to get Propane every month, but when I do it’s about $45 – $60 every 2-3 months, so I’m averaging $20/mo. I use propane for cooking, refrigerator, and hot water. I try not to use it for heat. If I’m at a park with hookups I will use my electric heater so I don’t waste my propane since electricity doesn’t cost me extra.

Meds  $15

My crazy pills… :O

Entertainment $ 130

HBO, Hulu, Netflix, Adobe Suite, Spotify, Audible, NPR, Bernie 2020 plus one meals out (like $10-15 meal, maybe a pizza or Indian)

I need to cut some of these subscriptions, I just cant make myself ;'(
Which one would you recommend cancelling?

inReach $ 25

Allows my family to track all my moves, I can send and receive texts, get weather alerts if there is no phone signal on my phone and give me option to hit SOS in case if I’m in trouble and don’t have a phone signal or hurt myself and need to be saved by search and rescue team.

It is not uncommon to not have a signal while traveling National Parks and Forest.

Planet Fitness  $ 25

Other than campgrounds, this is the main place I shower. I have the PF Black Card and can use any of their 1900 clubs. I also get to bring a free guest every time, use massage chairs, hydro-massage, tanning beds (DON’T!!!) and get discount on drinks.

Health Insurance $65

I enrolled in ACA (Obamacare) for 2020 and will have Medical and Dental for $65 per month. #Winning

Phone Bill $ 230

I have two phone lines and my hot-spot for internet with Verizon.

Dog Food $ 50

I use Chewy.com and have an auto-ship set up. That gives me a great price, free shipping and 10% off with auto-ship. The bill is usually around $85 every 12 weeks, but I’m adding more since I will get Aesop an occasional toy or sweater plus his annual shots ($30).

Mail/Laundry $40

I spend about $15 – $20 per month on laundry. Also replenish my Escapees account every few months to pay for mail they sent to me ($25 increments), plus misc things like post cards and stamps.

Other Shopping $50

Non-food store purchases like shampoos, conditioners, toothpaste, garbage bags, occasional lipstick, sun screen, laundry detergent. etc

Monthly Budget	1/1/2020
Fuel	300
Parking / Camping Fees	250
Groceries / Food	300
Propane	20
Meds	15
Entertainment/Subscriptions	130
inReach	25
Planet Fitness	25
Health Insurance	65
Phone Bill	230
Dog Food	50
Mail/Laundry	40
Other Shopping	50
Monthly Total	1500

I would be curious to hear what you guys think…
Is there anything I’m forgetting?
Over-spending on?
Will I go over?

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