Money

When we first went on the road I was terrified that Bob's pension would not be enough. It's been almost a year now and I thought I would do a short post on how much this lifestyle costs us.

We are averaging about $3100/ month in overall costs. Campground costs (including extra electric costs at some places) plus diesel fuel per month average about $1000, and the rest is gas for the car, groceries, clothing, motorhome maintenance, repairs and upgrades, life insurance, vehicle insurance, vet bills and medical co-pays, the occasional going out to dinner, rallies, memberships, courses, and our phone and data plans. I don't spend a lot on my hobbies, but I do spend some, and much of what I craft becomes a gift I'd have to buy anyway. We stopped giving and receiving birthday and Christmas gifts but I like to make special things for the grandkids and for new babies in the family. We have a very small motorhome payment per month, and no car payment.

Where we save money includes the following: Eating 99% of our meals at home, limiting gifts, home haircuts, limited clothing purchases, and no buying "stuff" we don't need. It's amazing when I think about how much I used to spend when I worked; most of the stuff I bought ended up being given away. We think long and hard before deciding to buy something new. Do we have room for it? Do we really need it? I used to stock up on food items but now I just get what we need for now.

There are also a lot of ways to save on camping costs. We can spend longer times at a campground to take advantage of lower rates, use Harvest Hosts and Passport America to reduce the cost at a one or two night stay, stay at Escapees parks whenever possible, and choose electric only sites when staying  a week or less (filling up our water tanks before hand and dumping as we leave.) Some people stay at a spot for 3-6 months, which further reduces costs, but we aren't ready to do that yet. There's still so much to see! There are some who boondock for months at a time in BLM land for very little money, but we do like our amenities so we haven't done much boondocking. Campgrounds in the Southwest are typically lower costs than in the East, with the exception of California of course.

Do we have any regrets that we sold the house and went on the road?  NO!  We are having the time of our lives!