It’s all the time an enormous query. Probably considered one of our high questions. So we took the time to interrupt it down and calculate what does residing in an RV Full Time value. It needs to be famous that this was our bills for the yr. Many folks ask if it is a inexpensive solution to dwell. I imagine it may be. However, for our first yr, that was not the case.
Being sincere right here… It value much more in our first yr than we anticipated. And much more than we budgeted for. As we undergo a few of the classes, we will go over why this occurred.
Diesel
Right now, on the time this text is being written, the common value for a gallon of diesel is $5.32 within the USA. There have been locations it was cheaper. Certainly locations it was dearer. And we did our touring over the course of 2022, not simply immediately. But for the needs of this text, let’s use $5.32. We drive about 250 miles per journey day. We wish to drive not more than as soon as per week. When towing we common 9 miles per gallon. Then about 1 extra tank (30 gallons) for exploring the week that we’re in that location
250 miles divided by 9 miles per gallon equals 27.8 gallons for journey. Another 30 gallons for exploring. We’re at nearly 58 gallons of diesel at $5.32 a gallon. Total is $308.56 per week. Or $16,045.12 per yr.
When we budgeted and deliberate for this journey, diesel was about $2.20 nation large. Shame on us for not recalculating the price range. But we have been anticipating about $6,635.20 with the identical quantity of journey. We most likely may have lower down the gasoline value if we’d stayed locations longer. But we needed to see extra issues!
Campground Costs
Campground prices have had a median of $42 per evening. Lowest being free stays whereas boondocking or moochdocking. Highest has been $125 per evening in New Orleans. There value was price it with 8′ excessive concrete partitions topped with razor wire, gated entry, and safety on obligation 24/7. But extraordinarily pricey. Thankfully we have been solely there for 4 nights.
Again, poor planning, or unrealistic expectations… We anticipated doing extra boondocking. It needs to be famous, we didn’t do poorly, which helped. Over the course of 2022 we camped totally free 105 days. I don’t even need to think about what the fee would have been if we had solely stayed in campgrounds.
three hundred and sixty five days in a yr minus 105 nights free equals 260. 260 days occasions $42 per evening equals $10,920
Propane
We have 2 – 40 lb. tanks for the RV and 1 – 25 lb. tank for outside cooking. Warmer months we solely needed to fill 1 of the 40 lb. tanks per thirty days. And the smaller 25 lb. tank twice a month. Now that we’re stationary within the winter, in NJ, we’re averaging 1 – 40 lb. tank each 10 days as a result of warmth working. Propane is 3.40 p/gal common. The 40 lb. tank maintain 9.4 gallons. And the 25 lb tank holds 4.6 gallons. We aren’t utilizing the 25 lb. tank now, as neither of us needs to face exterior to cook dinner. Plus cooking contained in the camper helps to warmth it up! Thankfully, we have been in heat climate from February by means of October. And solely within the chilly for January, November, and now December.
Warmer months we used 18.6 gallons (90 lbs.) of propane per thirty days. That whole is $63.24. Colder months we used 28.2 gallons (120 lbs.) of propane. Total there’s $95.88. Three months of chilly was $288. And 9 months of heat was $570. Grand whole of $858 for the yr.
Being within the chilly was by no means actually a part of the plan. And similar to the value of diesel, propane has gone up too. In 2020 the common was $1.98. Overall although the price of the propane isn’t what has broke the price range.
RV Full Time Cost of Gasoline
We use a photo voltaic system which expenses the batteries sufficient to final about 10 hours in a single day when boondocking. However, we nonetheless require using a generator if we wish the AC unit on. And for about 2 hours within the morning earlier than the photo voltaic panels actually begin charging. And that’s when boondocking in truthful climate with optimum solar publicity.
There have been loads of occasions that the generator runs for 12 hours throughout the day as a result of we’re in a wooded space. We are averaging about 3 gallons of fuel per 11 hours of run time. The common value of gasoline is $3.91 per gallon. This isn’t a every day expense, however like I stated earlier than, we did boondock for 105 days this yr. The generator has 803 hours of run time on it. It was bought new for the camper.
Because or little fuel can is 3 gallons. Let’s take the 803 and divide by 11. That’s 73 occasions we stuffed the fuel can. $3.91 time 3 gallons is $11.73 per fuel fill. $11.73 occasions 73 is $856.29 for the yr.
Groceries
This is an expense whether or not you reside in an RV or not. However, when factoring in your price range, it isn’t one thing you need to neglect about both. When we first hit the highway, we have been desperate to do All Of The Things. Including consuming out a LOT. This introduced our grocery value down somewhat bit. But considerably elevated our leisure bills. Since reigning that in fairly a bit. Our common grocery prices are $250 per week. This contains all cleansing merchandise, toiletries, home goods, and precise meals for the two of us, plus Lagertha.
$250 per week occasions 52 weeks. That’s $13,000 for a yr to eat and clear your self and your RV.
Entertainment
Like I simply stated, this has been one thing that we’ve got needed to reign in. We don’t have limitless funds. Plus when residing the Full Time RV Life, you’ll want to regularly remind your self that YOU CAN ALWAYS COME BACK!! And… THIS ISN’T A PERMINENT VACATION. So do just a few issues on this journey, and plan to return again to the world once more and do just a few extra issues.
We have been critically uncontrolled after we began off. Our leisure bills have been exceeding $500 per week between stopping at bars, consuming out, after which doing museum excursions, airboat rides, snorkeling, the Kentucky Derby, and the rest we needed to do. Now, that price range is beneath $100 per week. We had about 3 months at that ridiculous $500 per week value.
12 weeks at $500 is $6,000. 40 weeks at $100 is $4,000. Plus $5,000 for our tickets to the Kentucky Derby. Total spent on leisure for 2022 is $15,000. This was simply dumb. Like actually dumb… You Only Live Once Though, proper????
RV Full Time Cost of Laundry
What an ever fluctuating expense! We’ve paid as little as $1 per load to scrub. And as a lot as $4 per wash. However, we common $8 to scrub the whole lot. And about $6 to dry the whole lot. We do laundry as soon as per week.
$14 occasions 52 weeks within the yr is $728 whole for 1 yr of laundry.
This is one thing that we actually forgot to even plan for. We had a washer and a dryer in our home. We knew we weren’t going to have one within the RV. But it was nonetheless neglected when planning our price range. Maybe we thought we’d use a scrub board down by the river. I don’t know.
Incidentals and Repairs
Thankfully Doug can actually repair something. And if he doesn’t know tips on how to repair it, he’s fast to leap on YouTube to look at a video and be taught. I’m not gifted with the ability of mechanics. I’ll cook dinner you a 5 star meal with depraved taste mixtures. But fixing issues will not be actually in my wheelhouse.
The leaf spring on the truck was our costliest restore at $1000 for the elements and Doug doing the work with the assistance of our Boondockers Welcome Hosts store in Illinois. But we’ve had numerous slide cables break, a leaking fridge, an unbalanced worn tire, poor electrical connections, and a number of other different minor issues.
Total repairs and incidental prices have far exceeded our expectations at $5000 for the yr. And that was with out the price of labor.
We factored in about $1500 in yearly restore value. For most, it is a low quantity. But we knew that Doug could be doing any and all work, so we wouldn’t have labor prices. Kind of blew that price range, and none of it was controllable.
Time To Tally RV Full Time Cost
We are at present stationary. This has negated the price of gasoline. And has decreased our bills in diesel, campgrounds, leisure, and with a bit of luck repairs. If we have been boondocking, we may scale back the campground expense. But we’re stationary, so the month-to-month price is decrease than the common nightly price.
Diesel – $16,045.12
Campgrounds – $10,920
Propane – $858
Gasoline – $856.29
Groceries – $13,000
Entertainment – $15,000
Laundry – $728
Incidentals and Repairs – $5,000
Grand Total of – – – $62,407.41
Where did we go incorrect? Entertainment for starters! Never ought to we’ve got ever spent that a lot cash on entertaining ourselves. Yes! We have been taking this time to take pleasure in life whereas we’re nonetheless younger and ready. And we’ve definitely checked off just a few bucket checklist objects, just like the Kentucky Derby. But we had no enterprise dropping $15,000 over the course of the yr. We additionally didn’t regulate the price range for the rise in gasoline value. Diesel is the large one. The propane and gasoline costs, though excessive, are usually not what broke us.
The want to determine a price range when beginning this life-style is the upmost significance. But much more essential than establishing a price range is STICKING TO THE BUDGET! We are at present stationary and recouping a few of the cash we’ve over spent. Hopefully studying this can provide help to in making ready your price range and studying by our errors to stay to it once you tackle this epic journey your self.