There are normally many impromptu places to spend the night other than the parking lots of the big box stores. Some of the Northern rest areas allow, downside are the trucks also use them, coming and going all night. Many creeks, lakes, etc will have pull offs that will work. Most of the provincial parks are low cost and in beautiful setting so we often use these. I won’t camp within 5 miles of a town or village unless at an organized campground. A couple of times a week we will stay commercially to shower, do laundry, buy groceries, take care of vehicle maintenance, etc. fuel is normally our biggest expense and doesn’t vary based on where we stay.
