What did you forget in your budget planning?

For my family of 4, my biggest surprise expenses were:

1) Laundry. We did 6-8 loads of laundry weekly at $3-6/load at the campground laundry facilities. We now have a washer/dryer combo.

2) My auto insurance increased slightly but my full-timer insurance *tripled* when I change my residency to Florida.

3) As mentioned above, our "edutainment" costs have sky rocketed as we sight-see in new areas. Additionally, we do long days and our "restaurants" budget has increased; we can pack 1 meal, but not 2.

4) Grocery costs have increased with the smaller fridge/pantry. We buy groceries more often.

5) Not surprisingly, our Internet + phone expenses have risen dramatically. I work a "normal" 9-5 job and require unlimited Internet (my actual usage is 100-125gb/month). Couple that with a bigger data plan on phones as a backup hotspot. And I spend a good $300+ per month for 3 phones and 2 hotspots.

Good luck!

Groceries went up for us - when you shop in different stores all of the time, in different regions, you are exposed to new and different items for sale. Part of the fun of fulltiming is trying new things.

Spouse set up a very detailed budget when we went full timing 8 years ago and we still use it today. We take into account even incidentals such as hair cuts, book, purchases, magazine purchases, etc. We basically log in every purchase that we make so we did not really have any surprises. However, there are some things during the year that may cost more that particular year and others less. And even though we are retired, we pay into our savings a set amount at the beginning of each month. Being debt free is also essential in our opinion.

Nutinelse2do wrote:
You cannot judge your expenses by what anyone else says. There are budgets from $15k a year, to $150k a year.

Our first year out we had a $10k oh **** category.

Only way to truly know is by doing it.

Have a blast. Every day is a new adventure and learning experience.

He's not asking what you spent but if there was a particuar budget line item you didn't plan for that raised it's ugly head and bit you later. Like maybe you forgot to include auto insurance in the budget plan. I realize most aren't dumb enough to forget insurance in the plan but you get the idea!

Old-Biscuit wrote:


Don't spend more then you bring home and pay yourself each payday as a reoccurring bill.

I NEVER budget. But I live by the last statement. Pay off credit cards in FULL each month.

Sos, Diane, Aridon, 2chiefs,

Thanks for the insight. Exactly the kind of things I was looking for. I'll be around with a lot more questions, I'm sure.

we found that our discretionary spending for BUYING STUFF went down but it went up for DOING STUFF if that makes sense. We buy less physical things but spend more on things we want to do. We also found the best way to get back on budget was to pick a place and just stay for a month. Fuel and campground costs drop when you stop moving. We also found it restful to not be in tourist mode all the time especially in the beginning of full timing.

Stuff is going to break, need fixing and replacement. Be realistic with your budget so you aren't super tight. Over estimate costs and include a misc category with a healthy amount. In the end you won't have to watch pennies and will be able to absorb the added unseen costs or enjoy the extra money.

The first few years we traveled more and fuel costs were higher. With lower fuel prices and us staying put longer that amount is a lot less now. The largest items are fuel, rv parks/campgrounds and insurance. Always have something aside in case something expensive breaks. Also look ahead and plan for tires. Expensive buggers!! When some costs go up, we just watch other costs. We save money by staying in cheaper campgrounds, taking advantage of discount rates, weekly or monthly rates. Figure in extra fuel costs for your tow vehicle or toad for sightseeing. We park the RV and take day trips in the toad. Some things that people forget to budget for are internet access and satellite TV.

well not too many actual answers to your question.
We didn't have any real surprises, but the cost of RV parks can escalate quickly if you plan for month long stays, but really only stay a few days to a week.

Also, the faster you move, the more your fuel budget will need to go up. Other than that, we pretty much accounted for everything.