As far as finding good pots..anywhere, pretty much...get off of the Interstates and travel the secondaries.
Most small towns you will drive thru will have a city park that is normally good for an overnight. Reservoirs, and so on make for excellent boondocking spots.
And yes, you can manage your costs very effectively this way. Travel slow, spending a day or two in a place...the fuel costs are the same but if it takes you a month to get somewhere, rather than a week.. your overall expenditures are much reduced. Figure that people pay between 30 and 50 a night, for a full service overnight. That is between $1,000 and $1,500 a month.
There are lots of ways to manage your winter wandering costs.
Been there...do that.
Gary Haupt