Realistic Budget 2.0

If you heat by propane, you may want to up that line item significantly.

If you have it to spend...spend it, if not don't.

Your may want to go back and peruse the last entry in each of our Trip Journals starting with the 2009 Alaska trip. That last entry of each trip summarizes all of our expenses for that summer's trip. I do not include MH insurance or payments in that summary but do include repairs for the MH and Jeep. Likewise I don't include our DirecTV bill or Verizon bill as those are going to happen whether we are at home or on the road. You will notice that our daily cost is usually in the neighborhood of 100-120 per day. Last year was a little less as fuel was less expensive and we got monthly rates at campgrounds for a couple of those months. This year will likely be similar.

I am not rich by any means, but I sure don't agonize about how much something costs. If the gas tank is empty, I fill it up. If there is something I want to see and it has an admission charge, I pay the price. If the propane tank is empty, I fill it up. What other choices are there?

If you haven't already take a look at www.rv-dreams.com The folks who own the site have been fulltiming for over 10 years. They post their actual expenses for each month and year they have been on the road. They also show their budget for each month/year.

It's a very informative site for anything you may need to know about fulltiming and finances while on the road.

Depreciation of and replacement of your RV is a BIG item and it's not in there. Granted, it's a long term issue but my opinion is that this item is the biggest expense of RVing and most RVers leave it out. Estimate when you will sell or trade your unit, what you will get for it, subtract that from what you paid and divide by the number of nights spent in it and you may be shocked. This figure can equal or exceed a daily motel but of course there are many variables.

Here are my thoughts....

$1,000.00 Maint (In 120 days you might have 1 oil change or a whole engine)
$3,600.00 Camp Fees (in 120 days that is only $30 a night) a little low.
$2,000.00 Fuel (Is only $0.38 cents a mile... I average $0.45 with a MH)
$100.00 Propane (No comment)
$2,000.00 Admission (Don't know what you want to see so cannot help...Disney Land is like $200 a day per person so that is only 10 days out of 120 ???)
$800.00 Restaurant ($6.66 per day ?????)(Only 1 time in 5 days for 2 people)
$500.00 Hobbies (No comment)
$10,000.00 Total (I guess this is on top of whatever your normal at the house 4 months costs would be).

quasi wrote:
After getting some really good feedback, I've modified my original budget to include Maintenance costs, increase fuel expenses and eliminate expenses we would have regardless of whether we were camping. Am I getting closer?

"5200 mile trip.January 1st through April 30th."

$1,000.00 Maint
$3,600.00 Camp Fees
$2,000.00 Fuel
$100.00 Propane
$2,000.00 Admission
$800.00 Restaurant
$500.00 Hobbies
$10,000.00 Total

With all due respect I think your figures are WAY over the top for a 4 month trip.

Two things seem high to me. the Fuel and especially the "admissions"

I cant begin to fathom $500 for Hobbies??? I am not sure how that fits in to an RV trip.

I travel full time and dont spend anywhere near this amount for 6 months. And since February have traveled from Cabo San Lucas Baja Mexico to Anchorage Alaska where I am now.

As for the poster that thinks your figures are low...consider that I usually AVERAGE about $20 to $22 per night which accounts for the stays in National Parks, BLM land and the occasional free night somewhere.

Also .38 cents per mile may be high. My Cummins diesel I average only .256 cents per mile and that is hauling a heavy 32 foot trailer.

I also think $1000 for maintenance in 5200 miles is VERY high. In 5200 miles you should only have minor issues. Even if you need an oil change that is only about $200. (or less) A road side problem like a blown tire...another $200 for the tire assuming you have a road side assistance plan. Any vehicle that wont go 5200 miles without $1000 in maint. should not be taken on a trip.

In well over 15000 miles I have replaced my brakes (the entire assy), suspension plates and bearings and new tires. All of these were ON THE TRAILER when I bought it 2 years ago and had significant wear before the 15k. The tires were 11 year old Goodyears and in fine shape but my worn suspension wore one of the tires badly...I replaced them all. Altogether that only cost me about $1100 dollars.

quasi wrote:

$2,000.00 Admission

Where are you going that is going to have $2K for admissions?

If going to Disney Land - don't. Save your money for WDW in Florida on another trip. Much, much better.

Put small electric heaters in, you are already paying for electricity with site rental unless you are staying by the month. Only use propane when temps are below freezing to keep tanks warm. After 2 years we filled our propane tank (put in 18.6 gallons) last week - $28 was what we paid.

Could you break your budget into what you think you'll spend each month, that might make it easier for us to understand.

You may want to consider purchasing some type of electric heater to subsidize the furnace or just take the chill off when needed. Many campgrounds include electric in their nightly rate and would reduce the cost of propane. We wintered on the gulf coast at a park that includes electric. Total propane expense for Oct - Apr was $49.00. Your budget may be close for what you are doing ( 120 day trip) but is much much more than we would spend in 120 days.