How to calculate the cost of RVing
I'll use a 2003 Class C motor home purchased 7 years ago as an example because that's what we have. I paid $23000 for it. Let's assume I sell today for $15000. OK much of this has to be estimated. S...
Forum Discussion
We are sure not the Odd-Man-Out here.
As it happens, I have been an engineering manager most of my career and one of the first lessons I learned from a very effective mentor was to watch out for "Input Oriented Managers". These are the business school people that only look at the cost side of the ledger. They don't even want to look at the results unless you slam their faces into it....
I do live most of my life at the bottom-right corner of a spreadsheet, but you have to try to assign true value to things like being at the Balloon Fiesta for the Dawn Patrol and then hanging on the fence with your dog between you while 600+ hot air balloons take to the sky. Or the look on that same dog's face (she was in the passenger seat because Mary was making coffee) when we were stuck in a "Bison Jam" in Yellowstone. Or the time we left where ever we had spent the night in time to watch the sun come up on one of the high tops of the Blue Ridge Parkway.
The coach also allows us to do many things that would be otherwise at least impractical if not impossible.
Our coach was bought for cash, and as it is a classic upkeep is not cheap and while it is extra work for me, at least if I do it then I know it was done right. Even if I roll that cost into the spread sheet, we still could not travel as we do for any less money.
In a typical traveling year, we go to two type-specific rallies. Other than that, our times in an FHU campground are very limited. We don't need or want them as they have nothing to offer that we do not have on board.
Somebody said something about Walmart many posts back. We have stayed at some Walmarts. They are handy as we do need to pick up provisions. It we stop there and then spend the night, that is a convenience for us. We ONP lost of other places too. Many of those have been very memorable for good reasons. The problem is that you have to look for these places.
It has been a long day and I am going to end this here because I am tired.
Matt
As it happens, I have been an engineering manager most of my career and one of the first lessons I learned from a very effective mentor was to watch out for "Input Oriented Managers". These are the business school people that only look at the cost side of the ledger. They don't even want to look at the results unless you slam their faces into it....
I do live most of my life at the bottom-right corner of a spreadsheet, but you have to try to assign true value to things like being at the Balloon Fiesta for the Dawn Patrol and then hanging on the fence with your dog between you while 600+ hot air balloons take to the sky. Or the look on that same dog's face (she was in the passenger seat because Mary was making coffee) when we were stuck in a "Bison Jam" in Yellowstone. Or the time we left where ever we had spent the night in time to watch the sun come up on one of the high tops of the Blue Ridge Parkway.
The coach also allows us to do many things that would be otherwise at least impractical if not impossible.
Our coach was bought for cash, and as it is a classic upkeep is not cheap and while it is extra work for me, at least if I do it then I know it was done right. Even if I roll that cost into the spread sheet, we still could not travel as we do for any less money.
In a typical traveling year, we go to two type-specific rallies. Other than that, our times in an FHU campground are very limited. We don't need or want them as they have nothing to offer that we do not have on board.
Somebody said something about Walmart many posts back. We have stayed at some Walmarts. They are handy as we do need to pick up provisions. It we stop there and then spend the night, that is a convenience for us. We ONP lost of other places too. Many of those have been very memorable for good reasons. The problem is that you have to look for these places.
It has been a long day and I am going to end this here because I am tired.
Matt
