We drive an average of 22,000 miles a year combined towing and sight seeing and we have averaged just over $360 a month for diesel fuel. If that keeps you off the road, you have major budget problems.

When we are on the road I figure $300/day for expenses. Yes, with the price of fuel today it is expensive. We tend to stay put and do day trips in the Jeep. Our coach has a 100 gallon fuel tank, so $200/day is just for fuel, the rest is CG fees and food. We average almost 10 mpg with our coach. We drive our coach from one workamper job to the next and usually spend a few months in one spot to keep costs down. Not sure what is a good way to explain it...

OK let's talk fuel mileage...

For us there are two sorts of miles.

Towing miles which divide down into bad head winds and everything else.

and

Non Towing miles which divide down into the Brideandjoy is doing most of the driving or I am.

Now for towing we average 10 miles to the gallon unless there is a fierce head wind then we drop down to a low of 8 miles to the gallon. 

On a 20,000 mile loop maybe half of the miels will be tow miles more like 40 percent or 8,000 of them the rest are;

Non tow miles now there the Brideandjoy has a bit of a lead foot and I tend to drive like grandpa (mine that is not hers that old man drove like a bat).  So Brideandjoy milage is 14 to 15 and mine is 15 to 16 depends on how much is freeway vs city vs country but in general thats about where we hit.

Now all of this is terrible just terrible call it 1600 gallons of fuel now staying at home....

We'd still go through call it 1000 gallons of fuel in the same time period driving the old smaller truck or the Impala the wife used to have.

So the delta state for us is +600 gallons of fuel in about the same time period.  (I don't factor in the difference in gas vs diesel because on the road I often get diesel cheaper then gas is back in PA.)

So if you drive now your burnning fuel yes your going to burn more fuel but there are other places to save.

Mallo

edited to clean up my maths


-- Edited by Mallo on Wednesday 26th of May 2010 04:29:03 AM

Heck, I just simplify it by saying, "it ain't good mileage for a car, but it is great for a house". Works for me. Fuel mileage is the least worry, since you are not traveling every day. Figure your monthly miles towing, divide it into the amount spent for fuel, then subtract the value of the fun you have had. Should be a zero sum calculation.

Probably the best way to put her mind at ease is to show the overall savings of the fulltime lifestyle. Take a look at RV-Dreams financial pages and some of the other Fulltime RVer Blogs to see what the average monthly expenses will be. Compare those to your current expenses and hopefully you should see a savings or close to equal what you currently spend. These budgets posted by real fulltime RV'ers are the best guage to see what your actual cost will be on average month to month. These includes gas, food, repairs, entertainment and other expenses so you get a true picture overall and don't have to focus on just one or two items.

Someone asked me once about having to spend so much on fuel. I looked at it this way - I could spend $3.00 a gallon on home heating oil and sit in the house. OR I could spend $3.00 a gallon on truck diesel and travel. I'll take travel.

 I figured when it comes time to fulltime we will travel as far as 1 tank of fuel in the motor home will take us a month (100 gal). That will help keep our fuel cost down AND make us stay in one place a little longer to keep campground fee's down.
 Thats just a hair brain idea right now,, 

-- Edited by Hdrider on Thursday 27th of May 2010 06:34:03 AM

We get about 8-9 mpg while moving the motorhome and our pickup gets about 20 when we are running around. I actually think our fuel costs drop, but they certainly don't increase significantly when we are on the road as we do a lot less running back and forth to town.

I have been getting about 10 MPG but I have traveled lightly so far.

Thanks to a computer reflash we are now getting 10.5 average while towing and 14.5 when not.You will find after a while you will drive more not towing than you do towing so your overall average will be higher.Besides life is short...enjoy it while you can.Any change in fuel costs will more than likely trend up rather than down.

I had the same concern about fuel when Donna I got into week-end camping. Got great milage as long as my 460 Ford Pu was on grass, but as soon as it hit the asphalt the milage dropped. Had to convince myself to get over it or get out of it(RVing)......I chose to get over it. Have upgraded to a Ford Diesel which makes it a little better.

We really never paid much attention to fuel mileage. The wonderful adventures we have had and are still having makes the thought of fuel mileage a moot point. We left home base at the end of May and left Cody Wyoming this morning and are in Casper in route to LeVeta Colorado. You wouldn't believer how many are traveling thru are pictures that Delaine post each day. We will buy fuel tomorrow, just got off Diesel Buddy and know were we will refuel tomorrow in Cheyenne Wo. will need about 100 gals +. But its cheaper in Wyoming than Colorado when we were in Colorado Springs. As for fuel mileage we get about 7.6 to 9.6 towing te Mobile Suites and towing the Chevy HHR behind the Suites. Not bad considering our gross weight is 34,000 + or - . But we have decided to stay in Colorado until the end of Aug before going back to Tennessee. I guess its like you have to pay to play, and you better play while you can. Things are not for ever, if you like staying in the stick house thats your choice. We could spend a life time in the West and never be bored. Good Luck with your choice, we have made ours. GBY....

I was reading your post and was wondering what Diesel buddy is?

The cost of FT RV'ing shouldn't hinge on one variable, MPG, since there are many other variables that make up the total cost of RV'ing. Just looking at some of the biggies, I would say that even if you spent more money on gas, it would be offset by savings elsewhere. Unless you own your home free and clear, most people are still paying a mortgage or rent. I would suspect that paying campground fees would be about equal or less than that mortgage/rent. Then on top of that, since most campground fees seem to include water and electricity, you would be saving on utilities. That alone can compensate for your gasoline/diesel if in fact you were actually using more while RV'ing. I find it hard to believe though. I look at my situation, both my gf and I commute to and from work. Thats two cars, every day burning gas. We spend quite a bit per month on this one item. We have agreed that when we RV, we are going to go to one destination and stay a few weeks before moving on. The harsh MPG days would be on tow days but that would be once a month at most? And even with that, we would not go further than 250 miles, more than likely, half that amount. All the other days we may or may not do excursions using a vehicle. Even if we used the vehicle every single day, it would still be a bunch less miles than the two vehicles we commute in now. I agree with some of the other posters, this should not be a show stopper and I bet if you calculate it with all the other variables, it will have minimum impact.

This may not be the real reason. Sit her down and start asking questions you may find out somethings you had no clue that going on in her head.
I did this and man what an eye opening experance.
We fixed some thing and some things we made a compromise.

There are many ways to minimize or offset your fuel expenses too. Full-timing in a 1/2 ton towable rv is one. Choosing more easily towable rig such as an Airstream or a Hi-lo, or deciding on a more fuel efficient, diesel tow vehicle or Class B+/C is another. Driving slower, avoiding heavy traffic times so you brake less frequently and moving less often is yet another way to save fuel. You may find that moving monthly (paying monthly CG rates) vs. moving weekly (paying weekly CG rates) not only saves fuel costs, but the camping fees saved by this one lifestyle change may offset your fuel costs by a substantial amount - over $100/month in most cases. If you find yourself drawn to a more mobile lifestyle, frequent boondocking, saving CG fees can offset fuel costs while simultaneously allowing you to stay in remote locations and commune with nature in a way no campground can. Many fulltimers use a very fuel efficient toad or a couple scooters to tour the area or for grocery shopping. I too think your DW may indeed have underlying fears or concerns which are not yet expressed. Heck the $3,300/yr I will save in property taxes alone on my S&B will buy quite a bit of fuel. If I add just my annual savings in homeowners insurance premiums, I would have enough money to purchase all the fuel I would ever need, at todays prices. If fuel prices skyrocket in the future (a real possibility with the offshore drilling ban, an out of control EPA refusing to relicense oil refinerys, and if the new Cap&Trade energy bill passes) then other plans can still be made to adapt, such as moving seasonally instead of monthly, etc. The bottom line is that if full-timing is something you really want to do, you will find a way to budget for it, regardless if the price of fuel rises to $7-$10/ gallon as some experts are predicting. Heck, I'll get a pair of mules to pull my little camper if neccessary. I won't let anything stop me from living my dream. If there's a will; there's a way! :) Chip

I agree with Sushidog.  Our property tax, homeowner's insurance and winter heating /summer A/C bills more than pay for diesel fuel for the motorhome.    We average 8-9 mpg, but don't drive it every day.  The motorhome has been parked for the past 2 1/2 months, and was parked for 4 months in Florida this past winter while volunteering.  

With workamping or volunteering, we also have no camping fees.    We're volunteering at Dash Point State Park beginning Aug 9 through September 15, so again, no diesel fuel usage.  We do have to get there from Illinois, but we'll be stopping in Colorado to visit two little grandsons for a week, and then visiting two granddaughters in Seattle while at Dash Point.  And we have lined up 4 free campsites on the way to Colorado and Seattle.    Many campgrounds also offer reduced rates for longer stays.  And we use our Federal Senior Pass at Corps of Engineer campgrounds for 50% off campground fees.

You really do need to look at your WHOLE budget.  We actually have a much simpler, more enjoyable,  less expensive lifestyle than when we were working.  Our income is made up of my retirement pension and social security.  

Good Luck in your planning.  And try to enjoy the planning. 








-- Edited by Dan and Gail on Monday 12th of July 2010 08:31:59 AM