3rd year update - RV-Dreams Community Forum

Hdrider · RV-Dreams Family Member

3rd year update

Russ Ranger · RV-Dreams Family Member

Dave's blog post is a good read for anyone considering the RV lifestyle. His comments regarding their 3 yearly budgets are right on the mark. Good solid info to consider.

PrairieRV · RV-Dreams Family Member

I enjoyed reading your 3-year report. I'm in the research stage and am surprised about the comments concerning avoiding stays near national parks, etc., due to the cost. I'll take your word that it's more expensive, but I would think that getting to see those places would be part of the point of RV'ing.

Hdrider · RV-Dreams Family Member

Seeing those places certainly is a big part of why we live the life style. BUT it does not stop me from being a tight old fart LOL!! Speaking of being a tight old fart the Golden Age Pass certainly helped offset what we might have paid extra for campgrounds near the National Parks by getting into the actual parks for free.

Russ Ranger · RV-Dreams Family Member

PraireRV - National Parks can be a bargain if you have a golden age pass (over 62). It costs only $10.00 for a lifetime pass. You and up to 4 guests get free admittance and camping is at half price.

During last years travels through the 5 big National Parks in Utah an average night with the pass was $11.00 per night. The catch is getting a site. We plan to arrive a few hours before check-out time and walk the campsites to see who is leave that day. We never try to move any day near a weekend. Only once in two months did this system not work. At Canyonlands they had half the campsites closed for repaving.

There is very often BLM land near a National Park and boondocking is free.

The pass also works at COE campgrounds, which are some of the best campgrounds in the country. They are usually on or near the water and an average price is under $10.00 per night.

We use "campendium.com" to help find inexpensive sites in great locations.

PrairieRV · RV-Dreams Family Member

I started using a NP senior pass in 2015, but just for getting into the gate. I have no RV yet, but its good to know it'll help save on camping fees, too.

Thanks for the tip!

Camper Chronicles · RV-Dreams Family Member

Hdrider wrote:
While we were researching the fulltime RV life style we spent countless hours on Linda & Howards sites and expense pages as well as other RV'ers out there and found them very helpful. In return we have done a yearly update on our experience on the road the last 3 years in hope it might help even one person. We just posted our 3rd year's update and it can be found by clicking on the link to our blog below in case you're interested.

Fantastic Writeup...here were some of my favorite quotes

"It’s easier to say “follow the weather” than it really is."
"we like small town America compared to larger cities."

"You only live once with no guarantee just how long that will be so you may as well enjoy it."

I hear you are in Quartsite Dave and I really hope I get to meet you and Diane :)

Trace

bjoyce · RV-Dreams Family Member

Good write-up. Many of us oldtimers find that 3 years is the magic number, once you fulltime for 3 years there is no telling when you will quit or become parttimers. We have been at it 12 years and each year is a new adventure. We learned not to share our expenses due to too much negativity, since we do spend more than many are comfortable with. But, I am glad others do so.

Someday we will match up somewhere and meet.

ticat900 · RV-Dreams Family Member

Hdrider wrote:
While we were researching the fulltime RV life style we spent countless hours on Linda & Howards sites and expense pages as well as other RV'ers out there and found them very helpful. In return we have done a yearly update on our experience on the road the last 3 years in hope it might help even one person. We just posted our 3rd year's update and it can be found by clicking on the link to our blog below in case you're interested.

the number one item left out of this deal is the MH new verses 3 years later around 20K PY depreciation for first 3 years or so

as far as expenses go it is what is and as long as your income after taxes is MORE Than your expenses who really cares?

-- Edited by ticat900 on Tuesday 5th of January 2016 03:57:16 PM

Hdrider · RV-Dreams Family Member

ticat900 wrote:
Hdrider wrote:
While we were researching the fulltime RV life style we spent countless hours on Linda & Howards sites and expense pages as well as other RV'ers out there and found them very helpful. In return we have done a yearly update on our experience on the road the last 3 years in hope it might help even one person. We just posted our 3rd year's update and it can be found by clicking on the link to our blog below in case you're interested.
the number one item left out of this deal is the MH new verses 3 years later around 20K PY depreciation for first 3 years or so

as far as expenses go it is what is and as long as your income after taxes is MORE Than your expenses who really cares?

-- Edited by ticat900 on Tuesday 5th of January 2016 03:57:16 PM

Yup, there are a lot of things a person could look at to muddy the waters, depreciation being one of them but we are pretty simple. Like you said, as long as our income at the end of the day is more than we spend and we have a nest egg to get off the road with or fix what ever might go wrong along the way we are just dumb and happy LOL!! Dumb and happy ain't all that bad.

NWescapee · RV-Dreams Family Member

Good write up, I've been following your blog a LOT this year as you were visiting several of the National Parks that are on our "to do" list, guess I'm glad we won't be doing them all at once!! Not sure our budget would appreciate that, LOL.

We're about 6 months behind you in this full time RV experience and as I look at our overall averages, we continue to see a downward trend in most of our expense categories with the exceptions in vacation expense, RV & truck Maintenance. Hopefully in the future we will time things a little better so tire replacement for both the rig and truck doesn't happen within a 6 week time period and I'm certainly hoping we can decrease our maintenance expenses, it seems like it's time for a break from that cycle.

But, I can't say I'm unhappy that our vacation expense went up a bit. In the past, we've had some vacation time spent in the rig and find ourselves "working" on days that we set aside from the day jobs, so while we're still working and not retired, we're thinking one "out of rig" vacation each year is needed. And family visits don't count as vacation time for us, too much family drama if you know what I'm saying. If I found our campground fees increasing but knew some of that was attributed to "real vacation", I'd be okay with that. I expect my perspective on that might change once we're retired. biggrin