Budgeting for the RV Lifestyle, Part III

We worked hard at saving our money and we got the RV we wanted. Now, how do we manage to live within the budget with fuel and grocery prices much higher than we anticipated? It’s not easy and we look at the budget a lot. However, there are a few things which we have learned from other RVers as well as a few things we have stumbled upon ourselves.

The cost of fuel has been the biggest concern lately. What we, and other RVers, are doing is staying in one location longer. Instead of going somewhere for a week or two then moving on, we are staying for a month. Monthly rates in campgrounds are considerably cheaper than weekly rates. (Not all campgrounds offer monthly rates) We save on the campground fee plus we are not towing. We may not get to see as much of New York as we want, but we would rather make that sacrifice than give it up all together. Occasionally we have a situation like the one we are in currently. Where we want to be is the high peaks region of the Adirondacks for the hiking. Every campground in the area is above our budget. To be farther away would get us a cheaper campground, but we would spend much more on fuel. We chose to stay close, drive less, and hopefully make up some of the costs by boon docking occasionally on our way back to Tennessee.

We also belong to a couple RV clubs which offer discounts at some campgrounds—Escapees and Good Sam. AAA members can get some pretty nice discounts, also. We are not old enough for the government discount card, but we are looking forward to the Golden Age Pass, now called the America the Beautiful Pass for seniors, for half price admission to the national parks and the Corp of Engineers campgrounds. While we are talking about passes, let me say that each year we look at where we are traveling in relation to National Parks. If there are several National Parks on our itinerary, we purchase an annual pass to save on entrance fees.

When we made our initial budget, we based our monthly allotment for groceries on prices we were spending in Nashville. Prices across the country vary greatly. We do pretty good staying within the grocery budget by selecting foods that are on sale, eating less expensive cuts of meat, or frozen instead of fresh vegetables. I have never been one to clip coupons, but some folks save a lot by taking the time to do that. Some groceries have what they call “senior days” when they give an additional discount to shoppers over a certain age.

Our great love is hiking and, although it may be free to walk the trail, it is not a free activity and good boots and gear are very expensive. We offset some of this cost by using an REI credit card which pays a small dividend. There is no skimping on boots and socks, but we have gotten into wearing shirts and shorts from WalMart rather than the outrageously priced Exofficio and Patagonia brands from the outfitters.

Now a quick word about work camping (workamping). Many, many, many fulltime RVers supplement their income by working at campgrounds, National Parks, state parks, and various other establishments across the country. Often these jobs offer minimum wage, a free campsite, or both. Some are for a season, others for a month or two. This is very appealing and we have thought of doing it often. I could handle dipping ice cream at Yellowstone a few hours a week and spending my off time in that great park. Technically, Gene is a work camper since he is working his job from the Montana.

My point in all this--we have to stay within the budget. If one area is overspent, then we have to compensate for it in another area or make up the difference later on. With the rising costs of just about everything, it is a difficult juggling act at times. For us, juggling and sacrificing is preferred in order to live our dream.