We have been fulltime since October 2007 so our information is fairly limited but one thing that I really noticed going down is the amount we spent on "household expenses". I track all our expenses in Quicken and have done so for many years. Whenever we go to Target, WalMart, Meijers, etc, I split the cost between groceries and household. Since being fulltime, we have significantly reduced the amount we spend on "stuff". Fewer clothes, fewer shoes, fewer household cleaners, fewer impulse buys because there isn't anywhere to put new stuff.
I initially budgeted monthly campground at $700 per month but have found that between visiting friends and family, staying in their driveways, and getting weekly and monthly rates we are averaging less than $10 per day this year. Granted we visited a lot of folks this year showing them our new home but even still that is a lot less than I first thought we would spend.
Don't forget to consider mail forwarding service.
Dave & Kathy
2007 Monaco Knight 40PDQ towing 2003 Odyssey
Two cats - Kitty & Casey (18 & 15 years old)
Fulltime since October 2007
Before you give someone a piece of your mind, make sure you can get by with what's left.
I think you are a little low on Campsite fees 365 X $25. Unless you get monthly fees occasionally and if you move often, you will be closer to $30/$35/night.
We recently crossed the US from Ohio to Washington/Oregon and averaged $32/night. Passport America occasionally reduced the nightly fees, but it still cost a lot. We have noticed a big increase in campground fees just in the last 2 years.
We countered the increase by staying monthly in Cody, WY, $600/month, Long Beach, WA, $235/month + $36 electric, and currently the coast of Oregon, $342/month.
I think you're $25/night average is just about right assuming you're not hooked on high end parks. Weekly rates are usually pay for 6 nights stay 7, there are discounts for Good Sam, KOA, FMCA, etc. that will also help reduce the overall cost. Our average has been just a little under $25 and we very rarely dry camp, so it's been parks every night the past year.
The household/clothing, etc cost is also a good tip. When you fulltime the rule is something in - something out. Since we're adverse to throwing good stuff out we tend not to want to buy new stuff until the old stuff is worn out
However, in answer to your question, "how much does it cost", I suspect you should be able to acquire fulltime insurance on a 100K rig for approx 850.00 per year. I am sure some others will chime in. Amd a lot depends on your home state.
Domicile in South Dakota. Low fulltime RV insurance rates with National Interstate or Progressive. No state income tax. Registration about average. Alternative Resources can handle it all for you. You do have to go to SD to get your driver license for five years, and every 5 years thereafter. Bank online with Bank of America, we find they have ATM's in more of the country than any other and there online system is tops. In Mexico you can use Santander Serfin and in Canada, Scotia Bank ATM's at no charge as they have relationship with BOA. Stays of a month in one park will cut CG fees drastically. Probably as many RV parks in the RGV as anywhere without the masses like in Yuma. Six new 22.5 tires now about $3,000.
We have fulltimed for 5-1/2 years in the Dutch Star. Aside from fuel depreciation on the coach is the greatest expense. Best budget on the web for fulltiming is seeyadowntheroad. Norm and Linda Payne have been at it for a long time.
Capt. Bob & Pat (Alaska,Mexico, lower 48 & all of Canada)
Guard Dog, Curly the Cairn & Toby the Lahsa
Dutch Star DP 4097 2003
2005 Sport Trac
Datastorm Motosat (Locator #1974)(Internet & TV
"A moving target is harder to hit."
I'd venture that most fulltimers, aren't. At least that's my read on it after months of reading threads here. Just about everyone posting in FT owns at least one property of some sort. It may be a business property, a rented out home or condo, or even one or more condo-pads on land that is owned and taxed.
As far as the insurance company is concerned, they may or may not learn of you fudging the origin of your true useage factors. Even if some don't own or rent a sticks and brick domicile, many use a relative's address to get an ins. rating. Many, many people claim their automobile is driven less than 7 miles or so on a daily basis, just to get the deepest discount on rates. It really will come down to your insurance company doing their due diligence when looking at any claim.
Health insurance is another story on being untruthful when procuring a policy. For instance, I claim to be a non-smoker/non-tobacco user. Fine. Now if my blood tests as being a tobacco user, and I have made a claim of some sort, once the insurance company learns this through discovery, they have the right to receive all the back higher-premiums from you before paying a claim. Only a fool would risk the health insurance lying, but I'm sure many try.
I have a sweet tender nature, however I enjoy sharing my thoughts and opinions.
Quote: I'd venture that most fulltimers, aren't. At least that's my read on it after months of reading threads here. Just about everyone posting in FT owns at least one property of some sort. It may be a business property, a rented out home or condo, or even one or more condo-pads on land that is owned and taxed.
Having a pad to place your RV on means that you are still living in the RV 24/7, hence a fulltimer. And there are a LOT of us that are true fulltimers.
Having an apartment, house, condo that you physically move into for periods of times means your a part-timer.
Another way to keep those nightly park fees in check is to purchase a used membership in a major park system like Thousand Trails, K&M, Western Horizon, etc. We use ours (including the affiliated systems) for over 180 nights a year and that brings our costs down to under $10/night.
Barb
Barb & Dave - full-timing Traveling catpanions Kit (age 18) and Shadow (age 11) Figment II (2002 Alpine 36 MDDS) Mischief (2004 Subaru Forester Toad) FMCA - F337834, SKP #90761 http://homepage.mac.com/barbaraok/ Our blog
The problem with membership parks is that you feel compelled to go to the member parks, whether they are actually where you want to go. We personally like to go in any direction and to any place we feel like without worrying if there is a membership park within a hundred miles.
Passport America is as close to a membership park that we use. If there is a PA park where we want to stop and it's rated a 7 or better in www.RVparkreviews.com then we will stop.
We never felt COMPELLED to go the the member parks, we ENJOYED and PREFERRED going to them..
Never felt like we were going out of the way to visit them either, they were in places we liked to visit..
Of course, if I didn't visit the Northwest Coast, like visiting the Colorado river area, and plenty of parks to choose from in Texas, Arizona, Calif, Oregon, Washington, Nevada, then they probably wouldn't have fit my Rving lifestyle either..
Yep, we also went to private/public parks too, but paid the price when we did, costing us 2/3 time as much in camping fees... Saving money on our membership park fees was a great benefit and worked well for us...
Offline
