Full timer

[airstream327]

Hi
almost ready to take on the full timer life. I'd like to know on average what most full timers total expenses
Are per month. Not a breakdown on expenses just a total amount. It will be a great help. Thanks

[kb0zke]

Welcome to the club! The best answer is to spend less than you take in. Seriously, there is so much variation from one family to another that you can't really come up with a number.

Let's start with where you stay. Are you going to stay in resort-type campgrounds most of the time, or are you going to boondock? Resorts are very expensive, while boondocking is cheaper. If you want the absolute cheapest stay, you trade some of your time for your campsite, aka volunteering. We spent nothing in November because we were Habitat For Humanity volunteers and got a FHU site for just our labor.

How much are you traveling? You already know that you use more fuel when you are towing than when you aren't. The longer you stay the better your fuel numbers will look. BTW, if you are in a commercial park you can often get a weekly or monthly rate that is cheaper than the daily rate.

How often do you eat out? We try to eat at home (in our coach) as much as possible. Once in a while we go out for a special reason or because it is cheaper to grab a burger than go back home for lunch. Eating at home (in your Airstream) will cost you about what it does in your S&B.

[bugsbunny]

RV-Dreams.com had a break down for many years... (a couple)

Also InterstellarOrchard.com (single female) and maybe Technomadia.com (a couple) also have breakouts

[NicheVintage]

Here is the link to the sample budgets page at rv-dreams.com that I found.
http://www.rv-dreams.com/fulltimingbudgets.html

[westcoastas]

We have boondocked for months at a time and camphosted months at a time and boondocked/campground stay combined...and it invariably comes to about $2300-2500/month, including food, health and vehicle insurance, gas, propane...just about everything. If we happened to catch our share of trout...a little less.

[DreamStreamr]

We are under $40K annually for everything for past nine years. Includes maintenance, repairs, site, food, clothes, medical, gifts, - well - everything's included except funding depreciation. We've met full timers doing $108K and others doing $31K. As others said, roll your own, you choose where to save and how to spend. If more detail helpful please pm me.

[dbj216]

Hi there. I had the same question, but for a different reason. I was reading in these Forums about how inexpensive it is full timing. I disagreed. You can live cheaper renting a small town apartment and walking to work.

Here is a thread I started on the subject. Many good folks chimed in with their actual experiences. If I recall correctly, we were in the $3000 a month area with considerable variation on that depending on this and that.

Hope this helps...

David

http://www.airforums.com/forums/f314...-127358-2.html

[DreamStreamr]

I agree with David, full timing isn't the least expensive living mode. We never considered staying put. Our parents were healthy, our children were all self-supporting, we had the opportunity to sell the house and its contents, so we cut loose.

I'm very lucky, I'm married to an accountant. She figured out all the costs and funds before she agreed to go on this ride.

The singular appeal of full timing, for us, has always been travel. If we traveled anything like as much as we do, and kept expenses of a fixed base home, I think there's no way we could do it this inexpensively nor see the things we do. It would be different - not better or worse, nor different overall cost of living - that's fixed by my accountant.

Without an Airstream we would do fewer and bigger travels and still operate within our budget. And miss a whole lot of Canadian and American back routes attractions, I guess.