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02-28-2019, 07:16 AM
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#1
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Montana Fan
Join Date: Jan 2019
Location: Sun City
Posts: 408
M.O.C. #23256
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Monthly expense for lodging/campsites
We plan to "pull the pin," retire, and hit the road early this summer. We worked on a budget last night and it looks doable. We were able to come up with realistic numbers for the usual things like fuel, maintenance, insurance, vehicle registration, food, entertainment, cell service, etc. The only area we had a hard estimating was lodging/campsite rentals. Just like a stick house, that is looking to be the biggest part of the budget.
Our total budget number came to about $3500 a month, $400 of which goes toward maintaining our stick house, leaving a on-the-road budget of about $3100.
Anyway, I was wondering what those of you who are full-timing are spending on average for camp fees/lodging.
Thanks.
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Dave in AZ
2008 Montana 3400RL
2008 Dodge Ram 3500 Diesel Dually
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02-28-2019, 08:43 AM
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#2
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Site Team
Join Date: Jun 2011
Location: Wilsey
Posts: 18,799
M.O.C. #11455
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You're going to find that all over the map and it depends on what part of the country you stay in and what amenities you want of need. Passport America and other memberships can help reduce the cost and if you work for someone like Fish and Wildlife your spot will be free. Also, if you stay places for a week there is also a discount. That said, $25-60 per night is probably close.
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Dick, Joyce, Diego, Picatso and Gustav
2017 3720 RL, and 2013 HC 343RL
Pullrite Hitch, IS, Disk Brakes, 3rd AC, Winegard Traveler, Bathroom door mod, Dometic 320, couch for desk swap, replaced chairs, sun screens, added awnings, etc.
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02-28-2019, 09:13 AM
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#3
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Site Team
Join Date: Sep 2017
Location: Oro Valley
Posts: 3,932
M.O.C. #20477
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There are also free or very low cost options including serving as a camp host or boondocking on government land.
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Zack and Donna plus Millie and Ranger
2018 3160RL
"Life is too short to stay indoors, enjoy the ride!"
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02-28-2019, 09:35 AM
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#4
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Montana Master
Join Date: Jun 2018
Location: Carson City
Posts: 2,017
M.O.C. #21963
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35 to 85 depending on their proximity to tourist attractions. Some CA sites are nearing 100. The trick is staying a while, like a week at a time to take advantage of weelky rates. That way you are not spending all your money on fuel as well.
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2016 3160, Legacy, Sailuns, Splendide 2100 xc vented, 1 1/2" axle lift blocks, disk brakes. 2014 Ram 3500 SRW SWB 4X4 6.7 Aisin Mega Cab, EBC slotted disks and brakes, Titan fuel tank.
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02-28-2019, 09:36 AM
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#5
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Montana Master
Join Date: Oct 2006
Location: McKinney
Posts: 7,167
M.O.C. #6433
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If either of you are over 62, get an America the Beautiful Lifetime Senior Pass for $80. We often stay at a very nice COE park with 50 amp FHU sites with long concrete pads and large patios. Normally $26/nt but only $13/nt with the senior pass. I believe includes discounts at all federal parks/campgrounds.
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Bill & Patricia
Riley, our Golden
2007 3075RL (recently sold, currently without)
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02-28-2019, 02:23 PM
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#6
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Montana Fan
Join Date: Oct 2017
Location: Fulton
Posts: 456
M.O.C. #20688
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Last summer was our first year. We plugged in $50 a night to start.
We had a low of $17 in a PPA in Florida and $70 in a Jellystone in Nashville
We did 2 with weekly rates and spent September in Gulf Shores monthly rate.
When all said and done we ended up at $42p/n average.
Zero free sights and always 50 amp except 1 in Michigan.
It is definitely cheaper to stay longer.
Enjoy your travels.
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Wayne & Malinda
2018 Montana 3731FL
MORryde IS/DiscBrakes
2017 F450 DRW KR 4x4
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02-28-2019, 05:00 PM
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#7
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Montana Master
Join Date: May 2011
Location: Hixson
Posts: 3,436
M.O.C. #11397
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When most full timers start out they are in "vacation mode" and that time can be expensive. After you get over that period and settle into a routine it will get better. We've been at it for about 8.5 years now.We chose to sell S & B and are glad because it took so much pressure off and not necessarily just the $ part.
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2018.5 Montana 3791RD
Full Timers 9/1/2010 through 1/16/2020.
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03-01-2019, 01:58 AM
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#8
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Established Member
Join Date: Jan 2019
Location: sevierville
Posts: 46
M.O.C. #23237
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I think you could use $40 per day as an average. Two years ago we took a 2 month, 10,000 mile trip. Some places we stayed overnight, others for up to a week. Some were state parks, others were private campgrounds. Some in tourist areas, others in the sticks. We were in full vacation mode as we weren't set up for workamping yet.
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03-01-2019, 05:52 AM
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#9
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Montana Master
Join Date: Aug 2009
Location: Grand Rapids
Posts: 1,896
M.O.C. #9561
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Your question is sooooo open. If you live in your kids backyard or walmarts it is really cheap.
Do you plan on traveling around? $$$$$ in fuel.
But if you will be going into campgrounds figure anywhere from $500-1500 a month. In florida keys it would be $3000+ a month.
Bottom line, just do it and you'll soon figure it out. For us, in just truck and trailer costs we've put in nearly $2000 in repairs since December.
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03-02-2019, 10:18 AM
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#10
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Montana Fan
Join Date: Jan 2019
Location: Sun City
Posts: 408
M.O.C. #23256
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Quote:
Originally Posted by mazboy
Your question is sooooo open. If you live in your kids backyard or walmarts it is really cheap.
Do you plan on traveling around? $$$$$ in fuel.
But if you will be going into campgrounds figure anywhere from $500-1500 a month. In florida keys it would be $3000+ a month.
Bottom line, just do it and you'll soon figure it out. For us, in just truck and trailer costs we've put in nearly $2000 in repairs since December.
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I guess we'll just be spending the kid's inheritance... LOL
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Dave in AZ
2008 Montana 3400RL
2008 Dodge Ram 3500 Diesel Dually
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03-06-2019, 02:32 PM
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#11
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Established Member
Join Date: Oct 2018
Location: Dallas
Posts: 22
M.O.C. #22828
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Budget
Appreciate the budget discussion. We are still in preseason with our RV before making longer trips. I have worked with the budget question for about a year as we camp and I read forms. I appreciate the discussion and understand that there is not a nightly answer for everyone every where. But I think this group of veterans has more to share. Out with it guys how the heck do you do this incredibly adventure and not worry about the next thing to fall of your rig at 65MPH. I try not to buy all the cool stuff and use my camping experiences to sort out my wants and needs. So to maintain a $30.00 a day budget here in Texas and surrounding states. I.E. we go to state parks and some dry camping for tests. State park visitor fees added to the camping fees can add 25% to the nightly get me back to $24-30.00 a day. A Blue boy hoses etc., if you don't want to move every three days adds $2.50 per night for a hundred days over three years camping. Batteries $1,500, a power source $1,000 on and on. Predicting these items as part of the cost of camping even over normal life expectancy seems to really add up. Add in camper and truck cost and depreciation this is not cheap. But it is fun!
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03-06-2019, 03:12 PM
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#12
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Montana Fan
Join Date: Jul 2006
Location: Boston
Posts: 214
M.O.C. #6052
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Here is the budget I planned for our Summer Travel:
RV Sites (150 days @75.00) 11,500.00
Truck Fuel (800 gals @ 4.00 per gal) 3,200.00
I estimate higher than I expect to spend - however, last summer we endend up in "hotels" for approx 20 days, while we had repairs done on both RV and truck
Ray Shaw
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03-06-2019, 03:45 PM
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#13
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Site Team
Join Date: Oct 2005
Location: Carmichael - CA
Posts: 7,365
M.O.C. #4831
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Howard and Linda of RV-Dreams have been educating new full timers for years. Among all their aids are their actual yearly/monthly budgets. Check them out at https://rv-dreams.typepad.com/rvdreams_journal/
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Carl (n Susan)
There is more to life than fuel mileage.
2012 Montana 3700RL Big Sky Package towed by a 2015 Ford F350 6.7L PSD 4WD CC LWB
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03-06-2019, 03:50 PM
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#14
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Montana Master
Join Date: Jan 2005
Location: North Ridgeville
Posts: 20,229
M.O.C. #2839
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We do not have a planned budget never have. We know what our income is and we know what our expenses are.
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03-06-2019, 07:48 PM
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#15
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Montana Master
Join Date: Jan 2018
Location: Northville, NY
Posts: 807
M.O.C. #21158
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Quote:
Originally Posted by mazboy
Your question is sooooo open. If you live in your kids backyard or walmarts it is really cheap.
Do you plan on traveling around? $$$$$ in fuel.
But if you will be going into campgrounds figure anywhere from $500-1500 a month. In florida keys it would be $3000+ a month.
Bottom line, just do it and you'll soon figure it out. For us, in just truck and trailer costs we've put in nearly $2000 in repairs since December.
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Yes, we winter in the kids backyard in N. GA, but in Jan it got too cold for me and we headed to FL for a month. Total cost including food and fuel--$3600. Sites veried from 36 to 80. The hard part was actually getting a site on short notice. Most parks are booked up with snowbirds. That number may be a bit high as we also took friends out to dinner so we were probably heavy on the food side. Plan ahead and get weekly or monthly rates and don't eat out so much and you could likely knock 1G off that.
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Jim B
2017 Lariat F-350 FX4, CC, SB, 6.7 PSD 4WD
2018 MONTY 3731FL, at our private winter site in GA
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03-07-2019, 09:49 AM
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#16
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Established Member
Join Date: Mar 2017
Location: Livingston
Posts: 16
M.O.C. #19521
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when we started ft in 2003 we had 2 park memberships that aloud us 2 weeks free. and our daily cost was around $15. a day. we did camp hosting for 2 years at 0 cost to save up some money for a trip to Europe. to day we are stopped traveling and are in a park in Cal. and including elect. and propane our cost is $22 a day. your cost really depends on where you travel. we spent a lot on time in nat. parks and Texas but we did go all over from porta verate Mexico to Canada
on
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03-07-2019, 10:01 AM
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#17
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Montana Fan
Join Date: Jan 2019
Location: Sun City
Posts: 408
M.O.C. #23256
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I think, like others have posted, that our expenses the first year could be all over the map until we kind of settle down and get this all figured out. We have booked stays at a couple of municipal RV parks with full hook ups at very reasonable rates (20-30 a night).
I have looked at some of the Passport America parks along our route, but the majority of them have severe restrictions (only 1 or 2 nights, "not valid in July or August", etc) making the program not quite as valuable as it would seem. Still, just using it for a few nights would pay for the yearly fee.
Insisting on full hook-ups really ups the price. Getting elec/water isn't too hard, but getting sewer too is a little harder. We'd like to stay in a spot for 2-3 weeks at a time, but that is more of a hassle without a sewer hookup since we'd have to unhook and all that to drive over to the dump station. So, for non-sewer sites, we are only staying 4-5 days figuring we'd need to dump about that time.
__________________
Dave in AZ
2008 Montana 3400RL
2008 Dodge Ram 3500 Diesel Dually
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