This is the most thorough and honest cost of living video that I've seen, thanks for putting it ALL out there! Doesn't seem too bad to me, but also I know that when my husband and I eventually go full time our first few years expenses will be high as well because we will be wanting to travel and see a lot. We also are from a high COL area so I guess the sticker shock isn't so bad??
Thank you so much for your comment! With some the responses I get when sharing our costs, it can make me not want to share sometimes 😅 but, I do think it’s important that people see what our specific type of RV lifestyle costs (traveling to A LOT of places, having a newer truck, still having health insurance and regular bills, etc). So, thank you for appreciating it! ❤️
i've been all over youtube looking for RV living information and this by far is the most useful video I've found. thank you for posting this, it absolutely helped me prep for RV living myself.
Wow! This was really helpful. We're considering going full time RV in our retirement. I don't think we'll spend as much as you do. For example, we've eaten out until we're blue in the face and don't really need or want to do that anymore. You provided insights as to how to reduce costs, not just in your summary, but just inspired from how you do spend money. So thank you! You're providing a wealth of knowledge.
$5,044 a month plus...wow better to buy a home that increases in equity and have a camper for weekends and vacation...Plus its easy to work from a home. However I know many of the youtube rv's can make a lot of money...Thank you for being so honest
This is the best breakdown of any Full-time RVers budget! And I just made a copy of your spreadsheet. It's next level amazing! You did a great job on the budget and the spreadsheet. Also, I've written down and watched many many RVers budgets and yours is way more spot on and believable than most.
Thank you so much! This is the best compliment!! We really tried to be as informative and transparent as possible. (Without being toooo boring 😆) so glad you like the spreadsheet! I’ve been using it myself this year of course and really like how it’s going
Great video and breakdown of costs. We are soooo close to pulling the trigger for full time. Cindy retired a month ago...we have the 5th wheel, the Ram 3500 Dually and as soon as we sell the house in April-May this year....we will be on the road full time. Enjoy your videos, comments and rving suggestions. Thanks for everything!!!!
I wouldn’t sell your house. If I was you, I’ve seen too many people do this and down the road they’ve regretted it is when their life changing events happened they have nowhere to go.
Some full timers keep their house and rent it out. After a year and you still love and can do full time then you can sell your house.. Maybe you have some adult children that can store that heirloom for you or you can get a small storage shed. My sister has a large house and large lot and she would have no problem letting me pour a slab for our RV and install a 30-50amp outlet for us to stay next to her house occasional when we are in the area. This would be a money saver instead of RV Park cost.
Great video. Wasn't expecting how much it cost. I was thinking a couple of thousand less each month. Thanks for making the spreadsheet available to all your viewers, that's extremely generous of you. My wife and I will put it to good use. Be safe and keep those videos coming.
Thank you so much! As the years go on, we plan to slow our travels some and I’ll be interested to see how that affects our costs. I think it could drop it by at least $1000, because of fuel saving and less maintenance being needed with traveling less miles
Thank you for your honesty. We have full-timed for over six years and we average much less on our expenses than you do, but everyone has to choose priorities for themselves. I get very frustrated with the rvers who do budget videos that looked great until you notice there's no maintenance, medical insurance, lots of things that are very individual but have to be paid. I do think that if people still in sticks & bricks house sit down and made an honest accounting of what they spend every month including entertainment and unexpected maintenance expenses they might be very surprised by that total. I know we were! You have to take into account not paying a house note or house insurance, property taxes, and you may have some type of vehicle note. Just need to be honest with yourself and then you can be prepared.
New subscriber! My husband and live in an RV park. We’re both still working so we’re stationary. Our rig is a sweet old girl! 1999 28ft. Fleetwood Bounder. Sold our 2700 sqft house in 2021 and figuring out what we wanna be when we grow up! Lol (we’re in our early sixties, btw) I already LOVE your attitude and perspective! Keep on, kids! ❤
EVERYONE'S EXPENSES ARE DIFFERENT, WHEN ALL YOUR VEHICLES, RV, ETC. ARE PAID OFF. MY EXPENSES COME UP TO, ABOUT 1400.00 PER MONTH, AND THAT INCLUDES EVERYTHING. TIRES, BATTERIES, AND OTHER INCIDENTALS ARE A ONE TIME EXPENSE, AND IF YOU ARE NOT DRIVING ALOT OF MILES PER YEAR, THESE USUALLY LAST FOR A COUPLE OF YEARS. MOST PEOPLE PAY OVER 1400.00 PER MONTH FOR RENT ALONE. ALL SITUATIONS ARE DIFFERENT, AND YOU CAN'T RELY ON ONE INDIVIDUAL'S BUDGET (SORRY FOR THE CAPITALS, BUT I HAD WRITTEN MOST OF IT, THE CAPITALS WERE ON, AND I DIDN'T WANT TO HAVE TO REWRITE IT).
Thanks for sharing the breakdown on RV living costs. Very informative and helpful. It would certainly explain why so many RV'ers end up in homeless encampments. They grossly underestimate how much money they'll need to do it and run out of funds.
Hey kiddos. Just subscribed. Loving the videos. Thks for being informative. I'm fixing to hit the road too.....alone, at 66 n worried/scary to think about issues happening when it's just me. Traveled for 8 years in an RV for work and I MISS IT (& the money) but the now EX hated it (mommas boy). YOU ONLY LIVE ONCE!!!
Great video! It's a nice guideline to follow about what's all included in monthly expenses. Everyone is going to have more or less expenses depending on their personal situation and finances.
My wife and I plan on starting the RV life soon and have discussed the "budget". We have a plan on "moving" once a month or maybe every 2-3 weeks, to keep the miles, gas, and camp cost down. Not only that but we have called HelloFresh, a dinner delivery plan , and found that they can deliver meals to our locations as we "move around". We currently spend about $100 a week or so to get 5 dinners. We want to have the RV paid for and have little left to pay for the "truck" to minimize the cost of that. Maintenance, Insurance and healthcare are parts of that budget. Thanks for the honest and detailed cost of Rving. Enjoy the journey.
Honestly, I have found that I really like staying 2 - 3, weeks in a location. It lets you explore and enjoy it more! Thanks so much for watching and I hope that your transition into RV life goes well!
Can't wait to do the same and figure we can narrow it down even further to save and have extra in the long run as well. We love this info as it's all life changing and life saving. No payments are a plus here for sure and hello fresh may just be an option now WOW RIGHT that's so good to know and we have stockpile n storage for the extras as planned but as we move around we will see how that part works. We are so close but have more to plan to make the jump. Can't wait to join the movement 🙌❤️🌟 Lord knows the needs and will makes ways of providing as needed along the way so AMEN to that and God bless to ALL who travel with the same Faith that moves not just mountains but also fuels drives and moves rvs and trailers for all to see the lies we've bought into can also be traded in for truth and luxury and that truths actually cheaper when your buying into your own dreams and reality 🙌❤️ you become your landlord now OWNER you own your own destiny and can add to your own dreams. Yes Lord yes Lord yes Lord Yes
Oh wow very informative! I didn't think it would cost that much to live in an RV. I assumed it would be somewhat cheaper. Eventually your truck will be paid off, but I am glad you included that because that would be anyones new experience! This was very helpful, thanks for doing this!
This is completely off topic but I heard you say your truck is a 2020. That means you have a CP4 fuel pump. These are notorious for blowing up, I know first hand, and the repair is really expensive. You need to run a diesel additive in every tank of fuel. I use Hotshot's Secret, Everyday diesel treatment. One ounce per tank. I buy the largest size they sell and it works out to under $1/tank.
Tip for California: Highway 395 is an amazing highway to see California from, gets you to redwoods, deserts, lakes, hot springs, and most importantly a DECENT amount of BLM camping spots. I live in California, and have done zero dollars on camping doing roadtrips up and down this state. Alabama Hills has some of my favorite camping. Not only was it free, be we ended up shockingly close to some amazing rock formations in the area that we had already been planning to stop and see.
We found that our first year we traveled way too fast so have slowed it way down. Makes a huge difference if you plant it for a while and scope it out from a central location. What a difference in spending it made for us.
Definitely! I think frequency of travel is one of the biggest factors when it comes to fluid expenses. Doesn’t change our fixed bills really but we definitely see changes in our fluid spending when we travel slower versus faster.
Your numbers seem “right on” with my estimations. And I appreciate your keeping in mind the tithes line item. So, what’s interesting is that the RV full time budget is roughly the same as sticks and bricks living. But while you are purchasing your RV and living in sticks and bricks, your income needs are actually higher. Big sigh! Saw a sign once in a store… “We didn’t realize we were making memories… we just thought we were having fun!” So true. Love you and your channel.
Thanks so much! Yeah we are probably just under what we were spending in our house, except with ever changing views, so it seems worth it 😄 thank you for watching!
Thank you for this video. Me and my family have decided to sell our house and get an RV so this is going to help me budget all that. When we buy the RV we are going to be starting our channel to document the journey. I am so what ready to start it.
Already was loving your video and when you said you tithed instant subscribe ✨ we’re from the UK moving to Canada (my husbands canadian) and we will be RVing for the first year before we settle x
And you’re doing a really good job. Our costs double yours and all RV’s have problems…no matter what you buy. Your spirits should stay high and you seem to be enjoying…keep it up. Wonderful memories you will cherish into the years👍
So many wonderful memories! And for sure, any house that you hurdle down the road at 55mph is bound to have some problems... but it's all a part of the grand adventure!
I wouldn’t let it totally deter you! Obviously you wouldn’t be able to live the exact same type and lifestyle of nomad life as us on half the budget, but you could spend significantly less by living a different kind of nomadic lifestyle than we do. For example, a smaller rig with a more affordable truck, traveling slower to spend less on fuel, eating out less. It sounds like you probably already spend less than we do in categories like food, insurance, cell phones, etc, so you could keep a similar budget there.
Thanks for the info. This definetley opens up eyes for everyone. I full time by myself and have a strict $300.00 a week budget for food, fuel, and laundry. I do have all my expenses in a note on my phone to keep me on track. I travel to a certain location and sit for a while. For example, I stayed in Yuma at the Imperial Dam LTVA for months. The LTVAs cost $180.00 for seven months. Enjoy the RV life. 🥸
Fairly recent subscriber...watched some of your newest because we're thinking about a Brinkley but then started at the beginning of your journey and watching in order lol Thank you SO MUCH for the in depth breakdown! Some things were higher than I thought but if you consider the cost of a house payment and all that goes into home ownership etc... probably isn't much different. Thanks again! Will be re-watching with my hubby! PS Love your aussie and BC! We raised and showed Aussies for 15 years and I've had aussies since I was 12...I'm now 54 and have 1 aussie and 1 mini aussie.
WOW! Did not expect it to be so much. I thought you would save money by living in an rv. I wonder if U traveled by car and spent every night in a hotel and ate out for a year what the difference in cost would be? Thanks for the info and U can't put a price on the memories U R making!
Great video. Your breakdown of costs is really helpful. What type of work are you both doing that allows you work remotely and make what seems a healthy income? Not asking specific companies or anything, just in general. Also appreciate you mentioning giving as an important aspect of budgeting. A couple suggestions: Put your social media links in the description. Had to go searching to find it. Also you might share how you do regular fellowship on the road or church or community. I'm subscribed!
Thank you so much! I’m a Marketing Director for a health tech company. We budget based on my income, as Craig sold his business before we hit the road…but he did work the Sugar Beet Harvest last year which gave us a nice little extra chunk of cash for some of those big one time purchases And thank you!! I definitely should have added my Instagram link 😅 (failing my fellow marketing professionals over here 😆)
This video is the example of a small minority of boondocking and rv/van lifers. Needing over 60k annually take home is crazy. Anyone can do it easily making 25k or less take home and most likely have a solid new rig, I’m not talking a beat up old van or truck. I personally think 5th wheel and full 1 ton truck is crazy overkill and takes away from the free of stuff lifestyle. While I think a van is awesome and a ext promaster is the best option I would say a class C RV is the perfect middle ground for most people when it comes to comfort, fuel costs, flexibility and parking.
Is the 25k per person, or should it be enough for the both of us? Also, what about health insurance? Would you be using any kind of government assistance? I also believe a 5th wheel with a 1 ton truck would easily take you more places than a class c rv. I think the only way you could live in an rv off of 25k is if you are using government assistance and not traveling, which is not the reason we chose to rv.
WTF??? Well, I guess that ends my research on RV living... A regular person could not afford that. I thought about it mainly just living my city. Even then, it's too much. Nice thorough breakdown.
Oh ya... When most people think about this van life. They think it's going to be cheap. ❌WRONG❌, it can be more expensive than living in an apartment. Think about that before you make that move.
Maybe part-time rving and having a inexpensive home in a central location would be most cost effective. My mortgage, gas, electric and water bills are around 1000 a month. 3 bed 2 bath ranch.
We wanted to travel full time, but you could definitely travel and spend less. Part time is one method, or like some of the things I mentioned in the video, you can do are: travel less to save on fuel, have a cheaper truck, or eat out less (we just enjoy eating out sometimes). For us, this is a little less expensive than when we were living in the house we owned.
Wow. Nice job on expenses. I to bought a 2020 hd truck. 750 payment. We paid cash for the camper. We're not full time yet. Couple more years. We did setup ourselves to be much less in expenses when we do. Initial cost was more. We have 6 properties in 5 states readily available. We also have friends in 2 other northern states that would love for us to stay a while free of charge. Of course food and necessary expenses will never go away. But fuel costs and other expenses will be less. We bought a camper and ive been hardening it over the last couple years so hopefully it will last at least 10 years. Added larger tanks. 1650 watts of solar. 3600ah of batteries. Charging from multiple soarces including my truck. Even upgraded from 30lb lp to 40lb lp bottles. We're planning on everything being paid for when we hit the road. Since my wife will technically still being working for a few more years remotely it will just add to the ability of living the dream. It's surprising to some people but my wife and I have been planning for 10 years or more now. Thanks for shedding some light on real costs of full time rving.
You guys are getting so prepared! That's going to be an awesome setup and plan for when you hit the road full time. Having properties in various states is something we've talked about for the future too, especially since we're learning which states we really like to be in as we travel around!
What type of camp chair were you sitting in? That thing looked and sounded amazing ! I have a hard time finding a great camp chair I want to actually sit in for a while. Great info !!!
Thanks so much for sharing this info. Definitely higher than I thought it would be but you had some things included I hadn't thought of. Hows is Starlink working out for you all.
thank you for watching! Starlink has been working out great! Especially since we've gotten back out west where there aren't trees. Trees definitely cause interruptions, but even back east when we had a clear view of the sky, we got good speeds (we have residential + portability)
We dont live full time but we do travel about 10-12k miles with our fifth wheel each year. Including my mortgage, truck, RV, and my wife's vehicle payments our monthly is $5800. almost $1600 of that is RV and vehicle payments. We are a family of 5 so I figured us having a mortgage plus 10k miles and about 80 days of RV stays (east coast so no real boondocking) I figured we are doing well. If we could move out west, the housing would go up but the recreation costs would go down. I really appreciate seeing what others spend and how they are living! we are currently quarter timers but hope to change to half timers soon :D
I love seeing other budgets too! It’s always so interesting to see how a lifestyle “adds up” so to speak. It’s amazing how much there is to do out West. We’ve really fallen in love with it!
Overall that’s over $70,000 a year. So I would say that is a LOT! Which means you have to either have a very, very good paying job working remotely or have a extremely good passive income stream! If you wanted to put away any savings and have some breathing room you would have to make 80k a year after taxes. I would say that sounds like a lot!
Yes, definitely important to have savings and be putting away for retirement too! I think one of the biggest ways to reduce costs associated with RV life is to travel a lot less than we did last year and/or have a much cheaper vehicle (though trucks that can tow a rig our size are never too cheap). But, a smaller rig or more fuel efficient vehicle could make a big difference. Traveling less would also have likely resulted in less maintenance being needed…which fuel,truck payment and maintenance were the biggest costs.
not always! and there are people who spend more than us :) But, also people who spend a lot less. The biggest contributor to how we could have reduced costs is by traveling a lot less miles. So, if you plan to travel a lot slower than we did last year, you'd get some instant savings there. However, for us to be able to travel all over the country for the same or a little less than we were spending to live in one spot...it's 100% worth it to us!
I was really surprised by this. It's much more than we spend day to day at home (suburb of major east coast city) let alone what we hope to if we full time. I hope we will keep costs much lower than this otherwise it will not be sustainable at all. We have a much smaller camper and good gas mileage with it so should be ok.
If it’s much more than you spend right now day to day, then you’ll likely find that your RV life budget will come in less as well. From talking to people, I do find that there is usually some correlation to their pre-RV life budgets. For us, this is a little cheaper than when we lived in a sticks and bricks, but it all depends on where you’re coming from and where you plan to park your RV. And for sure, having a smaller camper, which should mean a less expensive truck/tow vehicle and less money spent on fuel, should definitely help decrease costs!
People think it's cheap to live in an RV but it's not. The maintenance is huge finding free camp ground weighs on your RV because you haven to use the battery and electric water heater which goes bad very easily.
The more you move no matter what you are driving and or towing really changes a persons monthly expense. Also based on your report stay out of California you would also save a good bit. LOL New subscriber and enjoying the videos. Enjoy the road and smooth travels.
Yes!! The moving around so much definitely increases things just across the board it seems. We plan to (eventually) slow down a bit, but have some bucket list type trips we want to do first…because you never know what tomorrow holds!
Wow, you are really on top of spending and tracking it. I can relate, I do the same. I’m not a full time RVer but I am retired and travel throughout the summer up here in Northern Alberta Canada. My RV, and don’t laugh, is a Geo Pro 12SRK. The name means: 12 ft long, S is Sofa bed and the RK is Rear Kitchen outside. I bought this new in 2019 and don’t regret is at all. I pull it with a 2019 Jeep Cherokee Trailhawk. I have a pretty in-depth budget as well and I must say it keeps me on track and some months I’m under budget and some over. I wish more people would track their income/cost as you do. I see some of your large cost are one time costs, hopefully. I was wondering about your budget. We’re you over or on track and if not what are you planning for this years budget? Budgets are good if you following them and that can sometimes be a challenge. Sorry for the long comment. Love your channel, I subscribed just the other day. 😀
That sounds like a super fun setup! You’ll definitely fit a lot more places with yours than we do with this thing 😅 we do hope to have less one time expenses this year, I’m sure we will have some, but shouldn’t have anything like our $7K worth of solar setup lol. This was our first entire year of full timing so we weren’t sure exactly what to budget but had some specific savings/retirement funding goals that we were able to still make. However, this year, I’d like for our monthly average to be under $4,500 and then maybe only a $2-$3k of one time big expenses (we already know we’re going to have to buy a new computer this year and will need a pretty good one 😅)
I (Victoria) am the marketing director for a fully remote health tech company. For internet, you can get data plans with basically any cell phone provider and we have a modem/router that you can put the data SIM cards in. rvmobileinternet.com has a lot of good info on the different options! Our campground average was $352/month because we also boondock (free camping with no hookups) but if you’re staying exclusively in campgrounds it all depends on where you stay and how long. You can get monthly rates for as low as $300-$400…but nightly rates can range anywhere from about $30-$60 (or more for places like the beach, etc)
I am speechless, but not surprised. I am sure most upper crust that could afford a huge truck and long long RV that get 5 MPG spent much more, for a super expensive hobby, compared to those who couldn't afford to pay rent.
Yeah, the average American household spends about $5,111 per month. So, we are spending on average about what the average household spends, except just not in a house and with ever changing backyard views. So, we see it more as our lifestyle and less as a hobby. But like all lifestyles, there are people who spend well below average and well above the average for sure
Whoever wants to live with the same luxury as living at home, the budget difference will not be large. The idea of RV life is to dispense with what is not necessary.
Very well explained ! But you discouraged me to go full time rv living. Damn thats alot of $$$. Im thinking selling my duplex and go full time rv but living single , i don't think i would be able to afford all these expenses. On top of it , i was planning to travel 6 months in the south ( ex Florida ) and go back to Montreal , Canada during the warm weather. I will have to rethink about all this keeping in mind the cost of the money exchange 🤔I subscribe btw !
Do keep in mind that these are expenses for two people, so a lot of things are double because of that (food, cell phone bill, health insurance, etc). There are also a lot of people who have budgets that look very different, so don’t let it discourage you! The most important thing is estimating accurately ahead of time. I’m actually working on some tools to help people do that more easily, so stay tuned! (And the best way to keep costs lower is by going slower)
I've seen a bunch of these types of videos. It all depends on how you live your life style. You spend more than double of many others I've seen. Plus the very high gas prices don't help with those numbers. I'd say at Trumps gas prices you'd still be well over $3,000 a month. I have been playing around with my monthly expenses and I figure I could do this same for under $2,000 a month, granted I wouldn't be going out, making last minute big purchases unless I absolutely had to. Plus I found a way to save on camp site fees.
Yeah honestly campsite fees are one of our lower costs since we boondock, and you can definitely spend less. Particularly if you don’t drive as much as us, or have a van instead of a big truck. Sitting in one spot for a little while (or traveling shorter distances) makes a big difference in a full timers budget it seems
Thank you for being so candid and transparent. I think most of us thinking about this lifestyle simply don’t appreciate the real costs involved.
Thanks for sharing an honest budget. But OMG I wasn’t expecting it to be that much. If that’s per month y’all both must have GOOD jobs!
This is the most thorough and honest cost of living video that I've seen, thanks for putting it ALL out there! Doesn't seem too bad to me, but also I know that when my husband and I eventually go full time our first few years expenses will be high as well because we will be wanting to travel and see a lot. We also are from a high COL area so I guess the sticker shock isn't so bad??
Thank you so much for your comment! With some the responses I get when sharing our costs, it can make me not want to share sometimes 😅 but, I do think it’s important that people see what our specific type of RV lifestyle costs (traveling to A LOT of places, having a newer truck, still having health insurance and regular bills, etc). So, thank you for appreciating it! ❤️
i've been all over youtube looking for RV living information and this by far is the most useful video I've found. thank you for posting this, it absolutely helped me prep for RV living myself.
Wow! This was really helpful. We're considering going full time RV in our retirement. I don't think we'll spend as much as you do. For example, we've eaten out until we're blue in the face and don't really need or want to do that anymore. You provided insights as to how to reduce costs, not just in your summary, but just inspired from how you do spend money. So thank you! You're providing a wealth of knowledge.
$5,044 a month plus...wow better to buy a home that increases in equity and have a camper for weekends and vacation...Plus its easy to work from a home. However I know many of the youtube rv's can make a lot of money...Thank you for being so honest
This is the best breakdown of any Full-time RVers budget! And I just made a copy of your spreadsheet. It's next level amazing! You did a great job on the budget and the spreadsheet. Also, I've written down and watched many many RVers budgets and yours is way more spot on and believable than most.
Thank you so much! This is the best compliment!! We really tried to be as informative and transparent as possible. (Without being toooo boring 😆) so glad you like the spreadsheet! I’ve been using it myself this year of course and really like how it’s going
Great video and breakdown of costs. We are soooo close to pulling the trigger for full time. Cindy retired a month ago...we have the 5th wheel, the Ram 3500 Dually and as soon as we sell the house in April-May this year....we will be on the road full time. Enjoy your videos, comments and rving suggestions. Thanks for everything!!!!
I wouldn’t sell your house. If I was you, I’ve seen too many people do this and down the road they’ve regretted it is when their life changing events happened they have nowhere to go.
Some full timers keep their house and rent it out. After a year and you still love and can do full time then you can sell your house.. Maybe you have some adult children that can store that heirloom for you or you can get a small storage shed. My sister has a large house and large lot and she would have no problem letting me pour a slab for our RV and install a 30-50amp outlet for us to stay next to her house occasional when we are in the area. This would be a money saver instead of RV Park cost.
I appreciate your time and sharing your guy's adventures with all of us
Thank you! 😄
Great video. Wasn't expecting how much it cost. I was thinking a couple of thousand less each month. Thanks for making the spreadsheet available to all your viewers, that's extremely generous of you. My wife and I will put it to good use. Be safe and keep those videos coming.
Thank you so much! As the years go on, we plan to slow our travels some and I’ll be interested to see how that affects our costs. I think it could drop it by at least $1000, because of fuel saving and less maintenance being needed with traveling less miles
Thank you for your honesty. We have full-timed for over six years and we average much less on our expenses than you do, but everyone has to choose priorities for themselves. I get very frustrated with the rvers who do budget videos that looked great until you notice there's no maintenance, medical insurance, lots of things that are very individual but have to be paid. I do think that if people still in sticks & bricks house sit down and made an honest accounting of what they spend every month including entertainment and unexpected maintenance expenses they might be very surprised by that total. I know we were! You have to take into account not paying a house note or house insurance, property taxes, and you may have some type of vehicle note. Just need to be honest with yourself and then you can be prepared.
New subscriber! My husband and live in an RV park. We’re both still working so we’re stationary. Our rig is a sweet old girl! 1999 28ft. Fleetwood Bounder. Sold our 2700 sqft house in 2021 and figuring out what we wanna be when we grow up! Lol (we’re in our early sixties, btw)
I already LOVE your attitude and perspective! Keep on, kids! ❤
haha I love it! I'm pretty sure I'll be figuring out what I want to be when i grow up for the rest of my life! 😆
EVERYONE'S EXPENSES ARE DIFFERENT, WHEN ALL YOUR VEHICLES, RV, ETC. ARE PAID OFF. MY EXPENSES COME UP TO, ABOUT 1400.00 PER MONTH, AND THAT INCLUDES EVERYTHING. TIRES, BATTERIES, AND OTHER INCIDENTALS ARE A ONE TIME EXPENSE, AND IF YOU ARE NOT DRIVING ALOT OF MILES PER YEAR, THESE USUALLY LAST FOR A COUPLE OF YEARS. MOST PEOPLE PAY OVER 1400.00 PER MONTH FOR RENT ALONE. ALL SITUATIONS ARE DIFFERENT, AND YOU CAN'T RELY ON ONE INDIVIDUAL'S BUDGET (SORRY FOR THE CAPITALS, BUT I HAD WRITTEN MOST OF IT, THE CAPITALS WERE ON, AND I DIDN'T WANT TO HAVE TO REWRITE IT).
Thanks for the honest price breakdown its good to see people being real with rv life
Thank you!
Thank you for doing this!!! Wish more full time rv families did this. That way it won’t make this living experience cheap.
Thanks for sharing the breakdown on RV living costs. Very informative and helpful. It would certainly explain why so many RV'ers end up in homeless encampments. They grossly underestimate how much money they'll need to do it and run out of funds.
Granted, there are definitely people who have budgets lower than ours, but it definitely isn't free!
This is for one person income.
Sounded like a lot! But you are right, it depends on how you are wanting to live, too, and choices.
Hey kiddos. Just subscribed. Loving the videos. Thks for being informative. I'm fixing to hit the road too.....alone, at 66 n worried/scary to think about issues happening when it's just me. Traveled for 8 years in an RV for work and I MISS IT (& the money) but the now EX hated it (mommas boy).
YOU ONLY LIVE ONCE!!!
Thank you. I'm glad you liked the video!!
Love the reminders as to why I fled Los Angeles with my family in Feb of 2021
Great video! It's a nice guideline to follow about what's all included in monthly expenses. Everyone is going to have more or less expenses depending on their personal situation and finances.
for sure! thank you for watching!
Fascinating, thank you. Totals don't sound either a little or a lot -- just too much IMO.
My wife and I plan on starting the RV life soon and have discussed the "budget". We have a plan on "moving" once a month or maybe every 2-3 weeks, to keep the miles, gas, and camp cost down. Not only that but we have called HelloFresh, a dinner delivery plan , and found that they can deliver meals to our locations as we "move around". We currently spend about $100 a week or so to get 5 dinners. We want to have the RV paid for and have little left to pay for the "truck" to minimize the cost of that. Maintenance, Insurance and healthcare are parts of that budget.
Thanks for the honest and detailed cost of Rving. Enjoy the journey.
Honestly, I have found that I really like staying 2 - 3, weeks in a location. It lets you explore and enjoy it more! Thanks so much for watching and I hope that your transition into RV life goes well!
Thank you for that tip on Hello Fresh
Can't wait to do the same and figure we can narrow it down even further to save and have extra in the long run as well. We love this info as it's all life changing and life saving. No payments are a plus here for sure and hello fresh may just be an option now WOW RIGHT that's so good to know and we have stockpile n storage for the extras as planned but as we move around we will see how that part works. We are so close but have more to plan to make the jump. Can't wait to join the movement 🙌❤️🌟 Lord knows the needs and will makes ways of providing as needed along the way so AMEN to that and God bless to ALL who travel with the same Faith that moves not just mountains but also fuels drives and moves rvs and trailers for all to see the lies we've bought into can also be traded in for truth and luxury and that truths actually cheaper when your buying into your own dreams and reality 🙌❤️ you become your landlord now OWNER you own your own destiny and can add to your own dreams. Yes Lord yes Lord yes Lord Yes
Oh wow very informative! I didn't think it would cost that much to live in an RV. I assumed it would be somewhat cheaper. Eventually your truck will be paid off, but I am glad you included that because that would be anyones new experience! This was very helpful, thanks for doing this!
Great information, my girl and I "were" thinking about full time rv life. We're better off in our 2 bdrm apartment in San Diego
Always interesting to see someone else’s honest budget. Safe travels.
Thank you!
This is why I bought a house, I couldn't afford to be homeless - too expensive
This is completely off topic but I heard you say your truck is a 2020. That means you have a CP4 fuel pump. These are notorious for blowing up, I know first hand, and the repair is really expensive. You need to run a diesel additive in every tank of fuel. I use Hotshot's Secret, Everyday diesel treatment. One ounce per tank. I buy the largest size they sell and it works out to under $1/tank.
Tip for California: Highway 395 is an amazing highway to see California from, gets you to redwoods, deserts, lakes, hot springs, and most importantly a DECENT amount of BLM camping spots. I live in California, and have done zero dollars on camping doing roadtrips up and down this state. Alabama Hills has some of my favorite camping. Not only was it free, be we ended up shockingly close to some amazing rock formations in the area that we had already been planning to stop and see.
Thank you for the tip! California has some of the best landscapes.
We found that our first year we traveled way too fast so have slowed it way down. Makes a huge difference if you plant it for a while and scope it out from a central location. What a difference in spending it made for us.
Definitely! I think frequency of travel is one of the biggest factors when it comes to fluid expenses. Doesn’t change our fixed bills really but we definitely see changes in our fluid spending when we travel slower versus faster.
Your numbers seem “right on” with my estimations. And I appreciate your keeping in mind the tithes line item. So, what’s interesting is that the RV full time budget is roughly the same as sticks and bricks living. But while you are purchasing your RV and living in sticks and bricks, your income needs are actually higher. Big sigh! Saw a sign once in a store… “We didn’t realize we were making memories… we just thought we were having fun!” So true. Love you and your channel.
Thanks so much! Yeah we are probably just under what we were spending in our house, except with ever changing views, so it seems worth it 😄 thank you for watching!
Thank you for this video. Me and my family have decided to sell our house and get an RV so this is going to help me budget all that. When we buy the RV we are going to be starting our channel to document the journey. I am so what ready to start it.
Already was loving your video and when you said you tithed instant subscribe ✨ we’re from the UK moving to Canada (my husbands canadian) and we will be RVing for the first year before we settle x
What do yall do for work??
THANK YOU! My partner and I are potentially looking to transition to the RV life and that template will help us a bunch I'm sure!
And you’re doing a really good job. Our costs double yours and all RV’s have problems…no matter what you buy. Your spirits should stay high and you seem to be enjoying…keep it up. Wonderful memories you will cherish into the years👍
So many wonderful memories! And for sure, any house that you hurdle down the road at 55mph is bound to have some problems... but it's all a part of the grand adventure!
One of the best videos out there, well done on the expenses, I feel ya always something happening on the road, a new friend
thank you so much!!
Sounds like it should be. Good work.
I spend almost half of what you spend with full mortgage and all. My dream of nomadic live vaporized after watching this.
I wouldn’t let it totally deter you! Obviously you wouldn’t be able to live the exact same type and lifestyle of nomad life as us on half the budget, but you could spend significantly less by living a different kind of nomadic lifestyle than we do. For example, a smaller rig with a more affordable truck, traveling slower to spend less on fuel, eating out less. It sounds like you probably already spend less than we do in categories like food, insurance, cell phones, etc, so you could keep a similar budget there.
Thanks for the info. This definetley opens up eyes for everyone. I full time by myself and have a strict $300.00 a week budget for food, fuel, and laundry. I do have all my expenses in a note on my phone to keep me on track. I travel to a certain location and sit for a while. For example, I stayed in Yuma at the Imperial Dam LTVA for months. The LTVAs cost $180.00 for seven months. Enjoy the RV life. 🥸
I don’t know if I can afford it but it sounds like so much fun. I got another trade because I want my RV.
Fairly recent subscriber...watched some of your newest because we're thinking about a Brinkley but then started at the beginning of your journey and watching in order lol Thank you SO MUCH for the in depth breakdown! Some things were higher than I thought but if you consider the cost of a house payment and all that goes into home ownership etc... probably isn't much different. Thanks again! Will be re-watching with my hubby! PS Love your aussie and BC! We raised and showed Aussies for 15 years and I've had aussies since I was 12...I'm now 54 and have 1 aussie and 1 mini aussie.
WOW! Did not expect it to be so much. I thought you would save money by living in an rv. I wonder if U traveled by car and spent every night in a hotel and ate out for a year what the difference in cost would be? Thanks for the info and U can't put a price on the memories U R making!
Sounds pretty reasonable. Not bad at all . I hope we can do as well as you guys.
Thank you! It’s definitely easy for spending to get away from you when you’re on the road. We’ll see how we do this year! 😅
Well done! Good job of categorizing and grouping expenses.
Great video. Your breakdown of costs is really helpful. What type of work are you both doing that allows you work remotely and make what seems a healthy income? Not asking specific companies or anything, just in general. Also appreciate you mentioning giving as an important aspect of budgeting. A couple suggestions: Put your social media links in the description. Had to go searching to find it. Also you might share how you do regular fellowship on the road or church or community. I'm subscribed!
Thank you so much! I’m a Marketing Director for a health tech company. We budget based on my income, as Craig sold his business before we hit the road…but he did work the Sugar Beet Harvest last year which gave us a nice little extra chunk of cash for some of those big one time purchases
And thank you!! I definitely should have added my Instagram link 😅 (failing my fellow marketing professionals over here 😆)
This video is the example of a small minority of boondocking and rv/van lifers. Needing over 60k annually take home is crazy. Anyone can do it easily making 25k or less take home and most likely have a solid new rig, I’m not talking a beat up old van or truck. I personally think 5th wheel and full 1 ton truck is crazy overkill and takes away from the free of stuff lifestyle. While I think a van is awesome and a ext promaster is the best option I would say a class C RV is the perfect middle ground for most people when it comes to comfort, fuel costs, flexibility and parking.
Is the 25k per person, or should it be enough for the both of us? Also, what about health insurance? Would you be using any kind of government assistance? I also believe a 5th wheel with a 1 ton truck would easily take you more places than a class c rv. I think the only way you could live in an rv off of 25k is if you are using government assistance and not traveling, which is not the reason we chose to rv.
WTF??? Well, I guess that ends my research on RV living... A regular person could not afford that. I thought about it mainly just living my city. Even then, it's too much. Nice thorough breakdown.
This was excellent! Good info and I really like your presentation style/personality on all your videos!
Thank you so much! That’s a great compliment ❤️
WOW! That is very high in my opinion. Thank you for sharing this
For sure! Thanks for watching!
Great breakdown on the costs. Could I ask where are you staying during this video?
@5:44 I love the dog's reaction to the word "food"
he was so funny! just sat straight up lol
Thanks for mentioning tithing. 🙏🙇
Absolutely!
Holy smokes. Planning to go full time fifth wheel boondocking next year to avoid paying rent.
Great info. Thank you for sharing.
Of course! Thanks for watching!
Those numbers sound similar to ours. You are correct that one needs a capital fund for those large, unplanned expenses for things that break. Nice job
Thank you!
My rent alone is 65% of your total average spending. Going to RV life at the end of this year.
Wow! I’m really surprised! I was thinking of selling everything to fulltime rv but doesn’t look like it would benefit us ;(
guess i wont be going to cali anytime soon. we pay the about 7$/gallon in Canada (after converting litres to gallon).
Great video. Can’t wait to start using the spreadsheet.
Hope you enjoy it!
I love it that you guys tithe that touched my heart
Oh ya... When most people think about this van life. They think it's going to be cheap. ❌WRONG❌, it can be more expensive than living in an apartment. Think about that before you make that move.
WOW! GREAT information! Thank you so much for sharing!
You're welcome! Thank you for watching!
Congratulations on having a great income. I would be in trouble
Maybe part-time rving and having a inexpensive home in a central location would be most cost effective.
My mortgage, gas, electric and water bills are around 1000 a month. 3 bed 2 bath ranch.
Part-timing is the way to go.
We wanted to travel full time, but you could definitely travel and spend less. Part time is one method, or like some of the things I mentioned in the video, you can do are: travel less to save on fuel, have a cheaper truck, or eat out less (we just enjoy eating out sometimes). For us, this is a little less expensive than when we were living in the house we owned.
Same my vehicles are paid off..home almost paid off ..but they're young..I'm older and made things work with much sacrifice. Almost done!
Wow. Nice job on expenses. I to bought a 2020 hd truck. 750 payment. We paid cash for the camper. We're not full time yet. Couple more years. We did setup ourselves to be much less in expenses when we do. Initial cost was more. We have 6 properties in 5 states readily available. We also have friends in 2 other northern states that would love for us to stay a while free of charge. Of course food and necessary expenses will never go away. But fuel costs and other expenses will be less. We bought a camper and ive been hardening it over the last couple years so hopefully it will last at least 10 years. Added larger tanks. 1650 watts of solar. 3600ah of batteries. Charging from multiple soarces including my truck. Even upgraded from 30lb lp to 40lb lp bottles. We're planning on everything being paid for when we hit the road. Since my wife will technically still being working for a few more years remotely it will just add to the ability of living the dream. It's surprising to some people but my wife and I have been planning for 10 years or more now. Thanks for shedding some light on real costs of full time rving.
You guys are getting so prepared! That's going to be an awesome setup and plan for when you hit the road full time. Having properties in various states is something we've talked about for the future too, especially since we're learning which states we really like to be in as we travel around!
We make it on a 1.000 a month 36 foot 5th wheel a truck and too cats but we are in 1000 trails
That’s awesome! TT is definitely a great way to save while doing RV life!
What type of camp chair were you sitting in? That thing looked and sounded amazing ! I have a hard time finding a great camp chair I want to actually sit in for a while. Great info !!!
I LOVE this chair! I got it from camping world and it’s called the “padded club chair”
Awesome video! Just Subscribed!
Thank you so much!
Thanks for sharing!! Great job!! We subscribed ❤Linda & Zack
Thanks so much for sharing this info. Definitely higher than I thought it would be but you had some things included I hadn't thought of. Hows is Starlink working out for you all.
thank you for watching! Starlink has been working out great! Especially since we've gotten back out west where there aren't trees. Trees definitely cause interruptions, but even back east when we had a clear view of the sky, we got good speeds (we have residential + portability)
We dont live full time but we do travel about 10-12k miles with our fifth wheel each year. Including my mortgage, truck, RV, and my wife's vehicle payments our monthly is $5800. almost $1600 of that is RV and vehicle payments. We are a family of 5 so I figured us having a mortgage plus 10k miles and about 80 days of RV stays (east coast so no real boondocking) I figured we are doing well. If we could move out west, the housing would go up but the recreation costs would go down. I really appreciate seeing what others spend and how they are living! we are currently quarter timers but hope to change to half timers soon :D
I love seeing other budgets too! It’s always so interesting to see how a lifestyle “adds up” so to speak. It’s amazing how much there is to do out West. We’ve really fallen in love with it!
Overall that’s over $70,000 a year. So I would say that is a LOT! Which means you have to either have a very, very good paying job working remotely or have a extremely good passive income stream! If you wanted to put away any savings and have some breathing room you would have to make 80k a year after taxes. I would say that sounds like a lot!
Yes, definitely important to have savings and be putting away for retirement too! I think one of the biggest ways to reduce costs associated with RV life is to travel a lot less than we did last year and/or have a much cheaper vehicle (though trucks that can tow a rig our size are never too cheap). But, a smaller rig or more fuel efficient vehicle could make a big difference. Traveling less would also have likely resulted in less maintenance being needed…which fuel,truck payment and maintenance were the biggest costs.
2 incomes 80 k is not that much really.
I just saw on another site you stay longer in cheaper places.
Ii think i would have considered a class c motorhome instead of the pickup and camper thing
Wow! Freedom really isn't free. What an eye opener when you tally everything up. 🤔
It definitely all adds up! 😅
Finally someone with a full detail HONEST RV budget. Thank you !
I’m getting sticker shock, I thought rving was supposed to be budget friendly or at least less than renting or buying a home.
not always! and there are people who spend more than us :) But, also people who spend a lot less. The biggest contributor to how we could have reduced costs is by traveling a lot less miles. So, if you plan to travel a lot slower than we did last year, you'd get some instant savings there. However, for us to be able to travel all over the country for the same or a little less than we were spending to live in one spot...it's 100% worth it to us!
Either making big bank or in credit credit debt..
What do you do for work? While you are full timing!
I was really surprised by this. It's much more than we spend day to day at home (suburb of major east coast city) let alone what we hope to if we full time. I hope we will keep costs much lower than this otherwise it will not be sustainable at all. We have a much smaller camper and good gas mileage with it so should be ok.
If it’s much more than you spend right now day to day, then you’ll likely find that your RV life budget will come in less as well. From talking to people, I do find that there is usually some correlation to their pre-RV life budgets. For us, this is a little cheaper than when we lived in a sticks and bricks, but it all depends on where you’re coming from and where you plan to park your RV. And for sure, having a smaller camper, which should mean a less expensive truck/tow vehicle and less money spent on fuel, should definitely help decrease costs!
Nice vid , nice pups 👍
People think it's cheap to live in an RV but it's not. The maintenance is huge finding free camp ground weighs on your RV because you haven to use the battery and electric water heater which goes bad very easily.
Yes, and a lot of wear and tear on your suspension and everything else going down those bumpy boondocking roads! 😅
I think you’re adding to much that it doesn’t count as a monthly spends
I spend about $2100 even with food for the whole month
The more you move no matter what you are driving and or towing really changes a persons monthly expense. Also based on your report stay out of California you would also save a good bit. LOL New subscriber and enjoying the videos. Enjoy the road and smooth travels.
Yes!! The moving around so much definitely increases things just across the board it seems. We plan to (eventually) slow down a bit, but have some bucket list type trips we want to do first…because you never know what tomorrow holds!
May I ask what you guys do for work?
We're starting Workamping in May. Hoping to keep expenses under $2500/mo. We'll have no debt and staying in same place for 3-5 months.
I think staying in one place longer is the best way to keep expenses down!
Wow, you are really on top of spending and tracking it. I can relate, I do the same. I’m not a full time RVer but I am retired and travel throughout the summer up here in Northern Alberta Canada. My RV, and don’t laugh, is a Geo Pro 12SRK. The name means: 12 ft long, S is Sofa bed and the RK is Rear Kitchen outside. I bought this new in 2019 and don’t regret is at all. I pull it with a 2019 Jeep Cherokee Trailhawk. I have a pretty in-depth budget as well and I must say it keeps me on track and some months I’m under budget and some over. I wish more people would track their income/cost as you do. I see some of your large cost are one time costs, hopefully. I was wondering about your budget. We’re you over or on track and if not what are you planning for this years budget? Budgets are good if you following them and that can sometimes be a challenge. Sorry for the long comment. Love your channel, I subscribed just the other day. 😀
That sounds like a super fun setup! You’ll definitely fit a lot more places with yours than we do with this thing 😅 we do hope to have less one time expenses this year, I’m sure we will have some, but shouldn’t have anything like our $7K worth of solar setup lol. This was our first entire year of full timing so we weren’t sure exactly what to budget but had some specific savings/retirement funding goals that we were able to still make. However, this year, I’d like for our monthly average to be under $4,500 and then maybe only a $2-$3k of one time big expenses (we already know we’re going to have to buy a new computer this year and will need a pretty good one 😅)
perfect girl to travel with she will keep you busy for sure
What do you guys do for work? Also what are the other internet you can get when traveling besides star link? How much is the average camp ground cost?
I (Victoria) am the marketing director for a fully remote health tech company. For internet, you can get data plans with basically any cell phone provider and we have a modem/router that you can put the data SIM cards in. rvmobileinternet.com has a lot of good info on the different options! Our campground average was $352/month because we also boondock (free camping with no hookups) but if you’re staying exclusively in campgrounds it all depends on where you stay and how long. You can get monthly rates for as low as $300-$400…but nightly rates can range anywhere from about $30-$60 (or more for places like the beach, etc)
Living in Mexico with remote job will save money.
I am speechless, but not surprised. I am sure most upper crust that could afford a huge truck and long long RV that get 5 MPG spent much more, for a super expensive hobby, compared to those who couldn't afford to pay rent.
Yeah, the average American household spends about $5,111 per month. So, we are spending on average about what the average household spends, except just not in a house and with ever changing backyard views. So, we see it more as our lifestyle and less as a hobby. But like all lifestyles, there are people who spend well below average and well above the average for sure
I don't even make the amount of your expenses!! but I don't have any Bills except Small mortgage payment and utilities. Vehicle insurance.
Whoever wants to live with the same luxury as living at home, the budget difference will not be large. The idea of RV life is to dispense with what is not necessary.
I keep working taking breaks couple times a year. For more income is my tee line. Maybe
Very well explained ! But you discouraged me to go full time rv living. Damn thats alot of $$$. Im thinking selling my duplex and go full time rv but living single , i don't think i would be able to afford all these expenses. On top of it , i was planning to travel 6 months in the south ( ex Florida ) and go back to Montreal , Canada during the warm weather. I will have to rethink about all this keeping in mind the cost of the money exchange 🤔I subscribe btw !
Do keep in mind that these are expenses for two people, so a lot of things are double because of that (food, cell phone bill, health insurance, etc). There are also a lot of people who have budgets that look very different, so don’t let it discourage you! The most important thing is estimating accurately ahead of time. I’m actually working on some tools to help people do that more easily, so stay tuned! (And the best way to keep costs lower is by going slower)
Are you talking in US dollars or Mexican pesos??
Thanks for this, I'll definitely stay home and buy a yatch
Let me know where you get a yatch this cheap from because I looked into yatch life once... couldn't afford it. 😂
That is more then I pay living in NY, way more.
Nice breakdown! Thanks for sharing! Safe travels! - Mike and Shelley
I've seen a bunch of these types of videos. It all depends on how you live your life style. You spend more than double of many others I've seen. Plus the very high gas prices don't help with those numbers. I'd say at Trumps gas prices you'd still be well over $3,000 a month. I have been playing around with my monthly expenses and I figure I could do this same for under $2,000 a month, granted I wouldn't be going out, making last minute big purchases unless I absolutely had to. Plus I found a way to save on camp site fees.
Yeah honestly campsite fees are one of our lower costs since we boondock, and you can definitely spend less. Particularly if you don’t drive as much as us, or have a van instead of a big truck. Sitting in one spot for a little while (or traveling shorter distances) makes a big difference in a full timers budget it seems
How much is the insurance just for the RV?