User Tag List
Results 11 to 20 of 20
Thread: Fulltiming Cost
-
04-18-2021, 08:39 AM #11
- Join Date
- Jul 2014
- Location
- Wherever...
- Posts
- 9,119
- Mentioned
- 191 Post(s)
- Tagged
- 0 Thread(s)
Dallas,
That sounds exactly like the boat we were in a couple of years ago. We had spent a year putting together a spreadsheet with all the aspects of life (Best Places, Kiplinger's, etc.) for consideration for places to settle. I had an ache to get a little place with enough space for the RV in my hometown in southern New Mexico. We even looked at places with a realtor. One of my sisters thought the plan was problematic because my wife is a tropical girl (grew up in Costa Rica where it's perpetual spring) and doesn't like the summer heat in Las Cruces. When we left Cruces that spring and headed northwest, we agonized for several months over the decision and choices. One cold, windy evening in Rock Springs, WY, we realized that the only thing both of us could get excited about was staying on the road. So, we upgraded the RV and continued to roll (with a time-out for the pandemic).
@Steven@147: On cost calculations for full-time living, there are several different approaches. I'm of the school that includes only those costs you would not have in a stix 'n brix in the costs of full-time living - basically what supplanted the costs of owning and living in a home. These expenses would include the cost of the RV and tow vehicle, fuel for towing, maintenance and repair, propane and consumables, camping fees, mail service, etc. These replaced the home mortgage, property taxes, utility bills, lawn care, maintenance and repair, etc. What I don't include are things that we would be spending money for regardless of where we live - food, health care, clothing, eating out, entertainment, and a number of other things. I have used Quicken for years (download all transactions from the bank) with very detailed budget buckets and can provide our general info to anyone interested (pre-full-time and post).
RobU.S. Army Retired
2012 F350 DRW CC LB Lariat PS 6.7
2020 Solitude 310GK-R, MORryde IS, disc brakes,
Sailun LRG tires, solar, DP windows, W/D
(Previously in a Reflection 337RLS)
Full time since 08/2015
-
04-19-2021, 08:29 AM #12
- Join Date
- May 2017
- Location
- Texas Fulltimers
- Posts
- 2,580
- Mentioned
- 33 Post(s)
- Tagged
- 0 Thread(s)
Makes perfect sense Rob. There are certain costs that would be "normal"? expenditures S&B or Fulltiming.
We met an 83 year old guy at one park that fulltimes in an older small 5th wheel. We was having trouble unhitching and i noticed he had the RV nose too high and it was binding the pin and hitch jaws from releasing, helped him out and we got to talking about fulltiming. He just has his SS to live on and said he has to count every penny. Really nice guy, a little slower moving around but still going pretty good. But it got me to thinking when I put our cost of living spreadsheet together so I added a lot more in it for like a total budget kind of thing.
We tend to spend a little too much on our Captain Morgan, Disaronno, mudslides and the like. Also we buy groceries usually around once a week because of our smaller fridge, then eat out too much lols. We kind of over did it while staying in Galveston a couple months back, man that sea food was great! For dinner last night we grilled up some fillet mignon we got at the grocery, baked potatoes and salad with a nice bottle of Berringer zinfandel. Beats the heck out of hamburger helper!! Fulltiming Life is Good!Steve & Tami Cass - Escapee's, FMCA Members, Texas Fulltimers Since July 2020
2019 Solitude 3350RL S-Class, 2018 Ram 3500 DRW, Laramie Longhorn, B&W Companion, Texas Class A Non-CDL Drivers License
Sharing the Fulltime Lifestyle - www.youtube.com/@tsrvadventures3219/videos, Nonprofit Channel
-
04-21-2021, 05:18 PM #13
- Join Date
- Sep 2020
- Location
- Oregon Coast
- Posts
- 81
- Mentioned
- 0 Post(s)
- Tagged
- 0 Thread(s)
I love hearing everyone's tips and ideas on budgeting. You have to have a game plan. Just for fun, here's our plan.
Will be full-timing come 2026 (not soon enough).
1. bought a lot on the Oregon coast in 2019, that is zoned for RV living. Built a 26' by 45' RV cover on it. Expected property taxes and utilities, $350/month.
2. just ordered a new 2021 Ram 3500 DRW, to be paid off by retirement.
3. retire
4. purchase the 5th wheel if we have not replaced our current TTL by then. Current favorite floorplan is the 390RK, or Beacon's similar floorplan.
5. sell the house.
6. no DEBT
7. full time with the coast as home base when we are not snow birding, or traveling the nation.
61 months to go......
Jim
-
04-21-2021, 05:57 PM #14
- Join Date
- May 2020
- Posts
- 38
- Mentioned
- 0 Post(s)
- Tagged
- 0 Thread(s)
-
04-22-2021, 07:53 AM #15
- Join Date
- May 2017
- Location
- Texas Fulltimers
- Posts
- 2,580
- Mentioned
- 33 Post(s)
- Tagged
- 0 Thread(s)
Originally Posted by [email protected]
We are by no means experts on going fulltime, but for people reading along, some things to keep in mind.
Buying the RV an or tow vehicle you plan to go fulltime in is easier before you retire or sell your house. You still have your financial and property foot print so qualifying for financing is easy. Then if you want pay off the RV after you sell your house.
Health care was the biggest challenge for us to plan because we both retired and went fulltime before age 65, before Medicare. It can be real costly, our advice is to plan well that part of it. If you will be traveling a lot PPO type health plans that are good in any state can be really costly. It could be your single biggest expense. A lot of people find they can't go fulltime because of this expense.
Think about vehicle insurance, your RV and or tow vehicle is your only haven, if you lose one of them or both because of a failure, loss of use, total loss, what then?
Also plan well your fulltime state of residence. If you still have property in a state you don't have to be concerned about it. But if you are not going to have property any where then you need to think about establishing a domicile in some state favorable to RV Fulltimers. We had lived in Texas for 19 years so it was easier for us to transition and keep our Texas residency, we own no property. Texas residency has some good points and some not so good points. Read up on maintaining a domicile.
Also plan for the financial institutions that you will be using. A lot of banks and investment companies do not like working with fulltimers, just be aware of it. There are lots of banks that will have no problem with it.
Escapee's is a good place to get information. https://www.escapees.com/
SteveLast edited by Steven@147; 04-22-2021 at 08:10 AM. Reason: additional content
Steve & Tami Cass - Escapee's, FMCA Members, Texas Fulltimers Since July 2020
2019 Solitude 3350RL S-Class, 2018 Ram 3500 DRW, Laramie Longhorn, B&W Companion, Texas Class A Non-CDL Drivers License
Sharing the Fulltime Lifestyle - www.youtube.com/@tsrvadventures3219/videos, Nonprofit Channel
-
04-24-2021, 06:08 AM #16
- Join Date
- Jun 2019
- Location
- Maryland
- Posts
- 649
- Mentioned
- 6 Post(s)
- Tagged
- 0 Thread(s)
We're just celebrated our one month anniversary full timing last week. We spent about two and a half years planning and prepping for the transition.
One thing that I struggled with trying to predict the cost of full timing is separating the cost of living and the cost of life. It's hard to keep all those apples and oranges separate sometimes. What I mean is that some things are easy to see the difference with and some things get a little foggy. In my mind, expenses like food, entertainment, cell phones, etc are clearly unrelated to the roof over your head so they should not me part of a comparison. But there are other things that are needed in both the sticks/bricks and the RV. One thing is vehicles. The cost of a tow vehicle to pull the 5th wheel is a significant expense, but in the sticks/bricks you still need a car. So how does one nail down the difference in cost/use when going full time. Another thing is the house itself. You can't just use the mortgage payment as a cost of the sticks/bricks because the property still has value. With an RV, there will be a time when it depreciates to zero so again, there are some parts of the comparison that don't work. I'll wrap up with this one. Just couple thoughts to complicate things 😁
-
05-23-2021, 07:18 AM #17
- Join Date
- Feb 2021
- Location
- U.S.A.
- Posts
- 12
- Mentioned
- 0 Post(s)
- Tagged
- 0 Thread(s)
For us it's less expensive to full time in the RV vs living in the house, even though there were no longer any mortgage payments. The log book shows where & how we spend the money and that's fine to help keep these things in mind, sorta like getting on a scale now and then to check your weight. A quick glance at the bottom line, either monthly or annually, really shows the difference however. In the house the bottom line was going in the wrong direction, and even after making some adjustments we realized that we had come to a crossroads. As for how we live, nothing really changed. The house simply has wheels now.
295RL & 2X4 F250 XL Ext Cab LB w/3880 CCC
-
11-15-2023, 04:49 PM #18
- Join Date
- Apr 2023
- Location
- Vancouver, WA
- Posts
- 139
- Mentioned
- 0 Post(s)
- Tagged
- 0 Thread(s)
We just started full-timing this year. I did a lot of research in forums like this and elsewhere to get a sense of what other people are paying and what my expenses were going to be. I took accounting in college and have been involved with accounting in some level at every company I owned or ran, so at home I've been using personal accounting software for 30 years.
I used the software to create a Full-Timers Budget. My truck and trailer are paid off, no payments. I no longer own a house and am not paying for any storage. So my budget includes only income and expenses, it does not include monthly savings goals. It also doesn't include any 'indulgences' like going to Disneyland next month. That said, my monthly expense budget is $3,500. Most of this year my income was well above that. The surplus every month goes toward savings and investments. I know that at some point I'm going to need to replace the truck and trailer. I do have a monthly maintenance budget but don't have a monthly budget for big maintenance such as an emergency or replacing the trailer tires as those are not monthly expenses. They come out of savings.
We mostly prepare all our meals on board, and maybe eat out once a week. I've budgeted $400 for groceries and so far have not gone over that. We eat a lot of rice and vegetables and chicken. For us meat is an accent to the meal and not the main part of the meal. We get eggs, dog food and a few other things at Costco whenever we can. Mostly we end up doing a grocery shopping about once a week. We also don't drink so we're not buying alcohol. I'm paying $200 for internet because we have both AT+T sim card in our router plus Starlink Mobile.
When we are not on the road we mooch-camp on a pad we built on my sons property in Vancouver/Portland area. We have water and 50amp electric, will be installing sewer probably next summer. You'd think that would save me money but I end up spending money on the kids and grandchild almost equal to what I pay for campgrounds and gas!2023 Reflection 150, Model 280RS
Tow Vehicle - 2022 Ram 2500
-
11-16-2023, 05:22 AM #19
- Join Date
- May 2017
- Location
- Texas Fulltimers
- Posts
- 2,580
- Mentioned
- 33 Post(s)
- Tagged
- 0 Thread(s)
This is reaching back aways, but its always good to have a plan. Problem is we end up not following our plan!
In tracking our expense we can sure tell when we are traveling + Diesel. This year we went to Big Bend TX, Williams AZ and the Grand Canyon South, through Albuquerque NM, Tucson AZ, Las Cruces NM and site seeing on our way back East on I70 and are planted in Indiana right now.
We have been stationary here in Indiana since July - family emergency. If everything gets worked out, we head to Galveston right after Christmas. That will be expensive once I get near sea food!
This years expenses to date averaged monthly. The graphs generated by the numbers are bouncing around like a yo-yo. Our repair and maint fund took a hit this year with buying tires for the truck and RV. Plus leaf springs, equalizers and shackles for the RV and replaced the microwave/convection oven. Then we decided we couldn't live without new bicycles! We have no will power!
Grocery - $538
Dining Out - $489
Entertainment - $73
Diesel - $377
RV Maint & Repair - $279
CG Site + Elect - $716 or $23.56 per night
Truck Maint & Repair - $209
Misc Expenses - $511Last edited by Steven@147; 11-16-2023 at 05:24 AM.
Steve & Tami Cass - Escapee's, FMCA Members, Texas Fulltimers Since July 2020
2019 Solitude 3350RL S-Class, 2018 Ram 3500 DRW, Laramie Longhorn, B&W Companion, Texas Class A Non-CDL Drivers License
Sharing the Fulltime Lifestyle - www.youtube.com/@tsrvadventures3219/videos, Nonprofit Channel
-
04-07-2024, 08:17 PM #20
- Join Date
- Feb 2024
- Location
- where i park it
- Posts
- 23
- Mentioned
- 1 Post(s)
- Tagged
- 0 Thread(s)
I might as well wake this up.
I lived in my 26 foot TT for a year, to test the life, then retired and hit the road fulltime for the last 7 years. Its just myself.
I took this past winter off to try normalish living. That, is get an apartment in my northern MN hometown and sold camper and pickup last spring, and bought a new car.
It wasnt fun. So i am going back to full timing. In a month or less.
I just bought a new SRW 3500 cheby 6.6 gasser, as i had a diesel for the last 8 years and the emission's stuff on the newer ones dont work for my usage. ( I had problems ) So the gasser it is. For my use, as with added maintenance and DEF fluid as well as diesel is more than gas, the gasser is and will be cheaper per year.
I found a very clean used 2020 Grand Design Reflections 273rk, bought a few months ago, private sale, they are storing in there pole barn till i get it.
( time for the budget. )
Mine has been right on my plans if not cheaper. I like to over budget. Again, its only myself, so easy. I retired at 53 and now am 60, on no meds and no health problems at all. So far. I pay out of pocket health insurance. I do a weekly budget so ill put it down as such for this currant year, i also factor in $1,000 each year for inflation, that seems to work fine. I dont factor in a new rig or vehicle, as that money is there if needed invested in CDs. Even after just buying paid for the new pickup and camper, and needed stuff for it.
My budget, it all seems to be able to adapt one to compensate another if needed. Not that i cant increase my budget at anytime, but i need a base.
In no order.
$650 a week, $34,000 rounded up, estimated this year. I do have a more detailed paper weekly one i do, but for example it is easier to just round thing.
Some items like oil changes and tires as well as other stuff is just factored in on an average of the years budget.
$1,700 camper and pickup insurance
$600 cable tv
$500 electric and propane
$4,000-$4,500 lot/rv parks
$1,004 phone
$7,500 out of pocket health insurance
$4,000 extra stuff and maintenance.
$4,000 food and eating out
$5,200 or more spending out and about.
$4,500 fuel
What i have coming in, is a good bit more than i have going out...... That goes into CDs. I even did IRA CDs to sleep better at night. Not a big interest gain, but no loss chances.
I will add this...... My budget really went on the cheap a couple years ago when i started having stomach problems from drinking beer, i dont like wine or hard stuff so i quit drinking. And i could drink a lot of beer. That was factored in the retirement yearly/weekly budget.
I for some reason do like bars, so I drink soda at them now.
It is in the budget, but this past year being as mentioned, normalish in the apartment and with a very good fuel economy car. The normalish living is more expensive than camper life for myself.
It was nice reading about others plans and works.
Freezer Opens on Travel Day?
Today, 03:46 PM in Appliances