[et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ _builder_version=”4.19.4″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}” theme_builder_area=”post_content”][et_pb_row _builder_version=”4.19.4″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}” theme_builder_area=”post_content”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”4.19.4″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}” theme_builder_area=”post_content”][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.19.4″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}” theme_builder_area=”post_content”]<\/p>\n
Many people dream of living on the road in an RV. The biggest hurdle can be figuring out how to afford full-time RVing. In this article, an RV living family of 7 years shares how they save money on the road to make this lifestyle possible.\u00a0<\/p>\n
(This post contains affiliate links. Purchases made through these links help support this blog at no additional cost to you. All opinions are always our own. See the\u00a0<\/em>Disclaimer<\/em><\/a>.)<\/em>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.19.4″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}” theme_builder_area=”post_content”]<\/p>\n It all depends! Many people say that RV living<\/strong> is a cheap lifestyle compared to living in a house or an apartment. Plus, you can’t put a price on the incredible experiences you have while traveling.<\/p>\n \u00a0Is RV living full-time really cheaper or a cheap lifestyle? It honestly depends on how you travel. For example, a stationary full time RVer in a campground is often a much cheaper way of living versus camper life<\/strong> traveling in an RV across the country.<\/p>\n Similarly, traveling while living in an RV full-time within one state or region will be much cheaper than traveling from the East Coast to the West Coast or from California to Alaska.<\/p>\n RVing full time in RV resorts will be much more expensive than those RVers that choose free boondocking campsites on public lands.<\/p>\n Costs are also all over the place depending on what types of activities you enjoy.<\/p>\n RVers that love to visit amusement parks, go to sporting events, or enjoy museums and other ticketed events will spend much more money. Sightseeing can get expensive!<\/p>\n While RVers that love to hike, paddle, and enjoy free or low-cost nature activities will have a much cheaper recreation and activity budget.<\/p>\n As you can see, the cost involved in full-time RVing varies a lot depending on where and how you choose to travel.<\/p>\n Keep reading for tips on how to enjoy living in a camper full time while also saving money.<\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][et_pb_image src=”https:\/\/rvnomadjobs.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/Bahia-12-1024×768.jpg” alt=”Man and girl RV camping on ocean – how to afford full-time RVing” title_text=”RV Living Ocean RV Camping” _builder_version=”4.19.4″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}” theme_builder_area=”post_content”][\/et_pb_image][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.19.4″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}” theme_builder_area=”post_content”]<\/p>\n Although RV living full time isn’t always a cheap lifestyle, there are ways to keep costs down while you travel. Read on to find ways to save full-time RV living<\/a>.<\/p>\n Gas is one of the largest expenses in full time camper living. With large price increases over the last couple of years, it’s something you need to budget carefully for.<\/p>\n The price of gas also varies depending on if your RV or vehicle runs on regular or diesel gas. Diesel prices have increased even more than regular gas.<\/p>\n There are some ways to save money full time RVing on gas, so the prices don’t limit the fun. Keep reading for tips to save on gas!<\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.19.4″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}” theme_builder_area=”post_content”]<\/p>\n Simply put, the faster you travel and the farther you go, the more expensive your RVing gas bill will be.<\/p>\n RVing and towing RVs take a lot of gas, and limiting the frequency of travel days can really help your gas budget.<\/p>\n In our first year of living in an RV full time, we traveled every few days trying to see as many things as possible. We quickly felt worn out because there wasn’t time for daily living.<\/p>\n Despite the exciting travel activities, you still need time to do laundry, go to the store, pay bills, and just plain rest sometimes.<\/p>\n Almost all full time RVers fall into this trap the first year or two on the road.<\/p>\n It honestly takes a little while traveling to find a travel pace that works well with daily living and your travel budget.<\/p>\n Now that we have been full time RVing for over 7 years, we have found that a good travel pace for us is to stay at least two weeks in each location.<\/p>\n That gives us enough time to sightsee and explore while also having enough time for daily living activities without being worn out.<\/p>\n Traveling every two weeks or so also means only two travel days per month which helps to save on our monthly gas budget.<\/p>\n If you have extra expenses and need to save money, slowing down your travel schedule can be a great way to get back on track!\u00a0<\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.19.4″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}” theme_builder_area=”post_content”]<\/p>\n I don’t know about you, but once we got into RV traveling, we quickly realized that there was more to do in most locations than we could ever see or experience.<\/p>\n In fact, I make huge lists of what I want to see at each stop and usually only make it through half of the list or even less most times!<\/p>\n My point is that every couple hundred miles you travel, there will always be tons more to see and do. You don’t have to travel long distances to enjoy experiences.<\/p>\n By keeping your miles down, you also keep your gas bill down without sacrificing the experiences found in travel. As a bonus, you won’t feel as worn out from long travel days.<\/p>\n A good travel distance for our family is 150-200 miles per RV travel day. We have gone as far as 370 miles in a day before and have found it just miserable to go that far.<\/p>\n Having two shorter RV travel days per month work well for our budget, our family, and our sanity. You will find the distance that works best for you!<\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][et_pb_image src=”https:\/\/rvnomadjobs.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/Gamble-30-1024×768.jpeg” alt=”RVs On The Beach – Afford RV Living” title_text=”RV Camping On The Beach” _builder_version=”4.19.4″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}” theme_builder_area=”post_content”][\/et_pb_image][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.19.4″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}” theme_builder_area=”post_content”]<\/p>\n Overloading your RV is a problem for many reasons, but it can also decrease your gas mileage.<\/p>\n Many RV full time travelers fall into the trap of having way too much stuff in their RV. After all, most end up selling their home to begin RV living, so they have plenty of stuff.<\/p>\n An easy way to cut weight for travel days is to try to avoid driving with full RV tanks.<\/p>\n Dump tanks before you travel or wait to fill water tanks until close to your destination, so you don’t have extra RV tank weight to slow you down.<\/p>\n I know that we also struggle with being overloaded. We have tons of books for homeschooling, too many clothes, and lots of tools to fix things that break around our RV.<\/p>\n We, like others, have too much stuff. That is one difficult part of RV fulltime living. But keep in mind that the heavier your RV is, the worst gas mileage you will get driving or towing it.<\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.19.4″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}” theme_builder_area=”post_content”]<\/p>\n Do you have a need for speed? Unfortunately, driving fast doesn’t go well with the RV lifestyle. It’s easy to want to get where you are going faster, but it can cause a big headache.<\/p>\n Keeping your speeds low can significantly improve your gas mileage. It’s also much safer while towing a car or towing a trailer\/RV.<\/p>\n As a bonus, not only will driving slower save you money on gas, but it also helps to prevent RV tire blowouts which can cause tons of damage to your RV and be unsafe.<\/p>\n When we are towing our large 5th wheel, we always keep speeds around 60 on the highway.<\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.19.4″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}” theme_builder_area=”post_content”]<\/p>\n One of the best full time RV living tips to save money on gas is to pay less to begin with. The savings are worth it to look for cheaper gas locations.<\/p>\n Getting gas at Sam’s Club or Costco is a great way to save money if you have a membership. Some Costco’s even have diesel gas.<\/p>\n You can also use gas finder apps like Gas Buddy to look for the lowest gas prices in your area before filling up.<\/p>\n Note that sometimes these apps aren’t always updated or accurate, so we wouldn’t necessarily drive far out of our way based on an app recommendation.\u00a0<\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.19.4″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}” theme_builder_area=”post_content”]<\/p>\n Did you know that there are gas discount programs for RVers? These program savings can really add up over time, especially if you travel often!<\/p>\n One popular discount program is the Good Sam Membership camping club discount card.<\/p>\n This inexpensive yearly discount program provides 10% off Good Sam campgrounds and gives you a store discount at Camping World and Overton’s.<\/p>\n As a Good Sam Club Member you also save 5 cents a gallon on gas and 8 cents a gallon on diesel at Pilot Flying J gas stations\/truck stops.<\/p>\n Also, check out the TSD fuel care for RVers<\/strong>. The TSD Open Roads discount fuel program provides savings for diesel gas which is great for many RVing full time.<\/p>\n Savings vary but you can save as much as 30-40 cents per gallon using this card at Travel Centers Of America and Loves. As a bonus, the program is FREE to join!<\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][et_pb_image src=”https:\/\/rvnomadjobs.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/RV-Jobs-resized.jpeg” alt=”Sunset behind RV – working on the road” title_text=”RV Jobs” _builder_version=”4.19.4″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}” theme_builder_area=”post_content”][\/et_pb_image][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.19.4″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}” theme_builder_area=”post_content”]<\/p>\n Tire inflation is important both for gas mileage and for safety.<\/p>\n Keeping both RV and vehicle tires inflated to the recommended pressure will always give you the best gas mileage.<\/p>\n Checking your tires often can also lead to fewer RV tire blowouts. We check and adjust our tires before every RV travel day.<\/p>\n We also travel with a small air compressor in our RV, which makes topping off the tire pressure quick and easy since we do travel so often.<\/p>\n Traveling on steep road grades and through mountain passes can be a white-knuckle kind of RV driving day. It can also really go through the gas.<\/p>\n Sometimes it can’t be avoided based on where you are, but if you can choose a different route, this will help save your nerves and your gasoline!<\/p>\n We talked earlier in this article about keeping your distances down to save on gas.<\/p>\n One more specific idea to help with this is to keep your travels within one general area or region for each season.<\/p>\n For example, we love to just travel throughout the state of Florida in the winter. There are loads to do within this one state, and it helps to save money over the winter months on gas.<\/p>\n If we travel more during the summer months, then we can use the winter months to improve our budget and have more time to catch up on life during these slower months.\u00a0<\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.19.4″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}” theme_builder_area=”post_content”]<\/p>\n Campgrounds are often the most expensive budget category in RV living. Full-time RVers have to have a place to park their RV home every night, and it can really add up.<\/p>\n If you aren’t careful with finding savings with RV campgrounds<\/a> or campsites, this category can end up being as much as a monthly home mortgage.<\/p>\n But no worries! We have learned some tips over the years to help you to save money on RV parking.<\/p>\n The US is full of free camping areas located on federal lands. This is the best way to RV cheap!<\/p>\n The most common areas to find these opportunities are on BLM (Bureau Of Land Management) land or in national forests.<\/p>\n Each area has its own rules and regulations, and some spots may require a permit. As long as you follow the rules, the campsite is free. Boondocking is by far the cheapest way to camp!<\/p>\n In most locations, you can also stay up to two weeks. Some spots limit the number of times you can visit in a season, so check the rules for each location.<\/p>\n Boondocking is also known as dry camping because, most of the time, there are no RV hookups or facilities available for RVers. You will need your own power source and water.<\/p>\n Not only are these campsites free, but they are also often in very scenic locations and give you plenty of space to spread out.<\/p>\n Boondocking can really help stretch your RV living budget!<\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][et_pb_image src=”https:\/\/rvnomadjobs.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/RV-Nomad-Jobs.jpeg” alt=”Family playing catch in front of RV – digital nomad family” title_text=”RV Nomad Jobs” _builder_version=”4.19.4″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}” theme_builder_area=”post_content”][\/et_pb_image][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.19.4″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}” theme_builder_area=”post_content”]<\/p>\n When needing a quick overnight stop on the way to your destination, consider a free parking lot option for cheap camping.<\/p>\n Some businesses allow RVers to park for free overnight in the back of their parking lots. This can be huge savings for full time RVers.<\/p>\n Businesses that often allow free overnight parking are Cabellas, Cracker Barrel, Walmart, Casinos, some rest stops, and some tourist information centers.<\/p>\n To find free overnight parking locations, use apps like Campendium. Always make sure to look for signs and ask the location’s manager for permission before staying.<\/p>\n Not every location allows RVers to park overnight, and it would stink to be told to leave in the middle of the night. Free overnight stays are a camping cheap hack used by many RVers.<\/p>\n Many campgrounds offer discounts for longer stays that can be much cheaper than the nightly rate. This can be a great tip for more frugal camping.<\/p>\n When booking a campsite, always ask if the campground has a weekly or monthly rate. Some have a buy 6 nights and get the 7th-night free discount.<\/p>\n Note that although monthly stays are often the cheapest rate, most campgrounds do charge for electricity on monthly stays.<\/p>\n Even with paying for metered electricity, monthly rates still often save quite a bit compared to staying short-term. With rising campground prices, there are still many cheap monthly RV parks.<\/p>\n A very common way that full time RVers save money on camping is through campground discount programs.<\/p>\n These inexpensive annual cards or programs can provide significant savings on RV camping. This is a hack for finding cheap campsites.<\/p>\n One of our favorite savings programs that is a no-brainer for every full-time RVer is the Passport America membership card.<\/p>\nIs It Cheap To Live In An RV?<\/h2>\n
Tips For Cheap RV Living<\/h2>\n
Hacks To Save Money On Gas For Affordable RV Life<\/h2>\n
1) Stay In Each Location Longer For Cheap RVing<\/h2>\n
2) Travel Shorter Distances For A Budget RV Month<\/h2>\n
3) Watch Your RV Weight<\/h2>\n
4) Keep Your Speed Down<\/h2>\n
5) Use Gas Price Apps To Find A Cheaper Price<\/h2>\n
6) Sign Up For Gas Discount Programs For Cheap RV Gas<\/h2>\n
7) Keep Your Tires Properly Inflated<\/h2>\n
8) Limit Mountain Travel Days<\/h2>\n
9) Stick To One Region A Season<\/h2>\n
How To Save On Campgrounds For Budget RV Living<\/h2>\n
10) Boondock For Free Places To Park Camper<\/h2>\n
11) Choose Free Overnight RV Parking<\/h2>\n
12) Stay Longer At A Campground<\/h2>\n
13) Use Campground Discount Programs<\/h2>\n
Passport America<\/h3>\n